By: Keval Bollavaram
My ideal writing practices would include working in a quiet place for several hours with the ability to finish any writing assignment in one sitting. In actuality, I usually take breaks and complete writing assignments after several days. While I would not consider myself to be much of a procrastinator, I have a tendency to only writing what comes to mind before switching to a different task. This extends to my research style as well, where I am a more efficient at learning/internalizing new material rather than paraphrasing a cited source. This way I am able to quickly transition from thought to thought without much hesitation.
I find that I am generally able to work in any sort of writing environment. My writing process is mostly internal, uninfluenced by outside distractions. On one hand, this is great because I can work around friends and family without feeling inefficient. On the other hand, I cannot simply find a new place to work whenever I feel stuck. Moreover, I do require different thought processes for different writing prompts. For example, over the years I have mastered analytical and technical writing by learning to be more direct and specific. However, I believe I still have room to improve my creative writing skills to avoid being too banal and misunderstood.
I thrive on deadlines, but I rarely finish any assignment a night before it’s due. For me, deadlines keep me organized and convince my brain to stay ahead of schedule. Although, I would not complain if a deadline for an assignment were—hypothetically—extended. Additionally, deadlines allow me to keep track of my prewriting schedule. For prewriting, normally I jot down a list of ideas then begin to write. As I write, I integrate new topics by adding them to the bottom of the page. After completing a few paragraphs, I revise and reorganize my work.
Some of Hamilton’s greatest contributions to American literature were his essays in The Federalist Papers.