My Writing Process at the Beginning

I've just started my first college class. Let me tell you my process for writing a paper.

The Process...

Before I start writing I always come up with some sort of topic. Sometimes that topic is given to me

by a teacher, others times I come up with it on my own.

Once I have the topic for my paper I begin an outline. With the outline I try to shape the structure of the story. Depending on what the paper is on/ for will determine how precise the outline is. Some of my outlines lay out every sentence, others paragraphs, and others just topics of the paper. 

Once I have the outline I begin writing. Normally my first draft is really long, because I write down everything that comes to mind and give as much detail as I can. I write all the way through the paper. (Just being a Freshman in College means that I'm lucky and none of my papers have been very long.) If I do happen to get stuck along the way I'll go over and make some corrections on earlier paragraphs. Once I've taken a little break I'll normally be able to get back into it, but if I can't finish out the paper I'll fill the rest of the time that I've set aside with making the needed to corrections to the rest of the already written paper. The next chance I get to write I'll hammer out the rest of the paper.

Once I have my rough draft I'll go through making spelling and grammar corrections. I'll also cut it down to the desirable length. Once I have a draft that I am happy with I'll normally have a family member, or friend, peer review and give me their thoughts. I'll make some changes according to what they said. I don't normally make all of the suggested changes.

After it's been peer reviewed I'll then bring it into class. At PNC there are three parts to submitting a paper, a Peer review, an Instructor review, then you turn in the final draft.  For the reviews you only make the changes you want to. You are not forced to make all of the changes that your teacher and fellow students say you should. Some of their ideas might give you a new angle and some better ideas, so why use theirs? 

Tips

I find that taking a break of a day or so from your first draft is a great helper in taking an objective view of your paper. Sometimes you'll read it the next day and ask yourself how it was even possible that you wrote what you did. (Now that could be because it's so good, or so bad. Both of those two outcomes will surface in your writing career. However, it'll mostly just be the later)

Another tip would be to copy and paste your paper into google translate, and have google read you your paper. This is a great way to check for spelling and grammar errors, or have someone peer review it if you don't have someone for that job.

I wouldn't try to add big words or good descriptions while writing your first draft, unless it comes naturally. The reason being that you should be thinking about what you're going to say at that point. Not how you're going to say it.  That part comes later.