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Reflection Paper

Decent Essays

Of the many writing experiences I’ve had as both a student and a military officer, two events stand out that shaped both my appreciation of and confidence in writing. The first happened when I was in grade school and involved my father. He enrolled in a basic computer class sponsored by his employer and I clearly remember him agonizing over a short writing assignment to describe the applications for computers. I remember thinking it seemed like a simple task, but for him it was an arduous process for which he was not prepared. The second incident occurred during my MBA studies, working in a group of three on a capstone research project. As the integrator of our combined contributions, I was astounded when one of my project partners sent his portion, of which a large section had the faint blue background evident of a cut-and-paste from Wikipedia, yet no citations. These cases stick out because of what I’ve found are two truths in writing. First, the example with my father demonstrated that writing can be both deeply personal and trigger extreme emotion. As John Hall states, “Because writing is an intensely personal process, every word invites potential criticism. It’s easy to be intimidated.” My own experiences in writing have borne this out as I’ve personally found that sharing my thinking in written form can induce an excruciating process of reflection that could only be overcome by practice and repetition. The second case I find significant and not just for the

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