Don't Treat Your First Draft Like Your Final Draft

Don't Treat Your First Draft Like Your Final Draft, Your First Draft Is Supposed To Be Rough

Word vomiting is useful.

Nicole Ma
Nicole Ma Dec 11, 2018
18
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Writing is an amazing skill that can both be fun and tedious at the same time. The important thing to remember when it comes to writing is knowing that whatever you write the first time around will not be perfect. In fact, your final product may have been completely transformed from the first few drafts. A few ways to keep the creative juices flowing from your brain onto paper would be to keep a list of writing ideas down. That way, you could keep track of the things you may be more interested in writing about.

Find where your passions and curiosities lie. The topics could be reflective or they could require a lot of research, but always keep an open mind in how you could expand on that writing to go further and deeper into a topic, and also consider how it may affect your audience. When it comes down to writing your first draft, don't overthink it. Many people, including me, think of the first draft like a final draft that is being turned in and graded. I would advise in not spending so much time correcting every little grammar mistake or think too much about formulating sophisticated and complex sentences, over focusing on what ideas you currently have.

The purpose of a rough draft is in its name. It is a "ROUGH" draft, meaning that it is not supposed to be perfect. In fact, it may not even be good.

Begin with writing down whatever comes to mind first, even if it may not make a lot of sense. The idea-vomiting on paper is beneficial because when you come back to revise it, perhaps you have had a more clear idea or even merge some thoughts together that take a direction. From there, you can begin eliminating, elaborating, and organizing your thoughts and ideas when it comes to writing. In the end, make more revisions and elevate your writing. Great writing comes from layers upon layers of revision, but most importantly, it comes from your ideas. So don't be hesitant in writing down anything you have on your mind.

Nicole Ma
Nicole Ma Dec 11, 2018
At Baylor University

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20 Fun Facts To Use When Introducing Yourself

As we embark on the semester, we are put on the spot in order to share interesting details about ourselves. This article discloses possible fun facts to tell others!
Jennifer Kustanovich
Jennifer Kustanovich Sep 4, 2017
1013992
views

After experiencing my first week of classes, I have learned that every student needs a handy-dandy list of fun facts about themselves to tell other people. Many professors use the first couple of classes to learn about their students, so you may need to think about who you are and how you want to introduce yourself to your professor and classmates. We all have that one go-to interesting fact about ourselves, but sometimes you just have to mix it up!

1. My favorite hobby is...

What do you do in your free time? Personally, I love to stay active! I am a competitive Latin dancer and enjoy teaching and taking Zumba classes, going to the gym, and hiking.

2. I love...

Is there something, someone, or somewhere that you love? What makes your heart ache? What do you miss when it's gone? I can say that I love my friends because I feel my most confident when I'm surrounded by those who love and support me.

3. I look up to...

Is there someone you adore? Who mesmerizes you? Who do you wish to learn from? After watching "A Ballerina's Tale," I discovered Misty Copeland. In 2015 she became the first African American ballet dancer to become the Female Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre. Her passion, grace, and strength continuously motivate me to better myself as an athlete and an individual.

4. This art speaks to me because...

Coco Chanel said, "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." This encourages me to always follow my heart no matter what. I will never follow society's standards and norms because they do not define me. Chanel's saying definitely influences my character and lifestyle.

5. A funny and/or embarrassing memory of me is...

When you make others laugh they want to spend time and make memories with you! Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself. You will come off as down to earth, easy-going, and loyal.

6. My siblings or lack thereof influenced me by...

I can go on and on about my brother, who is 10 years older than I. We have opposite personalities and despite the age gap, we're quite close.

7. My pet(s) are my life because...

Only sad people don't like hearing about furry creatures, even if your pets are slimy and slithering creatures all human beings enjoy hearing pet tales!

8. I'm afraid of...

Your personality can be revealed by your likes and dislikes, including the things that you fear. I am terrified of change and the unknown, hence, the future is an anxiety-inducing topic to discuss for me.

9. I am the way I am because...

What have you gone through in life that has shaped you into who you are today? Remember to be open minded and allow yourself to open up to your peers. You may be surprised by how others respond and/or what others have endured as well.

10. The most unusual item that can be found in your dorm...

This is a fun fact about yourself that can easily liven up an awkward conversation. Think about your quirks and differences! One item I have in my dorm is my teddy bear, Peter, whom I like to joke is my boyfriend.

11. My dream job is...

In college, "What's your major?" is a widespread question. Nonetheless, skip the boring statement of "I'm majoring in..." and go in depth on what your dream job is (hopefully your major factors in to this dream of yours).

12. My hidden talents are...

Angelina Jolie is a knife thrower. Kendall Jenner can produce bird noises. Amanda Seyfried can crochet and knit. Is there anything special you can do? Some people have rare and unique talents, maybe you can think of some hidden talents of your own!

13. My guilty pleasure is...

I will say it a million times: don't be shy when introducing yourself to new people! I'll start by divulging my guilty pleasure: Youtube's family vlogging channel, "OKBaby"!

Check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvUCbnwzySKgbKiB_...



14. Some activities on my bucket list are...


This is an easy way to grab people's attention and find others with similar desires as you. Be an adventurer! Go out of your comfort zone!

15. Talk about your best friend...

How would your best friend describe you? What do you love to do with your best friend?

16. Talk about an accomplishment of yours...

You are incredible and have achieved so much! Reveal something that you are proud of — show off a little!

17. This one time at my job...

Bosses breathing down your neck. Curious coworkers asking personal questions. Cursing customers who never leave you alone. Your job can be filled with tons of hilarious situations that can easily entertain a crowd.

18. During the summer...

Any scars with stories? Any summer flings? Any lessons learned from the tanning too long? Now that summer is over, disclose memories that can leave positive impressions on others.

19. I volunteer at...

Do you do any community service? Share a funny moment while you were volunteering. What did you learn while there? Would you continue?

20. [blank] is meaningful to me because...



What do you appreciate in life? What brightens your day? What makes you fall in love? What does someone have to do to make you smile?

Finally, remember to be outgoing! Reveal that three-mile smile and open your arms to learning about others. Spread smiles, love, and happiness.

Cover Image Credit: Pexels
Jennifer Kustanovich
Jennifer Kustanovich Sep 4, 2017
At The State University of New York at Stony Brook

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How Getting Better Feels When Going Through Hard Times

You need courage and hope to travel the road to recovery.

Zoe Smith
Zoe Smith Jun 18, 2019
66
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It's scary.

You want to tell people that today you managed to do more than you've done in the last week. You want someone to be proud of you. But you don't want to get their hopes up. Or yours, frankly. You don't want to tell them things are getting better when you know it's very possible that tomorrow everything will all crumble apart again.

It's worrying about bothering your friends even more when you know you've already over-shared too many times. It's worrying they'll give up on you. It's wanting to give up on yourself.

It's exhausting.

You can't help but feel like you will fall again. You don't know how soon it will be before you're back at the bottom of the ravine. You don't know how far you will climb back up before you slip again. And it's tempting to fall early on this time. Because the higher you climb the harder the inevitable fall will be. You're so close to the bottom that if you fell it wouldn't hurt so bad. At least you'd be on solid ground even if you can't see anything. You could just stay down there forever and save yourself so much work and pain.

You start to see how much work is ahead of you. Problems you had to put off or couldn't deal with start to fade back into imminent existence. Getting back up means doing more than the bare minimum to survive. And even though you want that, and you feel like things are getting better you're still filled with apathy for doing anything more than barely existing.

It feels directionless.

You're starting to get better but now what? What do you do first? What's the long-term goal? Do you even have one anymore? You lost all your aspirations trying to survive day-to day. You could reinvent yourself. Be reborn into a version of yourself that doesn't feel empty and sad all the time. But what would you fill yourself up with? Besides the unhealthy coping mechanisms you've been trying so hard to quit?

You still feel alone. Despite starting to socialize more and returning to the old pieces of your life, you still feel like an outsider. You still feel like you don't belong and you just want to hide away because you can't relate to other people and their experiences anymore.

It's like being a stranger in your own life.

It's as if for just one moment all the rain and wind stops and you can see for the first time as all the mist starts to clear. And you can't help but wonder if it only means you're in the eye of the hurricane instead of the end of the storm. And in the depths of your mind and oh-so-broken heart you know it's the former. You know that even though things are getting better it is not the end. You know this isn't the last time you will have to wipe the dust off your shoes and try again. And it's so hard to see the point of getting back up.

And you also know that you don't have a choice. You have to climb to get stronger for the next time you fall. One day you might make it to the top of the cliffs and see something so wonderful and so much more than you could ever hope for; but only if you keep climbing and falling and getting stronger Until then, it's hard to carry on.

Zoe Smith
Zoe Smith Jun 18, 2019
At University of Central Florida

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