Another type of early writing I did was journal keeping. I got my first diary, complete with lock and key, when I was in 3^rd or 4^th grade. I was obsessed with writing in it and my little brother was obsessed with trying to break into it. By the time I was in my thirties, I had amassed boxes full of books that I had filled with my life’s story. Then in 2005, Hurricane Katrina took them all away. I have not kept a journal or done much writing since that event.

Some of the most important writing I have ever done is Resume writing. Having a great resume can mean the difference between getting an amazing job and a mediocre one. Sudden unexpected occurrences in my life forced me to look for a job after being a stay-at-home mom for 7 years. As a high school drop out with no degree other than a GED, there was a lot riding on getting my resume just right! I would like to share one section from that resume with you:

Betty Jane was my daughter. She lived with a rare, fatal disease her whole, short life. When she succumbed to her illness, I was heartbroken, but had to act immediately to replace the small wage I earned from The State of California for being her care provider. With three older children I was in a panic! It was critical that I find a way to take these life experiences and translate them into written word in a way that would make sense and be attractive to a hiring manager. I was able to include Betty Jane as my employer, eliminating the break in employment, and use the tasks I assisted her with to get a job working with post-surgical patients. I now work as a research scientist, but I will be forever grateful that my daughter gave me those experiences. She and my other children, now adults, are the reasons I am where I am today. Because of them I continue to strive to be my best.

As this class progresses, I am most excited to collaborate with other writers. I have never written collaboratively, but I look forward to the process. I expect that getting and giving constructive criticism, especially with a diverse group of people, is going to make us all better writers. I am excited to see the difference my colleague’s input will make in my work. I hope to gain new perspectives and can’t wait to start getting everyone’s feedback.

Another type of writing that I would like to try is Blogging. I think the reason I have not attempted it before now is that I have too many interests! I find it difficult to choose just one thing to focus on, perhaps that comes through in my writing? I often feel like I have too much I am trying to say and need to trim the fat. I like the idea of creating content in an accessible space and would want my blog to be interactive.

Someday I would love to write a book about my life. While writing about myself sounds rather conceited, I don’t think I am all that special, in fact I tend to be downright self-deprecating. However, If I look at my life objectively, I do see that I have accomplished a lot even though the cards were stacked against me. I think this undertaking would require a lot of soul searching and that feels a little scary, but cathartic at the same time. Somebody somewhere might read it and perhaps feel, dare I say, inspired. I can’t imagine a better outcome or reason for writing a book.

Reflecting on my past writing experiences, made me realize that I miss writing for fun and pleasure. Going forward I am going to attempt to set aside my hurricane induced trauma and put my whole heart into learning to be a better writer. I am going to start a personal journal (again). I think it’s long overdue in fact. Going to College and turning 50 feels like I am starting a new chapter in life. Why not write a new chapter in my journal? I look forward to sharing it with you, perhaps in the form of a blog one day.

2nd Reflection My Writing Journey Continues

Coming into this course I felt a good bit of trepidation. I used to write a lot. I journaled, wrote lots of letters, and even dabbled in poetry and song writing. Writing has long been a source of introspection for me, and in a way, a form of therapy. There is something cathartic about putting pencil to paper and letting the words flow. Imagination mingled with emotion, once written down, become concrete. Putting something in writing is leaving a little piece of yourself for someone else to inspect, judge, and hopefully, appreciate. It is vulnerable. Somewhere along the way I stopped writing. This course made me question whether I would be successful at something I used to enjoy but have not done in so long.

Letter written by me in 1983

Moving forward in this class I hope to get better at collaborative writing. I can already tell that receiving input from my peers and advisors is a great benefit. In project 1 we were instructed to write in a reader centered voice. I thought I was doing that, but my peers pointed out that I was using words like “I” and “me” too often. I look forward to more peer reviews and taking to heart revisions that make my writing better. With that in mind what I need most from my peers is thoughtful input. I hope that they would give me suggestions with the hope that they are helping me be more successful in my writing. As I mentioned before, I have been afraid of hurting people’s feelings, and I sometimes wonder if my peers feel the same way. It is not enough to pay each other compliments. We need to overcome our fear and offer constructive criticism. This is possibly the most important way we are going to be able to help each other grow as writers.

Another writing tactic that I plan on using in future projects is the 15-minute free write. I often find that when I first sit down to begin working on a new writing project, I feel stuck. Using the 15-minute free writing method was a game-changer. I found it very helpful to get the flow of information going. Once the words start flowing the rest of the paper seems to come together with ease. The fact that you are writing anything that comes to mind for a set amount of time yet are not committed to keeping all of it is very freeing. It is a jumping off point that gets you started. Before you know it, you will have constructed a foundation that you can build upon. Lastly, I think this method is not only helpful academically, but I can use it at work or in my personal life as well.

This course has reunited me with an old friend and just like with friends of the human variety, we seem to have picked up right where we left off. It’s as if no time has passed. The only difference is I have many more life experiences now and I hope to use them to my writing advantage.

3rd Reflection Understanding My Journey and Setting Furure Goals

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed writing. Sadly, I was not much of a scholar in my younger years. Aside from writing in the workplace, I haven’t developed my writing skills beyond journaling. I have not taken a formal English class since I was in high school in the 1980’s! Signing up for ENG101 at ASU, I was very nervous. I was worried about how my writing would be perceived and afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the class. But I have been pleasantly surprised at my growth and my abilities. What I have enjoyed most about ENG101 is realizing how much I love to write and how much I have missed it.

Heading into our 2^nd project, a profile, I felt those nerves again. Interviewing someone seemed foreign and scary. Since my subject preferred a telephone interview, I decided to download a phone call recording app. This is technology that is new to me. I tested it out ahead of time to make sure I knew how to operate it. Still, the whole time I was interviewing my subject, I was wondering what I would do if the recording didn’t come out? Luckily the app worked perfectly, and I ended up with more raw data than I could possibly include in my essay.

That was one of the biggest challenges while working on our 2^nd project. I had such a great subject, and the interview went so well, that I ended up with an hour and a half of audio. It was a lot of work going through all that material and deciding what to use and what to leave out.

ENG101 Project 2, Interview Audio with Kenneth Rexrode:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvtdT7Y6YTFzylZOkcnA_LAtDaon?e=J4isNO

Next, I had to figure out how to put it all together in a way that flowed and would make sense to my readers. Thankfully we got to provide and receive peer reviews, as well as receive feedback from instructors and writing mentors. I participated in the writing workshops offered for both projects and found them to be immensely helpful, especially in reorganizing the final draft of my profile.

Writing Workshop Feedback:

Words are a paintbrush you use to create a picture in the mind of the reader. There is something deeply satisfying about finding the right words to convey a precise message to your audience. I enjoy the process of stringing words together and have been told I have a flair for descriptive writing as evidenced by this Facebook exchange from 2010:

Another type of writing I partake in is scientific in nature. My job as a Senior Research Scientist requires me to keep a scientific notebook, to contribute to scientific publications, and write Standard Operating Procedures, also known as SOPs. Scientific writing is quite different from other types of writing because you are focusing on facts and not imagination. When I conduct an experiment, I am required to document each step in the process, right down do how many milliliters of a solution are used. I must be both detailed and precise so that my experiments can be replicated by anyone attempting to follow the steps from my notebook. If an experiment cannot be replicated it is considered a failure. I am including a link to a published study that I co-authored titled, “Tau Overexpression Exacerbates Neuropathology After Repeated Mild Head Impacts in Male Mice” as an example of my scientific writing.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31765727/

In the future I plan to fully embrace the writing process. Writing is challenging, but as a writer, that’s when I need to push through. I have learned some great techniques to help get past those writing blocks such as free writing and working for smaller periods of time. I have seen firsthand how taking a break from an essay and coming back to it with fresh eyes, can be very helpful.

I am proud of the writing I have done in this class. I have shared some of my heart and soul in each project. This sharing, at times, makes me feel exposed, as if I am opening my brain and letting others hear my thoughts and see my memories. I want to continue to push myself and to never write superficially. I hope to get more comfortable with that level of vulnerability as I grow in my writing.

These days many of the words I write are in the form of text messages and social media posts. I have experienced how easily a post, or a response to someone else’s post, can be mistaken as rude or hurtful. Participating in class discussion boards is not unlike interacting on social media. I appreciate the instruction we received to be mindful and warry of our tone, especially sarcasm, when interacting on discussion boards. Since taking ENG101, this is something I have paid more attention to in my correspondence on platforms such as Facebook and when texting friends.

Facebook and other social media platforms provide a stage to anyone who wants one. In fact, it’s more like a megaphone because your words are amplified. Once you put something out on the internet, anyone can take your words and share them over and over, even if you delete them. Some people use these platforms to spread negativity, from political divides and covid conspiracy theories to outright racism. The World Wide Web can be quite disheartening. I would like to be a voice of hope and positivity. I refuse to post divisive or negative content. While it is not my intent nor my responsibility to police people, I do feel a moral and social obligation to advocate for marginalized communities. I will speak out for the rights of people of color, reproductive autonomy, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people living with disabilities, to name a few. I intend to use written word to show that I am an ally and to call for equity in those communities that are lacking it.

In the workplace I will continue to do a lot of scientific writing. But there are plenty of opportunities for other types of text as well. There are self-evaluations, daily emails, and the occasional meeting minutes. I realize that people make assumptions about you based on what and/or how you write. Since taking ENG101 I have become more aware of being careful to use more professionalism, even in e-mails. I have had a habit of being short and getting straight to the point in my emails with colleagues. I will now pay more attention to including a greeting and a proper sign off as well as addressing colleagues by name and using their title when appropriate. I want what I write to represent me in the best light possible.

As I continue my writing journey, my goal is to create pieces that inspire and move people. I hope to write in such a way that my audience is transported into the landscapes I create. I would love to try my hand at more creative writing, perhaps in the form of short stories. I have also been feeling a pull towards poetry and recently discovered that in America we have a national Haiku Day. When I made this discovery, I was in the desert, and I felt inspired. I would like to end this reflection on a happy note, so I leave you with my attempt at a haiku: