College Basic Writing- "The Essay That Never Was"
Part 1- The Inspiration
I once wrote a 5 page report in 1 hour and 30 minutes. The report was on the physics of discuss throwing, I was in the 10th grade, and the assignment was worth 20% of our grade. It was to be collected Monday, so our teacher assigned Friday as a free day to work on our paper. When Mr. Z told us to begin working, the sound of shifting papers filled the room. I remember being amazed to realize that more than half the class had detailed outlines and rough drafts already written! Talk about some over achievers. I thought I was doing well to already know the subject of my report. Why would I waste my time drafting a paper that wasn’t even due till after the weekend? My friend, and fellow procrastinator, Evan gave me a puzzled look from across the room to signal that he was just as shocked as me. We both knew that we would enjoy our weekend and worry about the report Sunday. I went through the weekend without a care. Sure enough, when Sunday came around I sat down and knocked that bad boy out in no time at all. Was it going to be up for the Pulitzer Prize? Not a chance, but it was definitely good enough for me to turn in. I was only reassured on my work quality when grades came back and I received a B+.
I have never been the kid to study for an exam 2 weeks in advance, or to write an upcoming paper just because I had some free time. I put things off until the last minute, and 9 out of 10 times I find a way to pull something off. Unfortunately, that 1 time out of 10 happened to be when I sat down to write a paper about literacy. A late start only accentuated other problems that I had with the assignment. It did not take long for me to realize that this was not just another cookie cutter paper. This assignment required some depth and meaning, which aren’t always easy to conjure up on the spot. As every hour closer to turn in time came and went, my thoughts became clouded and panicked, the uneasy feeling in my stomach grew, and I started to force
I once wrote a 5 page report in 1 hour and 30 minutes. The report was on the physics of discuss throwing, I was in the 10th grade, and the assignment was worth 20% of our grade. It was to be collected Monday, so our teacher assigned Friday as a free day to work on our paper. When Mr. Z told us to begin working, the sound of shifting papers filled the room. I remember being amazed to realize that more than half the class had detailed outlines and rough drafts already written! Talk about some over achievers. I thought I was doing well to already know the subject of my report. Why would I waste my time drafting a paper that wasn’t even due till after the weekend? My friend, and fellow procrastinator, Evan gave me a puzzled look from across the room to signal that he was just as shocked as me. We both knew that we would enjoy our weekend and worry about the report Sunday. I went through the weekend without a care. Sure enough, when Sunday came around I sat down and knocked that bad boy out in no time at all. Was it going to be up for the Pulitzer Prize? Not a chance, but it was definitely good enough for me to turn in. I was only reassured on my work quality when grades came back and I received a B+.
I have never been the kid to study for an exam 2 weeks in advance, or to write an upcoming paper just because I had some free time. I put things off until the last minute, and 9 out of 10 times I find a way to pull something off. Unfortunately, that 1 time out of 10 happened to be when I sat down to write a paper about literacy. A late start only accentuated other problems that I had with the assignment. It did not take long for me to realize that this was not just another cookie cutter paper. This assignment required some depth and meaning, which aren’t always easy to conjure up on the spot. As every hour closer to turn in time came and went, my thoughts became clouded and panicked, the uneasy feeling in my stomach grew, and I started to force