My Final Draft Thoughts

You've turned in your final draft, how do you feel about it? What was your writing process? What would part of your process do you plan to keep for the next essay? What part do you want to change? Why?

After turning in my final draft, I felt quite a few emotions. The major one is relief that the task is completed. Mostly though, I feel good about what I had prepared, especially after the advice that Amanda gave on my rought draft, I think it reads better this time around. I do have a habit of writing like I talk, which sometimes in not a good thing. My writing process began late in the evening. My husband works second shift, and I have three boys that always have at least 3 hrs (combined) of homework each evening, one being in 5th grade, one in 7th grade, and one a sophomore in high school. It's just me in the evening doing the family thing with supper, dishes, homework, housekeeping etc., so I don't have a lot of time then, but believe me I'm thinking about the project and what needs done! I think I do my best work late at night, when the house is quiet, and I can work uninterupted. I enjoyed working on the little details of the paper, and revising and reading, rereading again and again until I left it was better. I think the part of the process I would keep for the next essay would be formulating all of my thoughts in the VES before I write the paper. Amanda stated that it is such much easier when you have complete thoughts and sentences, and you take your time preparing the VES. It works, and helps you narrow your thought pattern into the key points you want to center on. I think the part I would change for the next essay is staying up until 2:30 am in writing it. I keep forgetting I am older, and not as able to "bounce" back from lack of sleep like I could in my 20's. I need sleep, and although I do my best work at night, if I split it up over a few nights and quit around midnight instead of 2:30, this woman will not be dragging butt so horribly the next morning when preparing for work! I also want to spend more time on creating structured paragraphs. It is important to keep the goal of your paper, and the main thoughts that you want to convey in the forefront of your mind. For me, I tend to "get lost" in revision, and have to constantly reread it to be sure that I am still heading in the same direction.