Dylan Greenstein
Self-Reflection Writing Assignment
This has been an interesting and challenging class and it has definitely enhanced me as a writer and someone who understands different types and genres of writing.
Firstly, I realized that I have a lot to learn when it comes to writing in different styles for an audience that is not just a teacher or peer. I found out that one of my strengths is that when I feel connected to a topic, I provide a lot of detail and information about it in my writing. I also learned that I can work on a collaborative writing project (I’ve never done something exactly like that before) and I actually enjoy the process of different people working together to figure out how to apply our ideas and strengths.
In terms of weaknesses, I looked back over several of my assignments, and I can see that when I do not feel confident about the topic or what exactly the assignment is, I don’t always develop my ideas in writing. What I mean by that is, that the ideas seem clear in my head, but when I see comments or ask someone to read my work, they usually ask for more information to explain an idea that I presented. For example, in my Memo assignment, I realize I did not provide enough detail about the security procedures I would fight for if I could speak Dr. Boudreau. Even though I could have given more details, the Memo was my favorite assignment because it allowed me to be creative and solve problems and put that in writing. My least favorite piece was the Rhetorical Analysis. I think that was because I did not completely understand that genre of writing and I did not like the topic that I, myself, chose.
As an overall assessment of myself, I would say that my writing is not bad, but not the best. I think that I organize my ideas well. I believe that I connect concepts and my writing makes sense. I know I need to improve my details as well as the technical parts of writing, like good grammar and not letting my sentences get too long. I also need to focus on the details of what is required in each different genre. For example, I did not follow all the specific instructions for writing the Rhetorical Analysis or the Technical Description, and when I read the comments, I realized how much better my papers could have been if I did. I will pay more attention to those type of requirements in the future because I want my writing to say that I smart, creative, and thoughtful. Right now I think my writing shows that I have good ideas, but I need to present them as professionally as possible to be taken seriously. To me that means better grammar, no spelling mistakes, and writing that answers the specific question or follows the exact format.
I definitely learned a lot about writing from this course. My writing is more focused and I feel comfortable in many different formats. That is because we learned about formatting, plagiarism, technical structures of papers, and being more topical. I knew about some of these topics before, but now that we have reviewed the details and practiced writing with these concepts in mind, my style has changed for the better. Now I think about how to set up my papers in a clear, clean format depending on the genre. Now I know how to organize images and text while not “accidentally” taking credit for someone else’s ideas or images. These were parts of writing that I did not think about before and I will use in the future as well.
One way I can improve my work, even after this class, is to focus on my habits and process. Usually, when I have a writing assignment, I read it a few times, stare at a blank wall, try to gather my thoughts, re-read the assignment a few more times, try to make an outline or some notes, then I start writing. Sometimes this works, and I can write for a while. But sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about everything I must be missing and how the assignment seems bigger than what I am doing and I hit a wall. I also see that when I do get overwhelmed, I leave out points that I wanted to make, which is a problem. So, obviously, my “process” could be a bit better.
I think a technique I can work on is making a better outline before I start, that follows the guidelines of the assignment. For example, when writing this self-assessment, I re-read all the specific questions and tried to write a few notes as I thought about each point I was supposed to consider. That pushed me to go back and review assignments and professor comments, and as I looked through those, the information that I wanted to include became clear. Therefore, it was much easier to write this self-assessment than other papers, which I did not make a good outline for.
I also understand that I need to keep myself organized through the entire writing process. So the outline format works for me, but one technique that I do not like is brainstorming, which I realize is mostly used when collaborating, but still, it doesn’t work for me. I do not like throwing out a bunch of ideas and jumping from point to point. I like to focus on a concept, think it through, then move on to the next idea. I guess that means I am a linear thinker, and I am okay with that.
My performance in the course was greatly improved when I worked with others. Collaborating with my classmates on Discord was one of my favorite activities because it allowed us to work together to figure out our strengths and produce the best work. We discussed picking a topic, addressing a problem, research jobs, and organizing the paper. I got to develop and write the objective and it was great to do that as part of a team and get feedback that made the whole final product better. I also had the opportunity to speak with Professor Delamare after class a few times, which helped clarify certain assignments for me, and I learned a lot from the professor’s specific comments and feedback on my papers. Finally, although I did not visit the Writing Center, I had it drilled into me from a high-school English teacher that it always helps to have someone else read your work. I was able to exchange some papers with a friend from high-school who is in a different college, in a totally different type of class. We edited each other’s work and she caught some of my technical and spelling mistakes, and I did the same for her. I realize I would probably benefit from a lot more editing, so I will try to use the Writing Center more in the future.
Overall, this class forced me to think about different styles of writing, different types of goals to achieve with writing, and different readers. I have improved somewhat, but this class makes me want to get much better as a writer, to write clearly and with good detail, so that I can convince people of my own concepts and ideas as I grow and one day become a professional.
