Thank you, Mr.Post
- lkibrahi
- Jan 23, 2019
- 2 min read
https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling/
Writing has always been a big part of who I am. I used to write and illustrate children's books as a kid. I've also been documenting dates and memories in a variety of journals since elementary school and still keep one today that I actually wrote in last night. So i enjoy writing, but writing for yourself is a lot different than writing academically. When it comes to writing for academic reasons, I've always had a hard time coming up with a clear thesis. But I feel as if I've had much improvement since then.
The way in which I usually begin my writing process generally depends on the given prompt and whether or not it’s something I'm actually excited to write about. If it’s something I would enjoy writing about, then I tend to just dive right into the rough draft. My IB literature/ writing junior year teacher taught me a tip I use to this day. When in doubt or when you have no clue where to begin, just start typing. Don’t worry about the grammar, structure, thesis, don’t worry about anything but typing as much as you can. Once you’ve done this, go back and reread what you wrote. This is when you pull together a central claim based off what you wrote and add any supporting details or take out unnecessary ones. Lastly, check the grammar or look for any mistakes that would cost you points.
This method has worked well for me since then. Although, I only use this method when it comes to writing papers that are some kind of narrative. If the topic has to do with me or a personal experience, this drafting method is my go-to. When it comes to composing an essay about a novel, article, or any other type of text, I like to plan ahead. For example, when writing about novels I like to come up with some kind of starting thesis. This thesis will most likely change a little depending on the central focus of the final paper, but it’s a good starting point. After coming up with a thesis, I structure the paper based off the size. I figure out the approximate number of paragraphs and list them in bullet points. This is going to be the backbone of the paper. The first paragraph is reserved for the introduction while the last is for the conclusion. The rest are for supporting details/ evidence. Finally, I go in and look for specific details I want to include and the main focus of each paragraph and bullet point it underneath. After everything has been laid out, I begin writing and later check for grammar or mistakes. This layout makes it so much easier to mentally picture the paper and avoid possible writers block mid-way.
My journal entries are more informal unlike the formal papers I write for academic purposes. This website/ blog is informal and is personal to me.
Comments