Who am I as a writer? I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I do know what type of writer I aspire to become. It was not until I reached college that I noticed how shitty my writing can be. My first two semesters in college has allowed me to recognize my weakness and strengths as a writer. Every semester I have learned new writing skills. Most importantly I have learned so much about myself.
During my high school years I notice that my writing did not exceed as I would hope. Which has bother me since forever. I have been able to recognize how important writing is and the significance it holds. Writing numerous of papers throughout high school I notice that my poorest writing were on topics in which I had little to no interest on. Throughout high school I took advanced placement literature and although it was advanced placement, it was not as challenging as it should’ve been. Although I pass the class with a 90, I did not score well on the test. Taking the test I notice that I think too much about what I’m writing in the sense that it’s a loop of thoughts. I don’t seem to be able to find a correct sequence for them. I understand there is a correlation between writing and reading. Which makes sense, since my writing and reading skills are about the same level. I capable of reading for a long period of time but I don’t dedicate myself to putting in reading time.
As a writer I believe that I have come a long way. I still have a long way to go. I know that writing is not my strongest skill yet I have been able to pull through with my writing. I am capable of a decent grade but I lack the assets that could make me a better writer. Throughout this semester I hoped to accomplish a lot. As I began this course I hoped to receive constructive criticism that will allow me to understand what specific parts of my writing I struggle with the most. I also hope to organize my thoughts so they could flow better. I struggle with organizing my thoughts. I could have a topic sentence and explain the main point. Then I would get confused and not be sure how to tie my thoughts together. As I mentioned before, I believe there’s a correlation between writing and reading. Which explains why my writing and reading skills are about the same level. I have always enjoy reading a book that capture my full attention but I struggle to go beyond those and challenge myself once in a while. This course has not only allowed me to recognize my strengths and weakness but also expanded my reading skills. Reading the NYT and reflecting on an article has influenced my writing as well. I would read an article and pick up on writing skills. Sometimes author would use simplicity to identify their audience and get their point across. Other time they would us a complex structure with high vocabulary to attract a specific audience.
I was extremely excited to start writing for the sciences. I thought to myself I can finally write about what interest me the most. My expectations were very different from my reality. I was upset when I wrote my first essay and received a 73. I strongly felt that I deserve a better grade. However I read over my professors comments and realized a lot I had missed out on. During this course we had peer-review and a reflection for every essay we wrote. This has help me a lot. I know where to look for mistakes. The reflections allows me to be honest with myself. I can reflect and clearly understand why I receive the grade I did. Peer-review use to scare me so much. I was terrified of peer-review. I hated when I had to hand my paper to my classmates. This course introduced peer-review as part of our writing process for every essay we wrote. The first time I was really uncomfortable and hope it would be the last time I had to do that. It was not. We did for every essay. I became more comfortable sharing my essay with others.
My favorite essay in this class is the technical description essay. I received a decent grade. However I enjoyed writing this essay the most. I’m not sure exactly why. I know the process had distractions but I enjoyed every part of it. I enjoyed writing for an audience that was so knowledgeable with science but I made my essay simple. It was not a complex that would include searching up words or research cases. It was an essay that allow those who find interest on science to read a fun paper. During this semester I have learned many writing skills. Many that I still have to work on. Some that I have been able to improve. For example, introducing my paper’s audience. I have notice how important it is to identify a paper’s audience.
My writing process includes a lot of writing and distractions. I will never write an essay before 8pm. I always have to begin my thinking process at night and begin at night time. I usually take a day or two to write everything I believe is relevant. Then I will go over my writing and make adjustments. I have notice that my writing process has a pretty strong outline but I have to work on my procrastination. I can identify my strengths but I am also capable of pointing out weakness.
Click away to find out who I am as a writer.
