English 112

Although, this essay is much larger than previous essays I have written, my writing process has been relatively the same.  I spent a while thinking about a possible topic, and chose something that related to my interests, which is music.  I then spent hours gathering information about my topic and finding reliable resources.  From there, I wrote my proposal and my source analysis.  On my own, I wrote a preliminary outline which let me organize my main points for my essay.  I then wrote a more detailed outline that provide more detail for my main points.  Once I did all that, I felt that I was ready to begin writing my rough draft.  The textbook also really helped me with my wring process.  First, they informed with other forms of research such as interviews.  The authors of the textbook also really informed me about developing my thesis, introduction, and conclusion. After reading it, I was really able to decide which types of introduction and conclusion I would use.    

To me, the writing process is a triathlon.  This sounds a bit extreme, but I will explain.  When writing a large researched essay, a lot of time and energy goes into it before you even start writing.  You must find a topic, spend hours researching, write a proposal and source analysis, and develop an outline.  Then, when you have done all of that, you are prepared to write your rough and final drafts.  Once I have completed everything I have a strong feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.  When competing in a triathlon, a lot of time, energy, and hard work must go into it before you even compete in the event.  You spend months and months swimming, running, biking, and just training your body to get ready for the event.  Once you have done all that, you are prepared to compete in the event.  At the end of it all and you have finished the race, you have such an amazing feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.  I chose to compare my writing process to a triathlon because I am planning on competing in one in August and have began to train for it, so this really relates to my life.