I consider myself to be most like the "Heavy Reviser". Like the description given, I often write my work early and then go back in to edit, tweak, and re-write several times. I tend to find my argument during the writing process, so that means the beginnings and occasionally the middle of my essays need to be strengthened.
While I most heavily identify with Heavy Reviser, I am also a procrastinator. My writing process shifts between revising an essay five or six times to writing it the day before it's due and skimming it a couple times for obvious mistakes. I find that I do not thrive under pressure, so I try to be a Heavy Reviser.
I consider myself to be a fairly good writer, so my process has found some success. A strength is that I often ask for advice from other writers, and the various inputs of critique often improves the quality of my writing. It can also be a weakness too. If there are too many contrasting criticisms or my paper is over-revised, it can often lose the strength of it's argument. Also, it can a be a long and painful process to get my thoughts to work together sometimes. I relate to this little sloth below because of it-he's hanging on, trying to get where he needs to go.
I would like to try to be more of a Heavy Planner. Having my writing pre-arranged as opposed to having a general concept I write to find an argument for sounds beneficial. I am used to editing frequently, so trying to change my process suddenly on an important assignment might not be a good idea, but I would try it out for a shorter essay or assignment.
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| Strniste, Marissa . "Up-Close Sloth." 02/10/12 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License |
EDIT:
After reading some other blogs, it sounds like being a heavy planner has some definite costs (like Chloe) and benefits (like William). Everyone has their own process that works best and worst for them. Maybe I've found a style that suits my thought process-maybe I'm the kind of person that needs to tinker with something for a while before it all makes sense. I'd still like to really try to planner approach at some point. It can be frustrating moving like a sloth in my papers, crawling to each idea at the speed of about 2 meters a minute. Following a structured plan would feel like a nice change of pace.
Reading your blog post, I can tell that we are very alike. I am, like you, a heavy revisor along with being a huge procrastinator. I too find success with this method.
ReplyDeleteYou put this down very well. I liked how you were honest about how you could aspire to try something new, even though your current style works out pretty well. I feel as of we cold both learn to plan our pieces a little more in the future! Nice Job!
After reading your blog post I found a lot of similarities in the way we write. I too like to begin my papers early on so I have plenty of time to edit and re-write it several times. Along with that, I often find myself having to rework the beginnings of my papers and the middle chunk because my brain is still formulating complete thoughts as I work through the first half.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't see how people can thrive under pressure, as it causes me to tense up and not want to work. If I were to recommend anything it would be to try an outline. It helps me to compile my thoughts into a somewhat sensible format before beginning my papers. It helps me not to become obsessed with revising because I can alter it before I even begin. I can definitely agree with trying to avoid revising too much, as it's a problem I'm trying to fix myself. Hopefully it'll get better over time!
Our styles of writing are almost identical to one another. Procrastination is my biggest problem and often I cause myself unnecessary stress. Attempting to be a heavy planner is something I plan on doing as well. I feel like it could change my perspective on completing my writing assignments and tasks in everyday life. Let's become better writers together!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog it seems to me that the heavy reviser has a lot of benefits, if you can get your paper done on time. However when you combine the heavy reviser with the procrastinator it tends to not work out well. If I was to make a suggestion, heavy planner is the way to go. I know I plan out my entire essay before I write it and then because I am procrastinator all I have to do after i plan everything out is just write it down on paper.
ReplyDeleteI really relate to this. I am exactly the same way, a revisor, with a tendency to procrastinate as well. Don't give up. Look for a reason to work, and try and enjoy it while you do. I find this really helps me.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Joy, I'm in section 3 of Professor Bottai's class. After rereading my calendar reflection and writing process posts, I realized that a lot of aspects of my writing style changed throughout the course. I thought your writing style was interesting, because it was so different than my own, and below are some questions about how it has changed for you.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the blog posts really helped me to be more prepared for writing my drafts, did the blog posts help you plan more?
Do you still edit and change as much as you used to?
I agree with you on the procrastination, but I feel like I work fine under pressure. I think that the weekly deadlines really helped me not procrastinate my projects overall, did you feel the same way? Or do you think that the deadlines didn't change anything?
1.Have you focused more on heavy planning with your projects, rather than heavily revising?
ReplyDelete2. Have you figured out how to time mange your projects so you don't procrastinate?
3.has changing or not changing your process affected your projects?
sorry for asking all these nosy questions that I still don't understand why I have to ask.