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Kailyn Thomas
Professor
ENC 1101H
30 November 2016
The Everchanging Writing Process
In my first semester at UCF, I have noticed a common theme in many of my classes: forget
everything you learned in high school. I have constantly felt like I am relearning how to study
and learn as a student, especially when it comes to my writing. Professors criticize my high
school teachers for conditioning me to believe certain things about writing that seem no longer
true. This is a perspective shared by many of my peers. One student in my psychology class
reflected that they felt like their public education was a waste while another in my symposium
class commented I feel as if I have to completely change who I am as a writer. In Donald
Murrays article titled All Writing is Autobiography, he explains that our writing is reflective
of our history and background as a student and writer. Our writing, under all circumstances,
reflects what we have been taught. This may have led to the change in writing styles that we have
noticed in college.
These conversations and reflections have prompted me to reflect on my writing process
before and during college. In this paper, I will reflect on planning, drafting and revising my
writing and how the changes I have made to this process as a college student have benefitted my
writing. I will start by choosing one research paper from high school and two papers from
college (beginning of the semester and end of the semester) and breaking down my writing

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process step by step for each of them. This will help to show the development of my writing
process and how it has shaped as time goes on.
Before College: AP Macroeconomics
The first day of my senior year, my AP Macroeconomics teacher assigned a 1000 word essay
on the circular flow model, due in two days, with no specific format or instructions. This was a
subject that I knew nothing about and had never even encountered. But the teacher insisted that I
could do it and expected only my best work.
I started by researching what exactly the circular flow model was and how it related to
economics. Luckily, I had checked out my text book the week prior, so I used information from
the text and the internet to understand it. I took notes as I read and drew pictures of the model,
planning to include the drawings in my writing as visuals. Once I had gathered all of my
information, I set to writing. I did not spend much time planning except for a few notes on the
structure of my essay, which organized from the overview of the model down to its constituents.
From there, I wrote until I met the word requirement, a struggle since I didnt know much about
the subject, and stopped. The only editing I did was on a very superficial level, fixing sentence
structure, grammar, and word choice before I submitted the paper. I completed this paper in a
total of 6 hours and in the end, I received a B.
College: ENC 1101H Paper 1
My first writing assignment in college was a 1500 word paper for my Honors Freshman
Composition class. We had already been in the course for about a month when the first outline
was due. We had spent a lot of time talking about the subject and what was expected of us in our
writing, which was about literacy and literacy sponsors. Because my paper was about my

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experience in the band program at my high school, I even went back and spent two hours
observing the band classes to include their information in my paper. I took notes on the directors
rehearsal strategies, etiquette, and teaching methods. My outline was a PowerPoint presentation,
with each slide representing a paragraph or section and the details I was planning to include. We
then presented our outlines in class and received peer and professor feedback.
A few days after our outline presentation, a workshop draft was due. This was a 90%
complete first draft of our paper. When it came to writing the workshop draft, all I had to do was
look at my outline and fill in the blanks, moving and altering things as I saw fit. The outline
really helped streamline the process, since all of my details and sections were already laid out.
We then submitted the draft for peer review, where three other students (and the professor) gave
feedback by placing comments directly on the paper. These comments focused on the argument
and structure rather than spelling and grammar. The changes I decided to make were reflective of
my own writing style and what I thought truly improved my paper. Some of them included
moving sentences to other sections, rearranging paragraphs and sentences to improve flow, and
fixing small errors in grammar and punctuation that I noticed. Finally, I could write and submit
my final draft, based on the comments that I had received on my workshop draft. Once we had
received our final grade on the paper, we had the option to revise and resubmit, based on the
professors final revision suggestions, if we wanted a better grade. However, I received an A and
decided not to resubmit.
College: Honors Symposium Final Paper
My Honors Symposium class is a class dedicated to teaching the importance of community
and inclusion. Every week, we meet and listen to speakers from around the state and then break

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out into smaller groups for discussions. We also have a lab where we go to Title 1 schools
(schools with more than 40% of students on free and reduced lunch) to tutor students and assist
them with ACT prep. For the final, we were tasked with writing a paper in response to a prompt
assigned at the end of the semester. This year, the prompt is to write a letter to the superintendent
of Orange County about something that needs to be changed within the school system including
information from our speakers, volunteer experiences and information online. Throughout the
semester, I took notes on all of the speakers and collected information, reflecting on my time in
the Orange County school system.
When it came time to write my letter, I started by compiling all of my information into one
folder and deciding what I wanted to focus on. When I had chosen my topic, equal opportunities
at all high schools, I began researching, finding facts to back up my argument such as the AP
classes, magnets and languages at high schools in Orange County and comparing them. Once I
had found all of this, I created a basic outline, three bullet points of the sections with the facts
included and started my letter with a greeting and introduction before delving into my argument.
I finished with suggestions for solutions to the problem and a farewell.
Once my draft was completed, I spent some time revising the letter, moving paragraphs
around to improve my argument and fixing sentence, grammatical and spelling errors. I had two
peers look over my letter and even asked for advice from a parent, since they had more
experience composing formal letters. Our grade on this paper determined whether or not we had
to take the final for the class, a comprehensive final based on our reading assignment, lectures,
and time in the Title 1 schools.

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Analysis and Discussion

Before college, I had never really exercised my ability to plan my writing, and take my time.
Much of this had to do with assignments such as the FCAT Writes, which required a five
paragraph essay to be written in under 45 minutes. It was always about speed and meeting the
word count, getting the assignment out of the way and getting the grade. Because I was
conditioned to follow this same method for all of my assignments, I had never realized how
much planning would help not only my writing process but also the quality of my writing. I can
spend more time on formulating and developing my argument, understanding what would be
most effective in supporting my points. Furthermore, with a detailed outline, it makes the actual
writing faster and less stressful, since most of the work is already done. This allows more room
for revision and editing.
I have also learned the importance of peer review. I had always been a very independent
student, able to carry my own weight and get by without anyone elses help. Now however, peer
review is an essential part of my writing. It is helpful to have a fresh set of eyes to look over my
writing and let me know what needs to be changed and what is good. Oftentimes, we become
attached to our writing and dont realize how ineffective it is. Although professor and instructor
feedback is useful, it is sometimes better to receive feedback from someone on our level. Also, if
I ever had peer review in high school, it was always focused on grammar and punctuation rather
than the effectiveness of my arguments like it is in college.
By having a basic writing process to work off of, I can extend my writing across genres and
classrooms, adapting it to the expectations of different professors and teaching assistants. I have
since used this process in chemistry lab reports, psychology essay questions, work reports in the

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vets office, and even literature like formal letters. I have found much more confidence in my
writing by following this writing process.

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Works Cited
Murray, Donald M. All Writing is Autobiography. Writing About Writing: A College Reader,
Wardle and Downs, Second Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2014, p. 65-75.