O5.

                It is hard to describe the process that goes into writing an article. It’s not always the same and there aren’t a lot of distinguished steps that I take when writing an article. I guess the whole process begins on the first day of the week that nothing is due. My first job of the week is to think of an article topic and send it in to… you? Mr. Currin? I don’t know who I’m addressing this to, but that’s not the point. The point is that I think this is definitely the most difficult part of the process. Why it is so difficult to find a topic is because nothing really happens here. And if something does happen, I have to be the first person out of twenty-something to claim that idea. That means I have to be creative enough to think of a topic that is somewhat Alden related and that nobody has thought of. This brings me to my first and only step: procrastinate. Every time I turn in an article I tell myself ‘Ok, Matt, you devilish S.O.B, next time you’re going to think of a topic early in the week’. Yet, when it comes time to think of a topic I think to myself, ‘Screw it. That’s future Matt’s problem’. (And yes I do sometimes think in the 3^rd person). When it gets dangerously close to the deadline for our articles I hastily think of a topic. Once I actually know what I’m writing about, the rest of this process is quite easy. Normally, I will make either a rough draft or do some sort of research on my topic the night before its due date. Then in class I will read over those notes, start typing, make adjustments, have Phil look it over, think of a corny title and upload it with two minutes to spare. When it’s all said and done I pat myself on the back as I look forward to starting this vicious cycle of procrastination and regret that I let myself procrastinate so much, all over again.