Write A Reflective Essay

For as long as I can remember I have always struggled with writing especially essays. I am not sure if it is my lack of imagination or my lack of knowledge with writing basics but writing has definitely been a struggle for me. When I entered this class I became very nervous right away to learn that I was going to have to write in this class. Could I be successful in this class? Would I have any idea what I was doing? Although, I was nervous and had many fears, as soon as we jumped into week two things seemed to flow and my fears seemed to subside. This class was setup in a way that helped the student be successful. The key to my success was to not fear the essay but to break it apart and do it in pieces (the way the course was set up). The research paper was very beneficial in teaching me the sections of a research essay that can be carried over into other writing areas.

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.

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.

As you get older in life things that you used to love to do when you were little you don’t do anymore. Such as, play with Barbie dolls, or play house, or even play dress up. Well that is not the case in writing. Writing has traveled with me my whole life. Writing was always my favorite thing to do, not only in school but at home during my free time. In school writing was the time of day that I looked forward too, not recess, or physical education. Shocker, right? Writing can change people’s life without them even noticing. I know that because it happened to me. I didn’t realize until I was way older that writing not only has it impacted me, but also, I can impact others by what I have done in my writing.

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

I can remember waving goodbye to my parents in the Abner’s parking lot after I had completed the dreadful day of moving into my dorm. Since I am in the FastTrack Program, I was able to move in two days earlier before the real madness started. I can remember complaining to my mother about having to retake Writing 101 my first semester because I had already done that in high school and I thought it was pointless, but I was extremely wrong. Throughout this year writing has taught me more about life than just throwing some words on a piece of paper and hoping for a decent grade.

Writing for me has always been a difficult and daunting task. I always found myself asking, “Why is this required?” “How is this helping me and preparing me for my future?” “What’s the point?” However, at the completion of my writing 122 course I have come to realize how important writing is for my future. Writing is way more complex than I ever thought of it to be. I have had to ditch my old high school habits and establish new techniques that have made writing much more enjoyable and less stressful. Some may think that taking a writing course is not necessary for your future and shouldn’t be considered a “requirement” to graduate. You go through your whole life needing writing skills. No matter what profession. You will learn so many great life skills that will not only help you through this course, but the rest of your college career and life. I went into this course with little confidence in my writing ability, but that gave me motivation and a feeling of purpose for being in this course. Writing should be considered as more than just a requirement due to the fact that it is found in everyday life. The skills you learn in a college level course, such as how to properly go about doing research and annotating articles, will make writing feel less like a dreadful assignment.

“Perfectionism instills fears that you will never live up to a standard set in your mind or one that’s been set for you by others” (Rosenfeld, 2015). This quote accurately describes my relationship with writing. A significant part of my fears and apprehensions about writing relate to creating that perfect paper. I consume too much time judging if what I have written is good enough for the reader, as well as for myself based on my standards. It is important that I recognize how the value in expressing my ideas in writing could potentially influence others viewpoints. Thus, awarding me the ability to create something I can admire as well. While I do not have difficulty in the writing required in my career, ultimately the goal is to become more excited about the prospect of essay writing. However, stepping outside of my comfort zone in my writing causes an increase in my anxiety due to my expectations of what perfect writing should be.

“Writing an essay is not hard! I am so good at it.” This is a common thing that I used to say, and even believe. In the past, I had never felt the need to thoroughly revise my essays before. In all my past essays, I would work hard on my first draft and then just turn the essay in. I never spent too much time re-evaluating my writing decisions before turning it in. This process had worked well for me in the past, because each essay I turned it would be an easy “A”. When I signed up for EN100 I figured that it would be just like the other easy English class that I have taken. I assumed that I would work on an essay, turn it in, and then earn an A on it, but this was not the case. When I signed up for EN100 I figured that I could continue my previous essay writing methods, but that was quickly disproven. When I received my first graded essay, I was unsure why I earned anything but an “A” on it. It soon became clear to me that I was going to be required to change the way I formerly wrote my essays and spend more time with correcting them.

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.

On June twelfth, I started a journey of enlightenment I didn’t realize I needed. I had signed up for this class purely to graduate college. I didn’t care about my writing ability, or lack thereof it. But, very quickly I realized something; I needed to better my writing ability. My whole educational career I had skated on by with the bare minimum amount of work; I very rarely took pride in my writing, nor did I feel it necessary to better myself. As this summer semester progressed though, there was a quickly developing realization that I was afraid, and also lacked general knowledge, of proper punctuation. You forced me to challenge myself and become a better writer, and while in the moment I hated you for that; I truly am thankful that I am leaving college with confidence in writing for the first time in my life.

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.

As I began high school I decided to try my luck in the world of fantastic world of coding. My childhood writing experience had been in havoc for many years, as my mind had difficulty with anything that was not extremely systematic, consistently failing in matters of writing and history whilst exceling in mathematics and sciences. Going into high school I knew my strengths, and I most certainly knew my weaknesses. Computer science classes seemed like a stable route for me as I had heard of its systematic nature, for shame upon whoever told me that. As I began taking classes in C++ and Java in my freshman and sophomore years of high school, the enjoyable chaos that was computer science helped broaden my non-systematic abilities, consistently having to go out of my way to find round about ways to solve problems. By my junior and senior of high school, I had seemingly conquered the mentality needed to be a computer scientist, having won prizes for my code for my robotics team two years in a row. Via the outlet of coding I have added to my general literacy both in the forms of coding, as well as in the general sense of writing.

Good writing is a major point of importance when it comes to making understandable and legible writing. You may not realize it, but writers everywhere use good writing techniques and good writing concepts that separate their writing from all of the others. For example, writers don’t use boring words because the reader would get bored of the information way too quick. The writer also switches up the length of their sentences so that the reader does not feel like they are reading the same sentence over and over again. Many writers write with a specific audience in mind; meaning, they are trying to target specific people to read what they are saying. Every time I write I try to put myself in the readers shoes and ask myself these questions. Is this information boring? And, Could you do a better job of making it more interesting? I have learned a lot this semester and want to continue learning.

We got to know each other, exchanged some personal information and made friends. We also accepted idea of others, and took the responsibility to work for the success of the assignment. In addition, the members mastered the process of personal development and the group. We made the decision and completed the assignment. However, we did not have the conflict in making decision between us. Each other gave the ideas and after that we voted for the idea we like. We would follow the idea had the most agreement and no one was discontent and unhappy about that. I think each member in our group might lack own stance. Therefore, it is quite easy for us to put the idea together and make