What I Have Learned in My Writing Course

My first step in the writing process has remained relatively the same. I begin by reading the assignment sheet, and then begin brainstorming topics that I could use for the essay. Usually I come up with two or three ideas for me to explore, in case one topic does not have enough information to turn into a good paper. After thinking of a few ideas, I pick one idea that I think is the best, and I try to come up with a basic outline of the paper. Then, I search on Google and read a few articles that I find to see what information is available on the topic and how I can use the information in my paper. It is at this point where I decide whether or not to go ahead with the topic depending on what I find. If I continue on, I widen my search to databases and focus on more credible internet

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.

When I first started this course I didn’t know what to expect. I really enjoyed writing but there was a lot of areas that I needed to work on. When I first started to review the modules I was blown away by all the helpful sites that were at my disposition. The Power points and different sites completely changed my whole perspective of writing to a whole new dimension. Thanks to the modules I am more confident right now before I even begin an essay. I remember in the past how beginning an essay was so difficult for me because I didn’t know how to even start. In this course I have learned how to begin an essay, how to manipulate information, and how to use in-text documentation properly. These are just some of the few things that I will definitely be taking with me in the future for my courses and personal growth.

I am accustomed to starting my essays by generating ideas. I like to take a sheet a paper and write down everything that comes to mind when I think of a certain subject. Next, I would do an extensive amount of research on the subject to make sure that I know enough about the subject to write a complete paper about it. Now that the research stage is done, I would then commence on writing my rough draft using the

I hate reading and writing I never show interesting and I thought it was boring and just slept the whole period. But taking English 096 in my first semester at Harold Washington has impacted my writing skills in a positive way. This class helped me to learn more the skills I needed to become a better writer I college and for my future. Professor Thomas helped me with my writing and showed me that I do not have to be a perfect writer to get my point across. Like every writer we have are weaknesses and are strongest strategies. One of my weak is brainstorming ideas for my topic or how to compare two stories. But the class thought me how to comprehend the stories and try to make things they have in common. English 096 have also helped me to communicate more with my peers. My peers will help me revise my writing and make common so I can fix them and just make my final draft. I changed how I write because when the semester I was as good as a writer because I thought it was boring. But time passed I started to feel interesting and with the help of the professor I started to write better. The professor was determined to make us better writer. He would do every morning warm up and it seems small but it had an impact of how I write. Because I learned little things I never heard about.

Personally, from the class of English 1101, I have learned on how to use the writing processes effectively, where the first step is to have a pre-write, which focuses on brainstorming ideas form either the group or from individuals’ brain for the required topic. The second phase of the process is the thesis statement, which is the primary idea of the entire essay. I discovered that the thesis statement should be persuasive and truthful. The third step is on developing drafts, where it showed me on how to focus on content, organization, and style. Again, I noted that I must ask myself who is my audience, and what do they want or need to hear.

In Freshman Composition I learned what metacognition means, and how it applies to academic writing. Next I learned about textual evidence and backing up your opinions with research. *I expect this class to help develop my writing skills, as well as find my voice in writing, all together I expect this class to be challenging but rewarding. Therefore I have set a few goals for myself, my first goal is to step out of my comfort zone and research topics I have never heard of before. My second goal is to not second-guess myself on my writing topics and/or choices. Furthermore I expect great things to come from this

Over the course of this semester I learned a lot about myself as a writer. This English 101 class has really allowed me to expand my essay structure and ways of thinking. This was my first college writing course and it has given me much more freedom when writing because in high school I felt limited and like what we were writing was not very important. In high school I would write essays to just to fulfill the required word or page count and to a degree I still feel like this but maybe that is why I am an engineering major but in this course I actually was able to express my ideas and for the first time really test the limits of my writing capabilities. I really enjoyed being able to incorporate my voice more in my essays and I believe

One of my biggest challenges was accepting the fact that I had numerous habits that I developed in high school which were restricting my creativity. After reading Revising Attitudes by Brock Dethier, I now know that your first draft isn’t meant to be perfect. While writing drafts you need to let it go and not try to perfect anything. A rough draft is called rough for a reason. As a perfectionist, it was hard for me to comprehend the fact that I need to let go. I quickly found out that this would end up being one of my biggest weaknesses. I became frustrated with myself since I couldn’t figure out ways to revise my essay that had obvious problems. I was able to learn from my mistakes from the last assignment and avoid them. I now know to start narrowing your topic down when brainstorming your topic. Then you would continue to be more specific as you do your initial research. This helped me be crystal clear with what I wanted to write about and in the end helped me figure out which claims

When it comes to evaluating myself and if I am prepared for my first college writing course I believe that I am prepared to take my first college writing course. Before joining my ESC 021 class with Professor Kraft I felt that I was prepared and that I would be able to complete assignments without difficulty, but I was so used to the one on one sessions where I would go over the little mistakes or find ways to produce an exceptional essay that I forgot that I was own my own now. Through the short time in ESC 021 I learned my weaknesses and strengths as a writer. I now have the ability to receive feedback and effectively use my feedback to better my assignments.

Let's be honest, I'm not the best writer. I have had to write paper after paper for about 12 weeks. Writing isn’t my strong suit and I don't think it will ever be a strong suit of mine. During the 12 weeks of composition class, I have seen improvement in my writing. Many people don’t like writing but writing skills are needed in life. I'm a junior in high school and if I want to get scholarships for college, I'm going to need to write essays. Whether I become a plumber or a CEO I need 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.

High school was a time when writing assignments began to have more fascinating prompts, but also needed more structure. I drew ideas for my writing from several different sources including my friends and family’s opinions, things on social media, and my own beliefs. All of these diverse sources enhanced my writing and helped me to become more open minded. I always started a paper by organizing my thoughts and ideas by writing down three or four of the main points I wanted to include. From there, I wrote a rather brief outline only consisting of my thesis statement and the opening sentences for each of my body paragraphs. Before starting my first draft, I would look over my short outline, read the assignment once more, and then begin writing. I did not prepare nearly as much as I should have, but I was still able to produce a good first

I remember those years in elementary school when I was learning all what I know today. It was funny going to school to learn something new every day. Additionally, I had the best teacher ever. Her way to teach us was exceptional. She was very patient, for which reason my handwriting today is acceptable. Moreover, I loved writing lessons. It was anxious to learn writing down the letters I was pronouncing. The alphabet seemed never ending when I was learning letter by letter. Thus, it became more difficult when I had to write a sentence. I remember all the hard work memorizing the parts of a sentence. However, I think I did better learning to read. I was the first one in my class reading a paragraph uninterruptedly. Those are definitely, good

Writing drafts is something I struggle with every time I have to do an essay. It takes me over two hours to finish an introduction. Once done with the introduction the body of the essay easy until I get to the conclusion, which is when my struggle to complete the draft returns. I believe the introduction of a draft is one of the most difficult parts for me of writing a draft because it is hard to come up with ideas for the introduction. Then the conclusion is hard because I have to find a way to restate what took me so long to come up with for the introduction. Ultimately, I will be able to complete a draft without difficulty for if I do them step by step and by write down my ideas and information before beginning anything and not to