Nonfiction: A Personal Journal Analysis

At the start of this course, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a goal for myself to improve and learn skills that would make writing less daunting for me. I have learned so many things about my writing that I didn’t think much about before. Another goal I had was to break the cookie-cutter mold that was set upon me throughout high school. During the process of revision, I discovered many things about myself as a writer and techniques that have been effective for me in the writing process.

I can say I got a lot out of this class. So even though this class was more difficult than I anticipated I learned so many things that I did not know before about writing. I feel much more comfortable continuing forth with writing essays in my future writing assignments and

When I signed up for this course I was not expecting very much out of it. I assumed that, like most typical English courses, I would be learning to write proper essays. Once I saw that I would be writing to share experiences (Christmas tradition), writing to inform (biographical sketch), and writing to analyze (visual analysis) the class seemed easier. I thought this class would be a piece of cake! Unfortunately, I knew little of all the goals and expectations that would be needed from me! However, it was a pleasant surprise. I have never realized all the different types of writing, and how each writing area contains its own audience, purpose, genre, rhetorical situation, voice and tone, and context/medium/genre. Before entering this

Throughout this course, I was able to assess and evaluate my weaknesses and strengths in writing. This class has truly brought out my ability to write, a skill I did not believe I had. I now know what it takes to become a college-level writer. Also, at the beginning of the course I did not particularly enjoy writing. Now, however, I have a greater respect for

I learned a lot in this class during the semester. The first project was our learning narrative, it was not what I was expecting from a writing class. I expected we would be writing a many formal essays in MLA format with lots of sources and research. The first essay being a creative writing project was unexpected. At first writing a narrative from my personal experience was difficult for me. I had not written anything besides formal essays since high school. Writing something that was creative and expressive was an adjustment. After a few days of writing I began to really enjoy my learning narrative. I liked being able to express myself and my own experiences and share them with others.

I have really enjoyed being in this English class. Just like the warning we got in the very beginning, there has been a lot of writing. It was good for me though. I took English 101 over the summer, but found I had quite a bit of writer’s block. It was hard for me to get any kind of energy to write. I found that interesting because I feel like I like writing is something that is enjoyable to me. With this class, the activities put forth, meant to help us get the writing gears moving, really worked for me.

It was my first writing class as a college freshmen and I did not know what to expect, like whether or not the class would be harder compared to what I took in high school or even if I would enjoy taking class. But as soon as day one turned in into week one, than soon week fifteen I felt more comfortable in the class than what I have probably felt in the beginning. I felt like I could write anything my professor threw at me, because through writing I could express my individuality. It gives me the freedom to express myself through words, and write about things I felt passionate about writing about. I felt as though I writing because I wanted to, and less because I was assigned to do so.

When I began working in this class I was fearful that it would be a waste of my time. In high school, I took two AP English classes: administration at my school cancelled the first one in the middle of the year and I did not excell in the second. However, because of my educational background I am used to being challeneged and I did not see this course doing that for me. I never characterized myself as a great writer but I was already very familiar with the skills being reviewed so I did not believe that this course would add much value to my writing skills.

I began this course with goals to significantly improve my writing. I knew there were challenges for me to overcome, because I have not written much at all since high school, which has been more than twenty four years ago. Nonetheless, I was up for the challenge and each week I made sure to do exactly as instructed in the weekly syllabus, reading each every assignment very carefully. At first I felt overwhelmed, but as I completed the homework and discussion post assignments for the weeks prior to the major papers, the overwhelming feelings subsided and I concentrated on each task at hand.

During these past three weeks I have realized that college is going to be very challenging, it is not what I expected it to be like. This class has helped with my reading and writing experience and has contributed to my understanding of expectations for college and goals for my future. It has helped me with preparing and planning my work ahead of time. Dr. Sariscany has helped me with becoming a better writer and helped me prepare for college level work. She has showed me that college is not going to be easy and we should get used to it and put in all our effort and time into everything we turn in.

Overall this process has been quite therapeutic and I luckily I was given the chance to just write. In the future, I’m not sure where my writing will take me, I might consider starting a blog and taking pictures. I think I would enjoy putting my opinions and voice out in public. This class has been amazing and it’s only the beginning. At the start of this class I was unsure if I would enjoy creative writing, but it has given me a positive outlook and I’m excited to see where life takes

From day one I knew I would face some challenges with this class just bases off of past experiences with English classes overall. Not being a native speaker and having dyslexia have been two big hurdles but I can say this class has made me over all a more knowledgeable writer. Each assignment given was something different and something interesting. The one that left the biggest impact on me was the Sister Flowers story by Maya Angelou. I’ve always been a fan of her work and the fact that I got to read something by her in my English class was amazing. Most of the classes I’ve attended have been very euro centric barely deviating from that path but here there was plenty of variety from the racial backgrounds of the authors to the topics themselves. My strengths as a writer have always been in the passion I can channel into my writing. That skill really came to birth as a way to balance out my lack of proper grammar with sheer emotional impact. An example of this I believe was in my essay entitled Glossy “I felt the rage tinged with fear claw at my stomach and wrap around my neck constricting my breathing.” Although my English may not be the best I’ve found ways to convey certain emotions. Although I have some strengths naturally I have weaknesses as well.

I have truly enjoyed writing for most of my life and after this class I will continue to enjoy writing hopefully with more skill. I have always viewed myself as a fairly strong writer and this class has reaffirmed that for me, but it has also shown weaknesses in my writing. As an introduction level class this has been one of my favorites; at some point I will take a higher level, even though it is not required for my major. Even though this class is almost over I am continuing to learn. I also love that this class will help me with literally ever other class in my college career. I am not a particularly strong reader, but as my writing skills improve so do the reading skills. While in this class I have learned a lot about everything from what I can improve, to subjects that interest me, and constructing a successful paper.

Attitude: Writing has never been my thing, at least when it comes to essays and research papers. It can take me awhile to get my ideas flowing. I’m very excited to complete this course so I can become a better writer. Although I often don’t like writing research papers or essays, I don’t feel that any personal feelings towards writing will have any negative effects on my quality of work. I’m looking forward to what this course has to teach me.

I feel that by taking this class it will help to not only get ready for the college that I plan to have in my future, but also my skills, no matter what, that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The effects will be not only short-term as I go through the rest of high school and eventually college, but will also follow me out for the rest of my life. Everyday we are using writing in one way or another, and the differences between good and bad writing skills are huge! This class is to prepare us for the writing portions of college and that is exactly what I am planning to take advantage of it for.