Reflection

My understanding of writing coming into ENG 101 was thinking that there is only one style of writing and no others. All writing in the past, in High school, teachers would want you to only write one way and didn’t let you explore other ways. I saw it as a process where each teacher wanted you to write with their personal style of writing. However, as I got more into ENG 101 I learned many different writing techniques, such as writing with creativity, voice, and audience, and also learning to write without an outline. To me, it became clear that writing is a process of exploration, where ideas evolve through drafts and revisions, and can be an effective tool for persuasion, reflection, and self-expression. 

The biggest shift was recognizing that writing involves engaging the reader emotionally and intellectually, requiring a deeper connection to both the subject and the audience. Exposure to different writing styles, genres, and techniques challenged my narrow view, and peer feedback and critiques provided new perspectives. The process of revising drafts and receiving constructive criticism helped me realize that writing is never truly "finished" but is about continuous improvement and refining the message. For me, the hardest part was overcoming the idea that writing was only about following the rules, and the word count made it so much more stressful than it should be. I feel like I kept adding unnecessary words “wasted words” and had to revise even more.

Throughout English 101 I have significantly developed my capabilities to write more concisely and learn different rhetorical devices. At the start of the class, especially when I was writing my first essay which was a rhetorical analysis essay, I chose to write the essay based on the article “ASU cannot pick and Choose Who Gets To Speak” because I was a new student in ASU so it seemed interesting. In this essay specifically, I had to analyze all the rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, pathos, telos, and kairos. I had very basic writing and didn’t have a broad understanding of the devices. However, I was very engaged and went to a lot of office hours my teacher conducted so that I could get more feedback and help to try to understand the concept. It was my first time writing in APA format. The assignment with the outline helped me drastically because after I did the outline everything else seemed connect easily. Another reason I improved was because of the revisions and feedback I got from my peers. With everyone's willingness to help me, I wrote my essay to the best of my abilities and learned to conduct an analysis essay. Writing project one helped me understand that rhetorical appeals are important in argumentative essays. This essay required formal language, well-structured paragraphs, and a clear thesis. 

Moreover, in ENG 101, for writing project two I had to write a food memoir. This writing conducted a personal narrative memoir where I learned to create vivid descriptions and detail in my writing. Feedback from peers and the instructor allowed me to further revise and improve my writing. I struggled not knowing how I would connect them, or how I would organize my thoughts because for this essay I did not get an outline. All I got was a few example articles. For me “DQ 2.2: Drafting Dialogue and Description” was a very helpful assignment because whenever I was lost I would look back to one of the articles and know again where to start. In my food memoir, I wrote about a heartwarming moment with my best friend who got married and how we are older now and separating. I talked about how Chuchvara was my best friend, the first food we ate and the last food we ate together before she got married and lived in Ohio. When I was super lost I met with my professor and she told me how I should connect the food with the moment and it's mainly about writing a story in detail. Creativity and Metacognition were two Habits of Mind that were crucial to my skill development during writing project two. I found myself being creative about the way to describe and give descriptions in my essay and how to use words to make the audience feel emotions, leading me to explore different perspectives in my writing. The Habit of Metacognition helped me become more strategic in applying patterns for different genres, such as the personal narrative format. 

Then in writing project three, when I had to do interviews and observations for a profile, this was the hardest essay I've ever written but this essay helped me refine my critical thinking skills by requiring me to evaluate sources and synthesize information, leading to more thoughtful, evidence-based writing. The Research Proposal and the Profile Essay both required extensive exploration and investigation, which concentrated on research skills and critical thinking. My ability to plan and manage a research process was strengthened by the proposal, which required me to identify important issues, possible sources, and ethical considerations. Both observational and interview-based research was necessary for the profile essay, which made me evaluate the data acquired, consider cultural differences critically, and question my assumptions about the group I was researching. I was surprisingly very successful in collecting information for my research. The research plan DQ 3.2 taught me how to make a plan for the research and I was able to fully prepare for success in researching. For the writing project three, Habits of Mind that was most important to my success in this course was engagement and persistence. I was very engaged with my subject which motivated me to research for my profile. In this essay, I was very persistent as I wanted to improve my writing skills and learn more. I gained knowledge about the complex nature of identity and the role language plays in how individuals express who they are in various cultural situations via interviews, observations, and introspection. 

My understanding of writing has gradually developed with each paper I have written. I can now take a prompt and efficiently organize my ideas. One skill in writing that needs to be further developed is my persuasiveness and analysis. In ENG 102 I hope to have the chance to write more analytical and persuasive papers as I believe with more practice I can definitely improve. These writing skills easily transfer to multiple areas of study, especially mine in nursing. In college, as I take a lot of science classes I will be able to tailor my writing to fit the standard for lab reports. As well as when interacting with patients, knowing the right tone and organization of words will allow me to better communicate important information to both the patient and my coworkers.

My ultimate writing goal is to be able to analytically access and fully understand the meaning behind any piece of work I am handed. I want to be able to accurately portray a message and properly structure my grammar in all essays. In preparing for ENG 102 I am planning to read and analyze texts and poems so that I will be able to compare and more in detail describe their effects and styles. These writing skills will positively impact my personal life by allowing me to embrace the writing process and advance my critical thinking. The work I’ve done in ENG has established my credibility as a writer through the 4 papers I have written. These four papers are diverse enough that in the future I will be able to adapt any writing style to be a successful writer.