Hmmmm

The art of writing papers has always been my week point, and is unarguably the largest obstacle that stands between my and the degree I hope to one day graduate with. The entire process of creating a paper, from doing the initial research, to formating, to the actual writing, and then to the dreaded editing, seems to create the perfect kryptonite for my education. It must be a good thing, then, that I am in this class. But lets not make this into a negative blog post. Writing is awesome! Right? In theory its a really great concept. It starts with a person investigating an interesting idea, then ends with them putting their conclusions together so that they can be shared with others. That seems like a pretty interesting idea, and similar to what we routinely do as humans. Who doesn't have ideas which they learn about and share with others of a coffee or with a group of their friends?

So maybe breaking it down will make it easier. Starting from the beginning, a person finds an idea that interests them, and then they investigate to find some support, similar to how a detective investigates a murder. Its actually a really cool and interesting concept. Who hasn't dreamed of being just like the people on CSI? So then, when you have your support, you simply figure out the best way to inform others of your conclusion and how you got there. Its not even that bad, if everything is in there, its all about organizing it and making it so that someone else can understand it. Editing is then simply re-evaluating your work. you already know what you are trying to say, the question is whether you said it how you wanted to.

It definitely sounds much easier in this perspective, but i still don't think its that easy. I find the hardest parts for me are finding that exact quote in my research that fits into my paper. I may already know more than enough to right a well supported paper, but finding exactly what I need can often be difficult. The organization part also seems to be challenging to me. It should be a fairly straight forward process with an intro, text body, and then a conclusion, but its a little harder then that. I find it difficult to really break my thoughts down int sections where they dont all inter relate. If my paper came out like it was in my head, it would not be so organized.

I guess the biggest thing about paper writing is simply to master the skills and break it down. Research can be interesting, especially if its on something you enjoy. And organizing just takes time and concentration. I am hoping that the more I learn to break down my papers, the more natural the process will become. If any one has any advice to add, I am so ready to hear it.