I always write with my sources open. I quote. I paraphrase. I cite. My paper ends up sounding like a patchwork of other people's words. This time I tried something different.
I closed all my tabs. I put away my books. I just wrote. I wrote what I thought. I wrote what I remembered. I wrote what I wanted to say. It was messy. The sentences were clunky. I probably got some facts wrong.
But it sounded like me.
Then I went back. I added the quotes. I fixed the facts. I added the citations. I kept my voice. The paper is stronger now. Not because the sources are better. Because I'm in there.
A writing coach calls this "writing from memory first." You can't shape what you know until you know what you think. I'm going to do this every time.
I closed all my tabs. I put away my books. I just wrote. I wrote what I thought. I wrote what I remembered. I wrote what I wanted to say. It was messy. The sentences were clunky. I probably got some facts wrong.
But it sounded like me.
Then I went back. I added the quotes. I fixed the facts. I added the citations. I kept my voice. The paper is stronger now. Not because the sources are better. Because I'm in there.
A writing coach calls this "writing from memory first." You can't shape what you know until you know what you think. I'm going to do this every time.
