Everything is highlighted on my photocopies. I have scraps of paper in the books in pages that I thought I might find useful. Now what do I do? Write note cards and then an outline as it was drilled into me since I was ten? Of course not: that is the logical, organized way to write a paper. That is for people who do not wait until the last minute. Being the procrastinator that I am, I frown on this method. I will do anything; vacuum, call friends I have not spoken with in a while, snake the clogged drain in the basement. Anything but write. But then the time comes where I can no longer wait. In high school, I honestly did not care about the quality of my work, which reflected my own self-image. Now, I am returning to college after a five-year absence, determined to prove everyone who judges me on my failures wrong. Although I still procrastinate, I will do everything possible to make my work as perfect as can be.
Unlike Natalie who writes with a #2 yellow pencil any time and anywhere, I start out by sitting at my computer, with my copies and books strewn around me. My copies are single-sided, stapled in the left hand corner and highlighted in yellow. There is no writing on the pages except for the original printing: Natalie has notes all over her copies. The books I have are usually compilations of subjects, as I do not have time to, nor do I want to read full books on my topic. Scraps of paper and tissues stick out from their bindings so I am able to quickly reference the chapters that concern me. There is absolute silence. Then I start typing.
At first, I only type one sentence, my thesis. I type it. Retype it. Think of variations and type those. When I finally decide on the wording, I clear off the screen save that one sentence. Then I sit and stare at it, trying to think how I am going to come up with enough information from my research to fill up the required length.