Learning from Past Papers
By: Michael Longerbeam
Oftentimes, we write papers for class and submit them, never returning to them; however, what if our past papers could help us become better writers? What if those papers we devoted time and energy to could provide us with help and direction for subsequent assignments? Learning from submitted papers is a good way to improve our skills as writers. Consider these five ways that you can learn from your own past papers.
Learn from the process. Everyone learns from mistakes. This can be true in relation to how you learn, study, read, or take a test, and similar evaluation and growth can happen with the writing process. After you submit an assignment and as you prepare for the next one, consider the aspects of the writing process that worked well and the ones that didn’t in your last assignment. How was your time allotment? Did you outline? How many drafts were completed? Did you note resources well? How much outside perspective on your work did you seek? Evaluating the process—not just the finished product—can be beneficial for a growing writer.
Learn from others. Before the deadline, consider getting an outside perspective on your writing. This might mean bringing it to the Writing Center, asking a friend or family member to read your work, or visiting your professor’s office hours before the due date. These are certainly valuable practices, but it may be of equal value to do all of these after you’ve submitted the paper. With the pressure of the deadline removed, you may more freely submit your work to the loving and constructive scrutiny of others, taking and applying their feedback to future assignments.
Benefit from time and space behind you. I had a writing instructor from whom I remember two pieces of advice: 1) sometimes you have to walk away, put time between you and your work, and return to it; 2) at some point, you have to call your work “good enough” and submit it. Each of these are valuable, but they can also be taken together for helpful advice. After you’ve hit the point of “stopping here and turning it in” and some time has passed, return to the submitted paper and see what you can glean. What mistakes did you make that you can be aware of for future papers? Are there ones you consistently make? What seems awkward, incoherent, or unhelpful as a reader? What worked well and is worthy of repeating? Questions like these can help you investigate prior papers after you have had a chance to get away from them for a while.
Benefit from compound experience. “Practice makes perfect.” With every paper you submit, you can learn something new or reinforce something about your writing process and style. Test out new techniques and methods as you progress from class to class and paper to paper. Observe what works and what doesn’t, and file these away to serve you in future assignments and papers.
Be encouraged . . . or challenged. In a recent talk about reading, Dr. Tyler Flatt recommended tackling large books, which can encourage you in the pursuit of reading as you see and learn what you’re actually able to accomplish. Looking back at past papers and comparing them with more recent ones can encourage you on how far you’ve come! Perhaps, you feel as though you haven’t improved. Fear not! Let those instances challenge you, motivate you, and help you to keep pursuing better writing.
Hopefully, you have seen the value that past and completed assignments can have for you. Consider testing some of these with your next assignment. Check out what worked and what did not work from your last paper that you can apply to your writing. Re-read your last paper and see what you want to change for the next one. Bring it to a friend and ask them what you think can improve on. Don’t let past papers silently pass into oblivion. They are valuable assets for growing as a writer.