The Process of Writing

The Process of Writing - An Essay
Writing is possibly the toughest job a person can do. Utilizing the electro-chemical reactions within the brain to produce relevant thought - and recording those thoughts in a logical, coherent manner, is undoubtedly tougher than performing familiar manual tasks or (relatively) only moderately intellectually-stimulating arithmetic. Writing is intensely personal as well - one may well unintentionally spill their emotions into the piece, whether it be poetry, a short story, a novel, or a 1200 page informative piece. The only barrier between the author and the audience is a thin encryption of the words which veil the author's true feelings - which are easily decoded and analyzed. Such an arduous task requires a complicated process in my case, which consists of several steps.
My first step is procrastination. I put off the writing for as long as is reasonable, giving myself time to form ideas, and ideas on how to implement those ideas within my writing. Sometimes phrases will jump out at me and demand entrance to the paper. More oft, I cast about in the murky depths of my mind, searching for appropriate words, sentences, or impressions I want to include.
When the search is complete and an arsenal has been prepared, I fall to work like a savage beast upon its prey. The opening sentence is the easiest; instead of summarizing the essay in one line, I merely create an impact statement leading into the rest of the piece. Prose, like poetry, should flow. It should have a rhythm to it, an underlying pulse which guides the reader. Essays or papers which focus on function instead of form are rarely interesting or relevant, and often unorganized, disjointed. I recognize form's importance and give it due consideration while compiling my work. Thus, keeping form first- or second-most in my thoughts, I move with the rest of the first paragraph. The thesis statement does not have to be discarded in order to let the piece flow - I just have to...