You have known about this final paper due for your class since the beginning of the semester. You planned to start it weeks ago. You procrastinated. Now it’s three hours before the paper is due, and you’re on your computer furiously typing. Does this situation sound familiar?
Maybe you're a way ahead of the game and always have your papers done weeks in advance, but probability makes me think otherwise. The problem of procrastination starts in school and haunts writers everywhere. All students of writing have at one point thought as long as their rough draft wasn’t the worst of the many first drafts that are turned in, the grade should be fine. Let’s face it, most of us have or will procrastinate writing at some point.
On the front desk of where I work, my bosses business cards say, “Oh Be Wise, Revise.” Papers that are not first drafts have a much greater chance of getting better marks. You can edit your paper for the content and the spelling and grammar mistakes.
The Lesson:
Teachers everywhere will be much happier if papers revised. Besides, think how nice it will be to not have to get a paper back where you have misspelled the author’s name of the poem you are analyzing. So read over your paper. Have your roommate, lover, family, and friends read over your paper. Try to make the time to revise.
How to Apply This to our own Writing:
- Start one day earlier on your writing
- Swallow your pride and have someone else read your paper
- Read over your own paper out loud
- Take a break and come back to your paper
- Don't be afraid to cut out parts of your paper
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