From writing thoughtful poems to research papers, I have experienced composing a diverse portfolio of literary analysis and criticisms throughout the school year. I started out the year writing minimally. By the end of the year, I noticed I was able to express my ideas and thoughts in a more clear and concise way on paper. Ultimately, each composition allowed me to widen my horizons as a writer and see how I could improve as a writer.
When reflecting on what made me the writer I am today, my first thought was, “Well clearly, I’m a writer because I’m a reader.” As a child, I devoured all kinds of books and spent hours on exploits in different worlds, with Harry and the gang at Hogwarts, or with the Pevensie kids in Narnia. And I thought that inevitably and gradually, reading is what led me to create my own universes and stories through writing. In fact, one of my first memories associated with writing was winning third place at a story competition in the 1st or 2nd grade (high prestige, I know). Writing is linked to reading, and to personal agency and action. I chose to read, and that led me to choose to write.
My English Literature major has helped me to achieve an outstanding level of appreciation, enjoyment, and knowledge of both American and British Literature. As a high school AP English student, I struggled through great works like Hamlet and To the Lighthouse. My teacher’s daily lectures (there was no such thing as class discussion) taught me merely to interpret the works as critics had in the past. I did not enjoy the reading or writing process. As a freshman at Loras, I was enrolled in the Critical Writing: Poetry class. For the first time since grade school, my writing ability was praised and the sharing of my ideas was encouraged by an enthusiastic and nurturing professor. Despite the difficulty of poetry, I enjoyed reading it.
When presented with the question, “who are you as a writer?”, I was speechless at first. But after thinking about it, I realized who I am as a writer has been influenced by so many different sponsors throughout my life and there was not a short, concrete answer. Brandt mentions that “literacy is sponsored by people, institutions, and circumstances that both make it possible for a person to become literate and shape the way the person actually acquires literacy.” (Brandt 43) My attitude towards writing has been influenced by teachers, both negatively and positively, by my mother, and by academic assignments over the years. My answer to the question can only be answered by a narrative of my writing life. I have convinced myself that I am a terrible writer, and when presented with a writing assignment, I get anxious instantly. I see writing as a burden and a huge obstacle that gets placed in my life. Academic writing is not fun, but something I value due to the fact that we are a grade driven society. When writing, I write to the guidelines in order to receive points for the requested criteria. The reason being, I gave up on expressing my own ideas because I had been shut down by so many teachers throughout my education. I tried to write down what came to my mind and put my own twist on things, but that was not the “right” way to write papers. In order to make both my teachers and my grades happy, I wrote what they wanted to hear, and even then I was not to the level they
Over this quarter of English, I have learned many things out of the three to four essays that we have written. I have learned how to write college papers in the appropriate page requirements. Our teacher noticed after the first two essays we wrote that we suffered from sentence fragments, sentence run ons, and comma splices. I have learned how to fix those errors in my papers that I write. A thing I have learned about myself as a writer is that I write very well when a paper is about my personal life because it is easier to write about yourself than about a topic that you are just researching for the first time. If the paper is about my life experiences, I would get a good grade on it.
My post secondary goal after high school is to go to the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh to become a veterinarian technician within a span of eighteen months. I am hoping this Honors English course will help to improve my writing skills, note taking skills, and get me use to the type of things I will experience in college. If I were to improve as a writer it would benefit me by improving my ability to do lab write-ups. If I incorporate my grammar skills into my vocabulary it will also benefit me in seeming to be a more intelligent young adult, which will hopefully cause the teachers to take me more seriously. By becoming a better writer I could become a better student altogether. Becoming a better note taker is a skill I really hope I adapt
You are one of the most influential women in modern day society and you continue to fight for women’s education throughout the world. It is so inspiring that even as a young girl you always stood up for what you believed in despite the judgement you faced as the Taliban began to takeover your village. I truly admire the bravery you had the day your life changed forever after the Taliban stormed onto your school bus and shot you. You are hope for women stuck in stagnant societies to get the education they deserve. women, despite how privileged they may be, to recognize the part they can take aiding your movement.
For example, do you fear the blank page? You may be skipping the essential early phases of writing.
The main thing that I feel that I need to improve on as a writer is being able convey my thoughts properly when putting the down on paper. This to me seems to be one of the most important things when it comes to writing. I feel that the reader must know exactly what it is I am thinking or what the point is that I am trying to get across to them when I write something. If they are not picking up on what it is I am trying to convey to them, then I think that I am, in a sense, failing as a writer. On the other hand, when someone can pick up on exactly what it is I am trying to tell them in a piece of my work, then I feel that I have succeeded in my assignment or whatever the task at hand is at that time. In my honest opinion, making sure the reader
I have tremendously improved as a writer during the time spent in this class. Composition one has taught me many lessons that will benefit me down the road. I have learned how to become a better writer, and I have learned many different tips to make my work the best it can be. During the months spent in composition one, I have written four essays. I struggled with some essays more than others, but I still made all of the deadlines. My best two essays are essay one and essay two.
The contents of this portfolio show the transitions in the revision process as I demonstrate growth. There are four papers I wrote this semester, the original and the revised one that I improved according to the instruction and feedback I received over the course of the semester. From unit one to unit four, there is a significant improve in my writing. With the feedback of each paper, I realized which areas I needed to improve and do better on the next paper. The help from writing lab also made me a better writer, but there still much more I need to improve because I am not a strong writer like my fellow classmates. The portfolio also contains artifacts that I perceive as exemplifying my development as a writer. These are my revision memos of the four papers I wrote and revised, plus a selection from my essay that I believe exemplifies my development as a writer. The last part of the portfolio is the Hupomnemata, which contains my in class writing assignments throughout this semester.
I’ve done multiple academic writing throughout high school and couple more years in college. Half of all the writing I’ve done in high school has been in my native language; Amharic.
You are wondering what makes me a dazzling writer, but I would like to think that my writings are close to average. It is not that I don’t enjoy writing, but my pieces have never had that “WOW,” factor I would like them to have. I enjoy writing because my mind is constantly running, so it helps slow it down. I’ve always learned to make sure you have an interesting start and finish to a paper, but I cannot find a hook sentence that will draw readers in. I tend to stick with the basics of writing what you will be explaining in the future writing. That is not enjoyable for the audience or the author. I see myself writing for enjoyment and for upcoming assignments in the future. I did not get a chance to do much writing over this previous summer
Creative Writing is something that everyone is capable of. And we can all improve our creative writing - and our enjoyment of it - in a great number of ways.
I want to become a writer when I was a small girl. I have learned that if I want to turn the writer, I need the qualities such as observation, patience, discipline and the love of writing. First of all, I have to observe everything in my own life then notice all of them carefully because it is helpful materials I can use later. Furthermore, it is necessary to read and re-read to see how the authors develop, arrange their problems that is another essential form of observation. Secondly, I need to learn how to be patient in any time as writing is not easy stuff. There are some days you will see the end is so far away as well as you realize that the worst things with the writer are a empty word. Just keep patience and writing! To write anything