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As aspiring writers, or freshman composition students, we are often taught that the writing process includes pre-writing, outlining, and a first draft followed by a set of revisions. It’s a solid process. It encourages thinking and organizing before we write the opening line. However, I have noticed a problem with the traditional writing process: sprinting.

Beginning with the end in mind is the basic idea behind outlining. It allows a writer to create a path that is intended to limit digression. However, it is, after all, only an outline, and will contain a lot of gaps. During the first draft, these basic ideas are fleshed out into greater detail, or at least they should. However, when you begin with the end in mind, you run the risk of focusing on the end instead of the parts in between the beginning and the end. This is what I call sprinting. This is something I have not only seen among my English Composition students, but it’s also something I have experienced while writing my own manuscripts.

It’s easy to see why freshman would sprint through an essay. They usually have a number of classes with competing priorities. They are given a prompt and a word count. Even if they follow the prescribed writing processes, pre-writing and outlining, it doesn’t guarantee a well-developed essay. After all, they want to finish their first draft as soon as possible. They generally have one thing in mind, meeting the word count. They often sit down and knock out a first draft (sometimes the only draft) in one fell swoop. They generally don’t make the connection between the word count and the level of development required for their purpose, genre, and audience. It is just a goal to reach, and they race to get there.

As an instructor, I can tell who has been sprinting. They often reach the word count. They may even follow the main points of their own outlines, but the writing is generally superficial. There can be gaps of logic and a lack of specific and concrete details.

Freshman composition students are not the only ones in danger of sprinting to the finish. As an aspiring novelist, I have stopped myself in a mid sprint, realizing that I am just trying to get to the next plot point. I’m not sure why. Is it just pure enthusiasm for completing a novel? Possibly. Of course, not everyone has this problem. Some writers add too much detail and must learn to prune, but for the impatient writer sprinting is definitely something to watch out for.

My solution to sprinting is a method I call chunking. I use it with my students, and I use it when drafting a manuscript. With my students who are writing a shorter essay, I have them focus on one paragraph at a time. They start with a full outline the indicates the overall structure of the essay, but when they start writing, they focus on the development of just one paragraph. Without the pressure of getting to the end of the essay, they are able to consider the progression of logic and the use of effective details in just one portion of the whole.

This is a technique I use as well. I’m writing something much longer, so I am not focusing on individual paragraphs but on a process known as scene and sequel. The scene and sequel method is not a new writing method. With this method a scene starts with a character having a goal; they encounter a conflict, and it develops into a disaster. Then the character reacts in the sequel: first experiencing an emotion, which then ignites a thought that leads to a decision, and finally inspiring action. This action leads to the goal of the next scene. Although, this is a handy template, it won’t keep you from sprinting if you’re a sprinter.

However, if you only focus on one scene and sequel at a time, it can slow you down. That is exactly what I do. Just like my students, I have an over all outline that marks the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and the denouement of the overall text. However, once I break the text down to chapters, and then to scenes and sequels, I focus on one scene at a time. Like my students, focusing on just this one chunk of my manuscript allows me to focus on the progression of logic and effective details. By having a much closer goal (the end of a sequel), I don’t feel the pressure to get to the next big milestone.

This method won’t work for everyone, but it may work for some. Don’t feel bad if your writing method isn’t like the one prescribed by mentors and peers. Find one that works for you. Do what you need to do to construct a final product that achieves your goal, whether its an “A” on an essay or producing published novel.