Week 7 required us to develop our thesis statement, a full outline and a couple of paragraphs. I did not have the paragraphs at this point but I certainly had my outline finished. It felt like jumping the first hurdle when I had that down. My outline probably played the most significant role in creating my entire research paper. Getting that down was a bit difficult because it felt like I was pulling outlandish claims from thin air. However, those claims were my foundation to my paper, to my research. Typically I write my papers in one attempt, from the beginning to the end. That model might work when developing 5-7 page research papers. When developing a 20+ page paper that model seems a bit too “winging it,” even for me. Maybe I could have created strong arguments but I would never have been able to stay consistent throughout the paper.

We also needed our thesis down for week 7. Off the top of my head I cannot even remember what my thesis was. As far away as the conclusion is from the introduction of my essay is as far away as I am from my thesis. After I hit the submission button I had to clear out my desk so to speak. I hope that isn’t a bad thing.