Reflection Two

My English 101 Journey Continues

This class has challenged me both academically, and as a writer. The different invention assignments, the videos of key terms, and group discussions have helped me grow significantly. I have enjoyed getting to talk with, and hear feedback from my peers. This class has also allowed me to explore different ways to be creative with my writing assignments in fashions I haven’t tried before. I have especially benefitted from getting to work with a writing mentor. The feedback I received was extremely helpful.

The way I approach writing has definitely changed since starting this class. I don’t feel as anxious to start a paper anymore. I know that it’s okay to make mistakes in the beginning of the writing process, and have really learned the importance of a first draft, and the whole rough draft, and brainstorming in general. It's important to get all of your thoughts and ideas out on paper, or some physical form to look at. During project one, I utilized my composition book to take notes from chapters 13, and 17 of the McGraw Hill Guide Writing for College, and Life Fifth Edition on how to organize my drafts, and how to begin the writing for my assignment. Pictured below are pictures from my notebook of my notes from the chapters, and how I started brainstorming, and began my draft.

While reading my first draft, I feel that one will notice a significant difference from the final product. After careful consideration of the very insightful feedback from my peer, professor, and writing mentor, I was able to make the changes necessary to my writing. Comparing and contrasting the images below, one can clearly view a significant amount of growth from the first passage to the second. This is heavily due to the feedback I received. There were certain parts of feedback that I felt were unclear, and certain parts that I frankly disagreed with, but I still put forth an effort to edit and revise as much as possible, to ensure clarity in my writing. The passage in figure three is more concise, clear, and provides better information delivered with better sentence structure. There is also a clear formatting difference in my essay as a whole. The font sizes, and style were changed, the pictures were added, and arranged in a different manner that I believe benefited the flow of the essay.

As the class progresses, I hope to further expand my writing skills, and continue working as hard as I have been. This is a very content-heavy course, and one must be an extremely dedicated individual to succeed, which I plan to continue doing. In the time to come, to continue succeeding in this class, I definitely need to take more advantage of the resources provided that are available for me to utilize. Taking up the opportunity to work with my writing mentor whenever it is offered, participating in ASU’s tutoring programs, and seeking out advice from peers on a more frequent basis would be beneficial to me as a writer who is seeking to better my skills.

I’m excited to read more of the Mcgraw Hill book in this course to expand my knowledge, especially on the more technical aspects of writing. I was never particularly interested in learning about the proper techniques of writing, I’ve always been good at winging it, and getting by with as little effort as possible. I’m no longer interested in taking shortcuts. I know that good results require effort, and being lazy is not something I would like to be known for. Focusing in on the book, and terms reviewed in videos is extremely helpful, and as the course continues, I will need to read and review all of the resources that I’m provided with.

Starting the second project is very exciting to me! I’m looking forward to brainstorming, and continuing my work. Admittedly, I’m a bit nervous about the interview aspect of the assignment. Approaching my subject, and explaining that I have done an analysis of their social media account is sure to come off a little strange. I’m hopeful that the person I have chosen will be understanding, and not thrown off by it. I am also not particularly a “people person”. I know that I am slightly awkward, and that the interview will undoubtedly be a little uncomfortable. I’m hoping that with my candidate being a yoga studio owner will bring the “zen”, and make the interview as painless as possible.