My Writing Process

By the time I put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard), I tend to have a game plan in mind. Typically, the focus of my writing has already been pre-determined and the purpose of each paragraph laid out. With this is mind:

1. I would consider myself a heavy planner. The essay is already pictured in my head, and it usually is written in one or two sittings. There's very little additional thought necessary during the actual writing, because most of the thinking happened earlier in the writing process. As with most heavy planners, my first draft tends to be only slightly revised in subsequent drafts. 
2. My writing process includes habits typically found in sequential composers and heavy planners. Like most heavy planners, I can plan out what I will write anywhere and I don't need pen or paper to do it. However, my actual writing is a bit more methodical than a typical heavy planner. This is likely because it takes me more time to organize my ideas into structured sentences. Perhaps writing comes less naturally to me than to other heavy planners.
3. Heavy planning has been a generally successful strategy. This might seem obvious. After all, if it hadn't been working in the past, I likely would have changed it by now. Heavy planning works best when I have few distractions. During such moments, I can think through an essay topic and work through the topic right then and there. However, if I am fairly busy and unable to access a word processor, I often forget the paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown of what I plan to write. In these events when I don't foresee myself writing what I'm thinking about for a while, I will write down a quick outline and then write the actual essay in a manner much more typical of sequential composers.
4. Honestly, I do not plan to change my approach. I've definitely tried other methods. Many times I've had to (or chosen to) procrastinate. The writing process is faster, but the result is sloppier. The rapid, improvised outpouring of a heavy reviser requires a writing skill that I don't quite possess. I'm no Jack Kerouac, and I have never found a hastily written first draft of mine to be worthwhile.

Altmann, Gerd. No title. 1/18/16 via pixabay. Creative Commons CCO License.