Though other kids may dread the day their parents force them to go outside and explore nature, I was the one dragging my parent. Hiking requires a lot of preparation most people don’t  realize, and I would say its very similar to how I write too.

I begin with the end, my goal. Just as my hiking requires me to have an end destination, so does my writing. I must know where I want to head or what I want to have say by the end of the paper. Without this I cannot begin to link where I am now to where I want to be.

Once I have this, I have to make sure that I have the proper materials to successfully march the entire journey’s length. These necessities  being enough water rations, snacks, a compass, knife, or whatever this specific journey requires me to have. Without them I can’t make my way to the end properly, I could be dehydrated, starving, or frustrated by the time I reach my destination. Obviously this is no way to hike, and the supplies I need are similar to my sources. Without sources or their correct use, sure I could make my paper just fine but it wouldn’t be as well-written or well-argued as it could be with them.  Finding and using the proper sources is the next vital step to my writing.

After this, my voyage is a matter of regulation. Each trail is unique, and navigating them takes time and patience. The best I can do is check the map regularly to make sure I’m heading in the right direction, and make sure my body is properly hydrated and fed. Besides this, I simply must enjoy the scenery passing me. When I write things are much the same, what I want to say next is a matter of checking my sources and end-goal to determine the jist of my thought but after this I have to be patient and wait until I realize how I want to say it. I cannot rush this or it will be unenjoyable and crude, just as if I tried rushing my hike it wouldn’t work out well.

Once I’ve made it to my destination, I can go over my map with certainty on how to get there and look over the areas I had issues with or maybe that I ended up not using certain parts of my planned path. This is when I reform my paper in writing,  reading it over and checking the areas I feel I stumbled over and poorly wrote or ideas I left out by accident. As I make my way back through the trail I can correct my missteps, just as I can go back to   correct my paper.