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Dr. Hale
Engl. 307
27 Sept. 2016
Essay #2
When you get into a firefight, no matter how much training you’ve had, there is always a
brief moment of panic. Your mind tries to catch up with the amount of adrenaline hitting your
system. This elicits two natural responses: fight or flight. However, proper training creates
muscle memory; your body reacts of its own volition and the brain can start to process the
situation. Whenever I begin to write, my body reacts while my brain processes the task at hand.
My writing process is methodical. Executed with mechanical precision, using all the healthiest
strategies I have been taught recently, and throughout my military career.
Academia has been the biggest challenge in my writing career, so most strategies that I
employ are focused around writing scholarly essays. Normally, I look over my syllabus every
semester before the first day of classes. Being an English major, I am guaranteed to have at least
one paper a semester, if not one per class. By reading the syllabus beforehand I’m able to
anticipate when the papers will be due and get an idea on what topic might be assigned.
The key to my writing strategy is time management and sticking to hard deadlines. My
papers are started immediately after they are assigned. If I have a paper that is due in two
months, a rough draft needs to be done within the first week of the essay being assigned. My
Writing Center appointment cannot be more than a week after I finished my rough draft. The
purpose of this strict timeline is to maintain personal accountability.

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To put immediately in perspective, this paper topic was officially decided on September
22. I have a half hour walk home, during which I will start to organize my ideas and test a few
theses. I will begin to think of supporting ideas for the paper and see if they work with my
argument. Since I am alone, on the walk I am able to give the paper my undivided attention,
with little to no distractions. Then, once I walk in my front door, I can start writing.
When it actually comes to writing the paper, I find the best strategy is to jump right in.
For research papers I might create an outline, simply to organize the vast amount of information
collected. For all other papers, I open up Microsoft Word and put thought to paper. This might
seem illogical or as a waste of energy, because I don’t always know if my argument will be well
thought out, or if I will even be supporting the same argument by the end of the paper. The
reason for starting right away is to create a focal point, a firing stance so to speak. Now, with a
strong firing stance, my fundamentals are being employed; I can aim wherever I want without
worrying about missing my target. By coming home with ideas in mind and starting right away I
can dial in on the prompt and shift focus depending on the development of my argument.
When it actually comes to writing or typing, I am meticulous. I like the area to be quiet
when I am writing; I don’t need complete silence, but I don’t want the TV on, music playing, or
someone talking to me. Ambient noise doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I also love the
rhythmic sound of keys being pressed. These sounds are similar to people firing on a range, the
pauses, the clicking, the reloading of fresh ideas, and new reports of words being put on paper.
However, writing doesn’t always come easy to me. Sure, I may start strong and begin
working on my argument right away, but that doesn’t make it easy. No matter how much you
prepare, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. This paper is not my enemy; I actually
look forward to writing them now more than I ever have. But sometimes I get hung up. The

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words don’t flow, and and they don’t feel or sound right. I guess it’s my arguments and the the
way they are presented feeling too forced and not as cohesive and coherent as the rest of my
essay. Then, when I read the thought I have been working on I realize and and or the the have
been written. These blatant grammatical mistakes serve an important purpose, they let me know
when I am mentally fatigued and should step away from the paper for a little while.
I honestly hate taking a break when it comes to writing. I feel weak when I have to take
a break, no matter how much it’s needed. I try to make my breaks as meaningful as possible.
I’ll read a book, nothing too strenuous, but something to help stimulate the brain. Sometime I go
to the gym, or a run to help get the blood pumping and clear my head. I do play a lot of video
games on a break. Something with a good story, it allows me to access my brain in a different
way, yet stay relaxed. I detest taking breaks; however, they are helpful and I appreciate being
able to step away from my paper.
After I finish writing my paper, most of my hardships really begin. My grammar and
punctuation have always been lacking. Recently, they have gotten a lot better; I am able to see
where commas and semi-colons go better than before. I have also started to notice when my
verb tenses don’t match up. Before this writing class, I had never been taught an effective way
to edit and revise a paper. The class on September 22 was the first time I have ever been seen a
strategy to edit a paper. With any luck, once I have finished writing this paper I will employ that
same tactic. This way, when I go to the Writing Center I will have even fewer revisions and
edits than ever before.
Now, I’ll take it to the Writing Center. As I said earlier, a Writing Center appointment is
made for a week after my paper was assigned. This keeps me accountable to my timeline, and if
any major mistakes are prevalent they can be dealt with. This also helps me decide when I am

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done with my paper. After going to the Writing Center and making suggested revisions, I feel
confident that my paper is ready and the best that I, knowingly, can make it. Now, I just have to
turn it in.
I don’t relax after turning in a paper. I will sit and frantically click the refresh button.
My hope is that it will make my grades appear faster. It isn’t until after I have my paper back
that I begin to relax. I can see what I did well, and what can still use improvements; hopefully, I
don’t make the same mistake twice.
To many my writing process to doesn’t make sense. I have been called an over achiever
when I actually let someone know what I do. But, no matter what anyone says, it’s effective. I
am able to execute the task at hand to the best of my abilities and use all of the recourses
provided to me without fear of running out of time. Starting a paper still gives me that brief
moment of panic, but then I remember my training. As I continue to grow and learn, my hope is
to hone this process. Maybe one day it will have to be completely re-forged. Until then, this is
my writing process, there are many others like it, but this one is mine.