I don't think I understood the importance of viewing writing as a process until I started college. For much of my previous education, despite teacher's efforts to instill the importance of planning, drafting, and revising, I was stubborn and wrote most of my papers as one draft. I didn't necessarily procrastinate and write one draft the day before my papers were due, sometimes I would finish them a week before, but I never put any real effort into planning before I wrote or revising after I wrote. I just spit everything that was in my head onto paper, finished my conclusion, and considered it finished. I realize now why the writing process is so important and how it can be very helpful.
I find that planning before I write helps me to organize my thoughts and prevents my papers from becoming off topic. I also find that mapping out my paper ahead of time helps me cite sources more easily when I am writing research papers.
I also learned that revising my drafts is crucial. I am not great at spelling so while re-reading my drafts I find errors that can easily be changed. Having other people read my writing is also helpful because sometimes after reading the same thing several times small mistakes in grammar or spelling can be easily overlooked.
Learning to value the writing process definitely improved my writing and made me realize the importance of teaching the writing process and it's importance to students early in their education.
I find that connecting this prompt to your own experiences is every effective. I would like to know, how did you overcome the one draft submissions? How would you get the students in your class to understand the importance of the full process of writing? I too agree that in writing, revision is important. I feel that revision and the process of editing and having peer review is a great opportunity to analyze one's work. From editing and revising, one can find their personalize “TAG” that will enhance their awareness and only make his or her writing better.
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