Writing Habits

It is safe to say that writing is definitely not a strong suit of mine.  It is a constant struggle from the moment I receive the prompt to the moment I turn in the finished product.  The hardest part about writing is the brainstorming period.  In this moment I must recall every book, article, or literary work I have read that could possibly pertain to what I am writing about.  Once I have gathered a couple of different thoughts together, the next hurdle I must conquer is the opening paragraph.  I have found it easy to start with famous quotes or even possibly a song lyric that pertains to what I am going to be discussing in my writing.  After I have whipped out an intro, its time to get into the heart of my paper.  This is where my writing starts to shine.  Of course finding the evidence to support the claims I have made in my writing is another struggle, but once those are found I could commentary for days on end.  But of course, I get easily distracted by the tiniest of things and so I must work listening to music, which blocks out all other noises and sounds that might catch my attention.  Also I find that when I am not given an exact prompt, I have a hard time formulating something to talk about.  So when given a prompt with clear and precise instructions on what to discuss, my writing tends to flourish.  The closing statements have always been a struggle for me as well.  I feel as if I am scrambling for words and phrases that I have not previously used.  But once I have overcome the closing statements, I can sit back, relax, and be confident in what I have just written.