Writing Reflections
Goal 1: Find the right balance between casual and formal writing
I will make sure to analyze the type of writing evident in our class material in order to gauge how formal I should write. For example, in an essay I wrote about the relationship between democracy and tyranny, I compared our government to a three-legged stool. Yes, it got the message across, but it contrasted poorly against the dense text around it. I am so used to writing casually that I forget to separate casual and formal writing. In order to improve this, I need to analyze the sources and evidence that will be used within the writing piece and formulate my writing around that, not the other way around. After I analyze and understand the text at hand, I will try to mimic the tone of the piece when formulating a written piece around said issue.
Goal 2: Use more evidence
I will make sure to provide an adequate amount of evidence to my papers to strengthen my ideas and explain the content at hand.
I’ve always had trouble finding space to put evidence into my work. Sometimes I get so caught up with what I want to say that I forget that people want to see how I came upon certain opinions. I started to improve in this area during my essay on democracy and tyranny, and I think I found a method that works. If, before I start writing anything, I just copy down the quotes I think will be useful, and then frame paragraphs around them, I am much more likely to use adequate evidence. I am pretty confident this method will help me because, after implementing it into the previously stated essay, I got a 100% in the “paragraph organization” column, and was complimented on my use of evidence.
Goal 3: Fully Divulge Points
I will make sure that I completely explain all points I make.
I commonly find myself under the minimum word limit. I’m too concise; I say what’s necessary, but don’t bother to add in little things like transitions and general commodities to fill out my writing piece. For example, when I was writing my college essay, I wrote the first paragraph and thought, “I could be done now.” I had answered the prompt and given evidence to support my ideas, so what more was there to add? As I went through the peer editing process, I learned the value of adding details. In this case, it personalized my story, and made my application seem more like a person and less like a number.
For example, my second sentence in the first draft stated. “I first smelled that hospital scent in the first grade, after an unsuccessful playground challeng.” After I decided I should fill out my essay more, it now reads, “My first memory of that hospital scent was in first grade, when I ended up in a sterile room with blood gushing from the newly-bitten hole in my lip onto my white shirt.” See the difference? In this case, implementing more details helped personalize my application and stand out from the crowd.
I can improve this skill by not basing my projects off of a rubric, but base it off of what I want it to represent. By thinking in that way, it will help me look at the project from a larger point of view on what I want to create, not what requirements I need to meet.
I will make sure to analyze the type of writing evident in our class material in order to gauge how formal I should write. For example, in an essay I wrote about the relationship between democracy and tyranny, I compared our government to a three-legged stool. Yes, it got the message across, but it contrasted poorly against the dense text around it. I am so used to writing casually that I forget to separate casual and formal writing. In order to improve this, I need to analyze the sources and evidence that will be used within the writing piece and formulate my writing around that, not the other way around. After I analyze and understand the text at hand, I will try to mimic the tone of the piece when formulating a written piece around said issue.
Goal 2: Use more evidence
I will make sure to provide an adequate amount of evidence to my papers to strengthen my ideas and explain the content at hand.
I’ve always had trouble finding space to put evidence into my work. Sometimes I get so caught up with what I want to say that I forget that people want to see how I came upon certain opinions. I started to improve in this area during my essay on democracy and tyranny, and I think I found a method that works. If, before I start writing anything, I just copy down the quotes I think will be useful, and then frame paragraphs around them, I am much more likely to use adequate evidence. I am pretty confident this method will help me because, after implementing it into the previously stated essay, I got a 100% in the “paragraph organization” column, and was complimented on my use of evidence.
Goal 3: Fully Divulge Points
I will make sure that I completely explain all points I make.
I commonly find myself under the minimum word limit. I’m too concise; I say what’s necessary, but don’t bother to add in little things like transitions and general commodities to fill out my writing piece. For example, when I was writing my college essay, I wrote the first paragraph and thought, “I could be done now.” I had answered the prompt and given evidence to support my ideas, so what more was there to add? As I went through the peer editing process, I learned the value of adding details. In this case, it personalized my story, and made my application seem more like a person and less like a number.
For example, my second sentence in the first draft stated. “I first smelled that hospital scent in the first grade, after an unsuccessful playground challeng.” After I decided I should fill out my essay more, it now reads, “My first memory of that hospital scent was in first grade, when I ended up in a sterile room with blood gushing from the newly-bitten hole in my lip onto my white shirt.” See the difference? In this case, implementing more details helped personalize my application and stand out from the crowd.
I can improve this skill by not basing my projects off of a rubric, but base it off of what I want it to represent. By thinking in that way, it will help me look at the project from a larger point of view on what I want to create, not what requirements I need to meet.