While I don’t necessarily think I’m that good of a writer, I don’t think I’m bad either. My pre-writing process is a lot longer than that of other people. Because I don’t necessarily trust my pure skill at writing, I need to make up for it by preparing no matter how well I think I know the topic.
How much I prepare varies on the topic and the type of essay that it is. No matter what type of essay it is, I often look up the author of the work that I am to analyze. I do this so I can better recognize the influences that caused the work to turn out the way it did. I just think it’s easier for me, as an analyst, if I understand the background of the author and of the time period. It helps me make connections between themes, symbols, and the meanings of the themes and symbols.
Another technique that I use is discovering different techniques to form the essay. There are different ways a type of essay can be crafted and I try to find the way that suits me and my styles best. Although I end up going off my predetermined plan, it gives me a nice start.
My revising process is often lengthy and intense, since I’m an indecisive person. Correcting the obvious errors in a paper is pretty simple. Whenever there is a spelling error, grammatical error, or formatting error, I simply correct that as it needs to be done. But when I need to revise the structure of my thesis or organization of a paragraph or sentence, then there could be slight difficulties. I often know exactly what I want to say, but am torn between two or more different ways to say it.
My writing has made strides over the years, and by the techniques that I have adopted, I think it will continue to improve.
I think its great that you research the author. To be honest, I’ve never really done that, but I can definitely see how that could provide many interesting points and a better perspective of where he/she is coming from. My revision process is similar. Grammatical mistakes are easy to fix, but the content, transitions, and overall structure are much more difficult. That’s where experience comes into play. You’ll find out what works best for you as you complete more papers.
For what it’s worth, I think you’re a good writer! It’s definitely important to be meticulous about research. I often underestimate how much there is to know about a topic. Sometimes I’ve picked a thesis thinking it would be easy to prove, then, after hours in the library, realize that there is way too much information to assess and condense into a five-page paper. The opposite scenario is just as frustrating: when you think there will be ample evidence to back up a claim and then you find that no other credible person seems to agree with you. It’s also good that you explore different ways to write an essay. It’s so easy to get caught up in the simple five-or-so-paragraphs format with a clear-cut intro, body and conclusion. Reworking the arrangement of an essay can be frustrating and lead to much re-writing, but I think it can lead to something powerful and unique in the end.