If you have talked to me, I have probably brought up that I love plants or that my major is Crop Science. Due to this I think of my process of writing like a
plant growing.
All plants start from a seed, if they are grown naturally. The seed contains the embryo (the plant itself) and cotyledons (first food). 
This is comparable to me receiving a prompt. I have found that for me most prompts contain the initial idea of a paper (the embryo) and some background/curiosity (the cotyledons)
.
Next in a plant’s life, plants send out a radicle. This radicle is the plant’s first root, it’s job is to go out and find resources like water and oxygen.
This is equivalent to my initial though about the topic of my paper. In this stage I think about the purpose of the paper and gather my ideas and questions.
After the radicle has gone out, the secondary/lateral root system starts to grow in search of essential nutrients.
These are elements that are needed for a healthy plant life; in fact, a plant will not grow without such elements like potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen to name a few. This is almost like my initial research. Whether it is reading required articles or doing actual research, my paper’s “health” is reliant on how reliable my research is and how well I understand the readings.
While secondary roots are being sent out, the plant’s shoot is being pushed through the surface of the soil. This is similar to my paper starting to form. My paper is fragile and small because there is not much to it yet, but is continuing to grow. At this point, plants at this stage need lots of care and so does my paper since this is not yet fully there.
As the shoot grows in to a stem, the first leaves are developed and start to gather sunlight and photosynthesize. 
As I write my paper and it grows into a full essay, I gather more information that I feel is needed to complete my essay. With new (energy) sources to draw from, my essay continues to grow.
Eventually, the plant flowers. This was the part of the end goal, to say alive long enough to form at least one flower/reproduce. 
This is comparable to finishing my essay. It seems pretty and fine but there is more still to do.
After flowering, the plant is at the mercy of the pollinators. The pollinators look for nectar and pollen. This is similar to editing my paper. 
I or the person editing my paper look though it and see what I have done well on and that I have to do to improve.
If pollination goes well then the plant develops fruit which was the overall end goal. 
The fruit bares the seed offspring of the plant which means there is a chance that that plant species will go on and live for at least one more generation. This end goal is similar to my end goal of writing a paper. After editing and I think I have done my best work, the growth of my essay stops and is ready to be turned in.
(The final stage of a plant is senescence 🙁 but is
must be done; however, I do not believe that my essays die when I am done with them. They live on maybe in a state of dormancy. I may come back to reread them.)