Throughout my entire education I have always started projects and essays by identifying the question I am trying to answer and then gathering truckloads of information.  In retrospect I spend more time gathering academic resources than writing my papers.  After participating in Task One in “Academic Writing for Graduate Students’, I tried to answer why this strategy has always been my “go to”.  It might be because my undergraduate education has revolved around history and library studies, subjects that both require good research techniques. Or perhaps it is just a personality trait, and I really enjoy gathering as much information as possible so I can feel confident in my own knowledge.  I do not feel confident in my writing skills, however.  I have spent a few years writing to a professional education standard within my school division.  Always battling between giving too much information and not enough information in my correspondence with others.  Obsessing over tone and spelling until the ends of time. A great deal of panic over accidentally spelling someone’s name wrong or getting their title wrong can and will haunt me for days to come. Does confidence come through practice, or does everyone just feel confident in their own writing? Often, I wonder how I achieved good grades throughout my education, when I never felt confident in my writing skills. 

When I take the time to question “What is an academic writer, and how do I become one”, I currently do not have a concise answer.  Academic writing is a multifaceted style of writing, which leads me to believe that to become an academic writer one must work on all aspects of academic writing to be successful. Going forward to answer this question I am going to accept constructive criticism of my writing and stay openminded about the process.