During the years gone by, I remember viewing writing assignments as each being a single entity. Although I knew each had an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, along with references and in-text citations, I did not correlate the commonalities within the writing process until I reviewed the publication of Grand Canyon University (GCU) “The Writing Process – The College Essay” (GCU, 2015). This is a resourceful guide for writing scholarly papers. It is an explicit, user-friendly written text and a short, memorable, comical video leading through the academic writing process. Sections 2 and 4 include worksheets, whereas Section 5 explains the difference between revising and editing, which I have previously perceived as the same when writing and reviewing a paper; however, they are different parts of the writing process. The best results of a paper are accomplished when understanding and implementing revising and editing as separate writing process phases and not done together when reviewing a paper. Revising involves writing what is said, focusing on organizing ideas, and authentication, whereas editing involves how it is said concentrating on such things as grammar (GCU, 2015). Printing this GCU writing process guideline and implementing it for writing a thesis assignment will result in a successful paper.
Reflecting upon my nursing student years, I remember a lot of memorizing, which led to rhymes and songs that correlated, such as learning the phases of a cell or the 12 cranial nerves. I was reminded of this in Section 2 with the Cubing worksheet and cutout (GCU, 2015), which I will keep beside me as I write my first thesis in many years, along with the printed guideline. I have printed this GCU writing process text and put it in a white notebook with the Cubing cut out in the clear front pocket for easy accessibility guidelines for all my future writing assignments. My once fearful anxiety about tediously writing a thesis has become a new and welcomed adventure in furthering my nursing education.
Grand Canyon University (Ed), (2015). The writing process – The college essay. Phoenix, Arizona: Grand Canyon University, (1-67).