Reflective Essay: Journal Entry

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.

As a student, I have always appreciated the challenge of coming up with words that truly express how I feel. Like a game, I play around with letters that are uniquely bonded to form words. From words to sentences to paragraphs, I have successfully written an essay. Yet, I feel like there is a missing piece, and if found I believe it would fit perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. The missing piece defines the separation between great and good, and that is exactly what I found in ENGL 101. By using this opportunity to grow, I am prepared for the challenging topics in ENGL 102. One main progress is the change in my attitude. Changing my attitude not only changes the way I thought about the characters, but also the

I have chosen to explore the “Writing Process” that I used while drafting my argumentative paper on sloths in the rainforest for this reflective essay. I am choosing this topic and this particular essay because my writing process was a key component to the ‘C’ I made on the project and how my failure in this particular area lead me to this grade. Looking back, I realized that the grade I received is a perfect reflection of the effort I put into the writing process. I believe that I had the power to make an A if I would have slowed down and completed the essay the right way. From an outline all the way to the final draft I will be reflecting on my paper and the journey I took to complete it.

Tutorials necessitate that I begin work on assignments far earlier and make more progress than I normally would if I was not required to do so. I work best under pressure, so I usually do not begin assignments until immediately before they are due. I am thankful for tutorials for forcing me to change my behavior in some ways, yet I am still fundamentally the same: I don’t begin my work for tutorials until immediately beforehand. My essay writing process is just split between two instances of repeating the same habit. I find it very difficult to not write an essay all at once; stopping and starting work on it is jarring to me, and I often feel like I lose my momentum or train of thought. My writing can even alter depending on when I work on it, so I prefer to write assignments all at once, but this can be somewhat absurd when faced with longer or more elaborate assignments. I feel like the result of my procrastination is most evident in my A3, specifically page 3 and onward. The third page is a full page of text with no breaks. It is one paragraph, but it neither begins nor ends on the page. In my graded returned version, there are two suggestions for paragraph breaks. My procrastination leads me to become tangential and heedless of structure, yet it also forces me to write in sustained periods of time with my complete attention and dedication. My sustained writing in one sitting can often lead to my favorite discoveries and writing precisely because I become tangential and “heedless of structure,” focused instead on ideas--furthering my current ideas and developing new ones I would never have thought of otherwise. Because of my tangential propensity, in my A4 tutorial I had at least a page of paragraphs that were barely connected to my thesis which I ultimately scrapped. I could not include them in that specific essay because they were not relevant enough, yet they were interesting claims which I would have enjoyed exploring further. For my A5, I had the opportunity to do so, which led to what I consider my best written and most interesting claims (this is not a coincidence: they are my best written because they

I remember the first diary assignment that I had in grade three. The instructor asked me to write one hundred words to describe my day every single day. As tiring as it seemed for a third-grader, I have always appreciated my instructor since she introduced me to express myself in words. My experience in writing goes from writing stories to texting on social media and to write cards to people. I view writing as a powerful tool to introduce myself to people, to form relationships, and to communicate at an emotional level that daily conversation can’t reach. However, there is always another form of writing, that is, argumentative essays. Although being less experienced in academic writing, I realize that the tenacity in well written essays makes writing compelling in terms of creating initiatives for issues that people matter. Ultimately, regardless of writing styles, writing allows me to capture my thoughts and imaginations through story telling, gain knowledge of the society, and impact other individuals around me.

As a GSW 1110 College Credit Plus student through Bowling Green State University, I have learned many valuable skills throughout my writing career. I was introduced to many new writing styles, which helped me grow as a writer. I found myself getting frustrated when I was unsure of how to address some aspects of a paper, but after reviewing with my peers and instructor, I found that those task came naturally to me. I have learned how to effectively: find credible research, write to opposing audiences, write to a variety of genres, draft papers, dodge writing mechanics, and use critical thinking skills. Throughout my time as a College Credit Plus student, I have learned many tips and tricks which have all made me a more advanced writer and will all help me pass this class and future classes.

I’ve always considered myself a skilled writer until quite recently. But I came to a rude awakening when I realized that attending honors and accelerated English classes meant nothing on its own. Finding myself making embarrassing grammatical errors and noticing that my arsenal of sophisticated

What classroom never failed to meet the sound of distasteful, classical music, embody hundreds of huge, intimidating books, and reak of abandoned flowers left by the far window sill weekly? Anyone that has attended De Queen schools in the last century can answer this question without being hesitant, considering Mrs. Wanda Smith has been teaching since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. As a result of Mrs. Smith’s 9th grade English class, I’m currently in college having to constrain myself to write papers. The significance in the beginning of my hatred for writing was going to impact tremendously due to the constant use of it in my future. Writing is used in our everyday lives, compelling it to be very consequential for the inevitable as a whole as well. Therefore, assuming that I had let this adversity continue to frustrate me, I wouldnt be as successful as I am anticipating to be.

When thinking about what effective writing is, there is no single answer as to what the definition is. Everyone has their own idea of what the most important aspects of effective writing are. This is why combining multiple people’s ideas into one concrete style allows us to open our mind to other possibilities. In our group, we all had a slightly different ideas of what the most important aspect of effective writing was. Because of this, we were able to combine all three and make a three step process of how a writer should go about generating an effective piece of writing. The three steps are, contemplate, clarify and connect. Good effective writing requires proper preparation to write a clear and concise piece of work which results in the reader's understanding of the point the writer is trying to get across.

In my early childhood, I went to John Bayne Elementary a school where expressing yourself was like screaming to a soundproof window. Even though, there were a couple teachers who actually cared and didn’t come every other friday and have the smell of there brand new check coming later that day. When I was in 6th grade, my teacher Mrs. Middleton was teaching a new concept on writing, a topic i was actually really familiar about. A topic where if i would began to write all of the truth from my lips will unapologetically spill on the paper. This topic was a concept people use the very most to let anger out, to be heard and just because teachers would say we have to match each and every other word with a rhyme people would think that they are rappers. The topic i am expressing is poetry, a lauryn hill type poetry, a maya angleou type poetry. In one of my classes, after a day of just a lesson based upon different types of poems, this would be the first time i would be able to express myself on paper without anyone with a red pen who would come and scratch words off because of “grammatic error”. When all i want to say to that pen was “I ACTUALLY MEANT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ERASE AND FIX!” This day was free writing, words didn’t have to match unless people who wasnt really good at writing, that was a way they can help there poem go into length and meet the right stanza we had to reach. This day was the day poetry became my light in a dark place. But, this was not the day where i

English has been one of the most rigorous courses I have been taking ever since elementary. Having the ability to write an essay has always been my weakness because I never found a correct way to develop the right body paragraphs. I might not be the greatest writer, but I d have the ability t have everything outlined and planned when it comes to writing. I would always try to challenge myself back in high school English because I would always try to strengthen my writing skills. I took all AP English classes throughout my four years in high school and managed to pass them. Not only that, but I took it a step further and also joined a writing club my junior year of high school. In this writing club not only did they teach the students how to write, but also gave us the techniques required to both annotate and summarize.

Do you have the habit of waiting tell the last minute to write a paper? Well this is what I would do when I would dread writing a paper for a class. I would start the night before the paper was due and I would write a draft, then proofread then print it off. Since gaining knowledge from taking ICW, I have gained experiences and ways to overcome my writing problems. My major problem was procrastinating, and overall just starting the paper. This was due to not having a process and an outline for the paper which was an effect of procrastinating.

Coming straight out of high school and being thrown into a college-level English course can be very frightening; much like a mother leaving her child on the first day of school. Except, this time we are on our own. It is almost like we are blindly being thrown into this big pool without knowing how to swim. We are scared and almost unprepared as much of what we did in high school is nothing compared to of what college professors expect from us.

When thinking about college, the first thing that may come to mind is college parties, more freedom, new experiences, and opportunities to make more friends. For some, the years spent in college will be some of the best years in life. However, aside from all the fun, college is still school and school work must be done. Essays will be written, books will be read, and sleep will be deprived. These years will definitely be a different ball game than high school, filled with many unexpected surprises. As someone whose parents did not attend college, I hope to facilitate your experience by sharing a few writing and reading strategies as well as general tips. I will explain in detail the writing process and the steps involved, the benefits of annotation, and the importance of time management.

William Wordsworth once said, “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” Writing is not just about picking out words that sound good together to form a sentence. I believe the philosophy of writing is to allow people to freely express themselves. Writing gives people a freedom within themselves and grants the room to grow and discover character. I have always loved to write. Before my high school career I would use my free time to write poems and short stories, along with school essays. I have always enjoyed the way the words seem to fall out of your brain and onto the paper. During high school, my essay writing has made a drastic improvement. This first semester in Comp 110 is where I feel my writing has been at its best. I have learned many new things about my writing and writing as a whole. I believe I had the room and time to grow as a writer during Comp 110. My main focus when trying to improve my writing are my strengths and weaknesses. My weaknesses also lead me to set new goals for Comp 210.