After the last ten weeks, I feel that I have made some great growth as a writer. My primary issue before was lacking any enthusiasm about some of the things we had to write about, and I certainly didn't encounter that over the course of the quarter. I quite enjoyed writing and developing both essays, and I think that that is real step towards me gaining a true grasp on writing.
In terms of general writing improvement, it really needs to be mentioned how great a writing tool that I found the book "They Say, I Say" to be. It has given me a greater understanding of writing in an academic setting, and given me awareness of "entering the conversation". Not only that, it's given me pointers on different aspects of writing and how to really add to and improve upon my essays in ways that I hadn't even considered before, such as making sure to make a statement for the reader to get "why it matters".
With the focus on blogging and identity in blogging over the course of the quarter, I have a much easier time now finding and pinpointing identity in writing, especially my own. Specifically regarding blogs and blog posts, identity can be found literally anywhere, whether it is the writing itself or elements of the blog overall. In fact, this class has partly inspired me into creating my own topic-driven blog, and due to this class I am completely aware of every way that I present identity through my blog. Before I wouldn't have really thought about it. And then through the analysis of my own blog posts, I have recognized that while my academic-centered writing can be kind of dry (it is academic after all) I can be open and relatable to my readers. Prior, that is something I would have never known or noticed.
Overall, there is a lot that I will be taking out of this class and I really can't wait to see how I can use and apply what have learned here in the future.
Glad to see that you learned a lot and that TS/IS was a good book for you to get ideas and examples from. :)
ReplyDeleteI can see how important purpose and relevance is to you. It is that you care about what you are writing about, and just as importantly, that you let your readers know why it is important too!
I never know who will like the theme for the quarter, and suspect there will be some who just aren't into it. I am glad to hear that you felt an investment in the ideas we working on, especially since it is important to you that you care about your topic.
Now that you are armed with this knowledge about yourself, I hope you can find ways to engage with your other classes in ways that are meaningful to you. Finding ways to connect with the readings or asking for options on an essay topic will be strategies that will honor your own writing process.
I enjoyed watching you evolve as a writer this quarter and learned a great deal from your thoughtful comments, especially during readers reviews and essay evaluation activities.