Reflective Essay Writing

I was pushed constantly to work harder at my writing. I studied and practiced several new techniques and methods for prewriting and organizing the essays I found so hard to create. At first, I had quite a few bad days and quite a few subpar essays. My grades would vary greatly from paper to paper. This really scared me, as I hoped to keep myself from drastically dropping in my grades. Yet, I wanted to maintain my grade point average so I had no choice but to succeed and impress around every corner. I began to pour in, even more, work and apply all of the newly learned skills from that class into my mind. I hoped that soon I would be able to find a system for writing that helped me form proper

Writing is a practice that most of us were taught when we were young. We were taught the basics of grammar, how to form a sentence, conjunction words, how to write paragraphs and more. Although we have learned this skill while growing up and have used the skill every year after entering kindergarten, this does not mean our writing process will ensure the best work. The authors that I chose each encourage their audience to excel in the art of writing in their own way to help with the writing process.

I remember when I first came to the Wilkes University, one of my edifier (?) (Friend, teacher, mother) told me "Don’t judge your class in the beginning, judge your class at the end of course”. In the beginning of my classes I was very nervous about how to write an essay. However, I believe my writing skills has effectively improved. To be honest, English 101 wasn’t an easy class for me in the beginning. College writing is entirely different from high school writing. I always have trouble with grammar when I write English essays, and it’s harder for me to learn and improve my skills in a short amount of time.

At the beginning of the semester I entered General Studies Writing 1110, not knowing what to expect. I knew the class was solely based on writing and perfecting personal style, but I never anticipated the valuable information I would learn throughout the course of the year. The only advanced English class I have taken in high school was English Honors in eighth grade. That class gave me the base knowledge of writing, grammar and form that has helped me through my four essays in this class. Starting out, I was not sure what the standard for passing was; even though it was unclear to me what passing was, I strove for perfection. By the time the second essay came around I realized my writing was never perfect. Peer editors and family played a

Upon entering English 111, I knew I would be writing papers. However, I did not anticipate how much room I had for improvement. Throughout this term I have been enlightened with so much knowledge that I may have forgotten or have been exposed to for the first time. Certainly, my experience with essay writing has been solidified due to newfound knowledge of proper work citing, MLA standards and the steps of planning an essay. Perhaps, my time away from a learning environment slowed me down a bit, other times I feel as though I have an advantage due to life experience. An online environment has certainly been challenging but throughout the course I have provided solid work and consistent grades commendable of an A grading.

When I look back at my writing before having any college experience, I can see that I had a lot to work on. I can say that I was never really a big fan of writing anything much less essays. Even when I was younger, I just did not have a great big interest in writing. This was because I felt that I could not elaborate as well as others. I was not use to having to write anything really, but I now feel that I have a better grasp on the steps that I need to take to get my writing on the level that it needs to be.

My expectations of my talents as a writer have increased tremendously after taking this class. When I read through my paper, or someone else's paper, it's not just words on a screen for me anymore. I can actually find grammatical errors, sentence fragments, and comma errors. This is a skill that I never possessed before taking this class. Even with how much I have grown as a writer from the beginning of the year, there is still room for improvement. On all my papers I had at least five small grammatical errors that would cost me

Writing influences the way humans communicate. Good writing skills are essential in the working world and it’s important for our own self. The love for writing creative stories that engage the reader personally feels like an impossible task. After thirteen years of English I’ve realized that English does not come easy to me. It’s important to note that my writing skills have improved over the years. Going into my first year of college, I was nervous. I knew that my writing needed improvement. During my first semester of college, I was able to take the WAC 101 class. This class not only improved my writing, but it also encouraged me to start reading again. I look at reading as a task instead of a hobby, but I know that it can progress toward something that I like to do on my free time. WAC 101 is a class that helps develop a student’s writing skills. To measure the progress, outcomes in different areas of writing are reflected upon.

Prior to this course I expected myself to struggle extremely with the requirements that Professor Groneman would ask for. I knew that this course wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, so I prepared myself to become more responsible when it came to the assignments, and deadlines. One of the aspects that surprised me was the amount of writing I could get done. I had never done a five or more page essay, and at first I didn’t think I could do it. I used to stress when it came to the essay, but it has become more natural and easier to write. Another aspect that surprised me was how well my essays became when it came to the flow of the paper. At first, I had always struggled with making my essays connect and flow, and now I’m able to. At the beginning

I totally agree with what the author is saying in the text. It takes time to get a good product out even though we think some people are deep and wonderful they still have the same struggles that we have when it comes to writing. I like this text because it is realistic it is giving an account of first drafts from common day people and shows how it is even for professional writers have problems with. This point is important because as people we sometimes feel we are not as good or capable of doing something not realizing that the people we look up to have the same problems we do. Another point that I agree with the author on is that you have to start somewhere. Many times as writers we don’t know where to start when it comes to writing. That being said we will just sit and think for ten twenty minutes when we could've just been information on the paper and then editing it later. In addition I liked that the author used examples from his professional experience when it came to writing food reviews. By him using details like how he went to the restaurant and sat down with friends and took notes of what was said. This was good to me because it helps me connect with him and the things that he does to write his reviews.

Over the course of this class I have changed as a writer. My writing has improved, yet their are some similarities between the writing. The writer I was before and after this class is different and the changes should be announced. Now when I write I know how to use transition, not just any basic transition but actually be able to flow from one point to another with quality grammar. A second thing I do as a writer now is knowing how to use MLA 8 formating. The first essay I turned in was extremely wrong on formatting and makes me cringe just looking at it. My citations were all APA formatting and in the header of the essay I put my name, date, teacher, and class. This is completely wrong and am surprised I even got a grade as high as I did. Another thing from looking at my first essay is that I could not write with the proper form. My whole last paragraph of my exemplification essay was useless because it did not have an examples. The writer I am now is more politically correct and can write when in a mode without going out of it.

     One of the techniques I am going to use through out college is talking to

This class has already made me a better writer. When I got the bad grade for the essay, it gave me motivation to do better on the next one. I tried to see what I needed improving, and the professor helped with that. I needed to work on my central claim for the essay and the professor already had a lesson planned to help students with their claim. She knew that people had trouble with the claim and that was what she wanted everybody to improve on. As the time came for the second

Writing is a difficult subject for me. English has never been my favorite subject, however I see why it is important to master. When I decided to take INRW I knew I was up for a challenge. Honestly, I came in with a positive attitude and with good intentions to get the best knowledge possible. Throughout the course I have learned many things that as a teenager I ignored in high school. I’d say I have improved a whole lot, but not to the best of my abilities. Yes, I still have some weaknesses in some areas, but overall I feel more confident about writing.

Before I came to college, I felt my writing had to follow a certain pattern and be fixated around one way of thinking. What I was fortunate to learn was quite the opposite. Writing does not have to follow any certain pattern, but can rather be structured through many different possibilities. I was also told in high school that my papers either had to agree or disagree with the given topic, even if I believed otherwise. This formulated a very one-track way of thinking when it came to my papers. Now I know that I can let my mind explore new and exciting ideas. I can agree, disagree, compliment, criticize, and question the author however my heart desires, as long as I have the evidence to back myself up. Many authors in the book, Writing About Writing, explain their processes as well as the processes of others when it comes to writing. As a writer, I can draw on my own processes and relate them to the authors, as well as use their ideas and apply them to myself. Through reading, I have learned new methods of invention, planning and revising, and incubation when it comes to writing. All ways I can use to create more meaningful and creative work.