Reflect on your writing process
As writing tasks get longer and more complex, it is a good idea to pause and think about how you go about academic writing.  
Most of us have some idea of a writing process in mind when we approach a writing task.  It is something we start and have to finish in time.  We tend to think of stages that we follow in a sequence from planning, to researching, to writing and then on to editing and submission.  
Are these stages really so neat?
This is a possible sequence of numbered steps:
1.	Planning;
2.	Brainstorming ideas;
3.	Researching and reading;
4.	Organising and structuring;
5.	Getting started writing;
6.	Write a draft;
7.	Edit and polish draft;
8.	Give it a final check;
9.	Feedback after assessment.
Where does it really begin?  Your process might be a big circle with feedback from previous work contributing to planning your next assignment.  
Do you ask yourself questions and change your mind as you write?
Do you think of reading and researching as separate from writing?  Or do you read for a bit and draft some ideas?  Does having to write about it help you think?
As your line of reasoning takes shape, do you need to revisit your structure?
How many drafts do you write?  Do you think, draft and redo?
Do you always have enough time to submit your best work?  Is this something you need to plan for?
Is academic writing cyclical?
When we start to write sometimes we realise that we missed something or need to add something.  This can mean researching further.  Writing and deeper thinking often happen together.  Sometimes it can be better to do some reading, write up a section, research further,  think some more and then edit your draft.
Do you write in bits?
Longer and more complex assignments are made up of shorter linked sections of writing on sub-questions or themes.  These can be drafted as mini essays.
•	Do you write from the top down?  You know what your big idea is and break it into smaller sections.
•	Do you write from the bottom up?  You group ideas together and decide what order to put them in as your line of reasoning emerges.
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