Reflective Essay: A Look Into The Writing Process

Upon entering Columbia College, writing was one of my weaker areas. It was very important that I gained the necessary knowledge and confidence to become a better writer. I didn’t know how to express myself and felt as though my writing was not my interest. As a result of taking English 101, I have gained a better understanding on how to properly research and build a satisfactory paper. Every paper that was assigned seemed like a struggle to complete. Before entering this class, I did not know the meaning of a thesis or why it was important, however, I obtained this skill quickly. I noticed that every paper has an argument and the thesis helps clarify the rebuttal. Now, I have a new outlook on writing. It’s a way to express my thoughts and allow others to see things through my eyes. There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go, but I know if I continue to write, I will get better. Just as I developed more skills in class, the various papers assigned helped to better structure the writer in me. In addition, the subject areas were not only interesting, but very informative and made it much easier to write about my experiences.

While writing might seem like a simple task, it can be a daunting task for a lot of people. Sometimes it can be hard to express the ideas in your mind in the words of a paper. This results in a disconnect with what a writer may actually think. A great writer is one that can transform his thoughts into words perfectly. This is a craft that takes many years to perfect, which is why writing is troublesome for a lot of us. Many students also have had bad experiences with writing. Maybe they had a teacher that didn’t try to support them and their writing. They might not have ever gotten the help they needed and may feel that they are in a hole where their writing can’t get better. At this point, they just accept that their writing will never get better.

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 used to consider writing as tumble words from your mind, write, read it through, fix minor mistakes, and done. However, you rarely get successful. The truth is many students, including myself, struggle with starting to write a word, or getting stuck in the middle without knowing the main point of the writing. After completing English 101, I can explain the writing process, evaluate the strengths of my essay, and identify my weaknesses.

Writing has been an outlet for many people, but writing has always been a difficult thing for me. I don’t remember my past experiences in highschool with writing, but I do remember my writing in college. I had multiple papers for my history class during my second year in college from having each paper being a different topic correlating to the subject in class. During my second year in college I didn’t take any english courses which made writing papers difficult. There are certain aspects of writing I find difficult which are having topics being assigned because my writing are limited in expression, whereas free choice topics come easier.

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.

To be honest, I have never really enjoyed writing that much. Even though I don't enjoy the activity, years of english classes have made it easier and more bearable for me. In addition these classes have taught me numerous techniques and tips for crafting a fine paper. Even though I have a few good qualities that make me a decent writer, I believe that my greatest one is my ability to plan and structure essays. When I write a larger paper I start with an outline that plans out my introduction, main points, sub-points, and conclusion. This outline helps me organize my thoughts, so when it comes to writing my actual essay the process is faster and my ideas are coherent and easier to understand. Outlining my papers before I write

My grandmother always told me that education was the key to all success. When I was a little girl, she taught me how to read bible stories and children books. She also taught me basic writing skills. When I was in elementary school, it was always easy for me to read and write, but that changed once I got in high school. Once I got in 10th grade, I always struggled with writing papers. I always felt that everyone could write essays with no problem, while it took me ten minutes to write one sentence. My mind would always go blank when it came to writing papers. I used to be confidence when it came to writing, but now I feel that I will never be able to write a good essay.

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.

I used to consider writing as tumble words from your mind, write, read it through, fix minor mistakes, and done. However, you rarely get successful. The truth is many students, including myself, struggle with starting to write a word, or getting stack in the middle without knowing the main point of the writing. After completing English 101, I can explain the writing process, evaluate the strengths of my essay, and identify my weaknesses.

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

Every writer has their own approach to the writing process. Some people may be extremely good at writing while others struggle. I know I was always one of those people who struggle with writing. In high school, I would always have to get help from a tutor or one of my teachers. It was always hard for me to stay focused enough to know what I needed to write about and what order everything needed to be in. it wasn’t until my senior year of high school when I finally had an English teacher who actually tried to help me with my writings. My teacher would work with me just a couple extra minutes before and after class making sure I knew what I would have to fix before I turn in my paper. He tried to help me with grammar and punctuation, but I

Writing is a tedious process which has a lot of challenges. When I was writing the paper, I faced a lot of problems. To begin with, getting started was a challenge to me. I had to think what was the purpose of writing this paper and come up with the ideas to present in the paper. Coming up with the introduction was somehow challenging. I had to ask myself, who will be my audience? Will my introduction catch the attention of my audience? Also, coming up with the thesis statement was a challenge. I had to think of a thesis which had to concur with what I was presenting in my the paper. Organization of my points was a challenge. I had to ensure that my paper had a flow of ideas that focused

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.

Problems I face while writing an academic English papers is typically four problems. First problem I face is that I can not start the paper, (having different ideas about the topic prevents me from being able to identify which topic to write about. I also found that pre-writing is the solution for this issue I'm facing. I start my pre-writing with a question that I feel I how more about and that I am able to give efficient about the topic question. I know what I want to say, but I can’t get it organized, that's my second problem while writing, I finally found a topic to speak about . After I'm done with my first draft I found that few information was conducted repeatedly through the draft which made me change the topic of my essay over and