Fast and Slow Styles of Drafting a Term Paper: Which is Better?

Advantages of Drafting Fast

• Develops Fluency with Language
• Can Sound Spontaneous and Creative If Draft Falls Together Well

Disadvantages of Drafting Fast

• Can Lack Cohesiveness
• Can Lack Preferred Pattern of English Essays
• May Lack Depth of Thought

Advantages of Drafting Slowly

• Allows Time to Develop Appropriate Habits
• Draft Likely to Be More Well-Reasoned, Planning Likely to Be Evident
• Quality of Sentence Structures, Punctuation, Word Usage, and Spelling Likely to Be Higher

Disadvantages of Drafting Slowly

• Possible Diminishment of Fluency

Experts can and do disagree as to which approach to drafting an academic essay is better – fast or slowly. Some say that writing freely with speed builds fluency and is the preferred way to draft an essay. Others hold that following a number of steps in a process, reflecting, and checking for errors produces a better paper. Just as there is room in the sky for many stars, there is room in the classroom for both approaches. Let us explore the advantages and disadvantages of both ways of thinking.

Advantages of Speed. Some of the advantages of writing quickly include practice with effectively completing timed essays. Be aware though, even though you are writing to demonstrate speed or fluency in English, students cannot merely dump ideas on paper.

Disadvantages of Speed. The less controlled fast method of drafting an essay can have a spark of creativity that the rewritten essay does not always have. However, originality and creativity alone will probably not sufficiently impress your teacher and earn you a high score. Clarity and organization will do that.

Advantages of Drafting Slowly. The slow method, on the other hand, enables you to develop habits that will help you draft a more well-reasoned essay. To be clear, think about the topic or subject, then limit your ideas to what you can adequately research and cover in the allocated time. Make an outline. Next, write the topic sentence for each paragraph. Then, expand upon the topic sentence. Finally, write a concluding or summary paragraph. Of course, you also need to watch your sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, and word usage. It is all but impossible to do all of this if you are drafting a paper the night before it is due and not editing what you have written.

Disadvantage of Drafting Slowly. At times spontaneity and a creative pulse can be lessened.

Summary. Many experts emphasize the importance of drafting the paper slowly because doing so allows you to perform quality assurance checks. Although creativity always counts, and you can be creative writing quickly or slowly, the choice seems to be between being spontaneous versus being logical and cohesive. It’s your decision. Know your own strengths so you can make the most of them.