Writing is like ‘breaking a coconut’.
Breaking the Shell
When breaking a coconut, the hardest part is to break the shell. In my opinion, the hardest part of writing is to get the work started. When you start to write a paper, there are several steps of preparation. Some of these steps include:
- Gathering information
- Planning an outline (how many paragraphs/ sections)
- Coming up with ideas on how to structure your work
- Find a suitable starting sentence
- Time Management
The painting, ‘Still Life Number 36 (1964), by Tom Wesselmann, was done on found paper, with oil and acrylic on linen. It was separated into four painted parts and put together to make a complete painting. This piece comprised a huge glass of milk, an enormous sandwich, a giant pack of cigarettes, some discarded commercial billboards that were scavenged from trash cans, and what looks like a clipping of a picture of the countryside. Tom Wesselmann’s creation was influenced by modern society and the changes that are happening. The interpretation of this piece is that the artist put different pieces of life and making art, as he believes that anything can be art. These kinds of paintings tell the artist is unique and wants to make the world better for everyone. The colors that he uses reflect his personality.
This piece is an excerpt of a Supplementary Essay for a U.S History class, where the paper was mainly focused on a painting by Tom Wesselmann.
What is so hard to start?
Everyone has their hardest part in writing. For some, the hardest part is the end, for others, the hardest part is the beginning. For some, the hardest part might be to get all the information on to the paper. Just like breaking the shell of the coconut, for me, the hardest part of writing is to start on a paper. As previously listed, there are several steps involved when you need to start work on a piece of writing.
- Gathering Information
When gathering information, only parts of an article may be relevant for your writing. This is a necessary step when writing an inquiry-based essay. For other essays, instructions can be considered information because you will need to know what you should and should not include in that essay. when it comes to reading, many will assume that this is easy, but for some like me, who prefer to do more practical and creative work, will not agree. When you have to read seven different articles, this may become stressful. However, as my Professor says, you should read a little every night so that it is not a bunch to read when you are ready. I have my downfalls in reading, but when it comes to summarizing and picking out the main points, I think that I am good at that. This part is not difficult but not easy for me. This is the reason that this can be considered difficult for me.
- Planning an Outline
When planning an outline, you have to determine how many paragraphs, and how long each paragraph will be.
- Coming up with ideas on how to structure your work
When it comes to structuring, this is where you will decide where and in what order those paragraphs will go.
- Find a suitable starting sentence
This for me is the hardest part. As the saying goes, first impressions are the most important. The starting sentence should be impressive to gather and act as a hook for readers.
- Time Management
This is another major factor to be considered when writing. Most of the time there is a limit to how much you should write. With proper time management, you can get work done effectively and on time.
Getting the Flesh
This is the major part of any writing. This includes:
- Adding information
- Editing
- Finalizing
After gathering information, I would arrange it in order of how I would add it to the paper. After my paper contains some information, I would usually submit a draft so as to get feedback from my peers and professor.
After getting feedback, I then proceed to edit. I will check and change my work according to the feedback if I agree with it.
After several changes and edits, I will do a final read to make sure that everything in the paper makes sense and it is according to how I planned it.
The flesh of the coconut also includes several contents of language. It also includes stance, purpose, audience, tone, medium, language, and rhetorical situations.
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