How I write

Writing and I have a complicated relationship.  In high school, I dreaded each and every assignment, and I was constantly disappointed with my inability to get my thoughts down on the page as well as I hoped.  However, I found myself stuck with writing-centered classes my first year of college, most of which were populated primarily by upperclassmen.  Suddenly forced to produce a greater number of higher quality work, I knew I probably would have to change the way that I approached writing.  The fear of utter failure boosted my focus and I performed surprisingly well on my papers.  The method I found was to get my least favorite part of writing, starting out, out of the way.  I would hole up in a secluded corner of the library and work for hours on end, finishing a very rough draft of my paper a few days before the draft or final due date.  After this, I would feel completely confident in editing any part of the paper.  I would go into the library with a strict mindset to get work done, and I was successful at resisting any outside distractions.  I know my writing habits are not perfect yet, and hopefully I'll adapt and learn new ways to efficiently work, but so far, this "all at once" approach has worked for me.