Final Questions

1. 1. One of the things that was most helpful to me this semester was the workshop groups. I never really revised before this class and so I didn’t really know how to or what to fix. The workshop groups helped me to understand the importance of revision, to see ways to improve my essays, and to get help in areas I was stuck on. Another helpful thin was the blogs, they helped me to be more comfortable writing quickly and letting others read my pieces. At first I really did not like posting, but now I like it a little. I now enjoy reading essays and even writing them ( a little).

2. 2.To continue this development I am going to need to keep finding essays to read. I think by reading other people’s work you become a better writer yourself. It opens your eyes to different ways of writing and thinking. So, I will have to continue that. Also, I should keep writing. Even if it is just in my journal for myself. The only way to improve your writing skills is to keep on writing.

3. 3. From the reading this semester I learned about a whole new type of writing that I did not know about before. I learned that if you write about something with an interest and a reason behind writing it, the piece will be better. I learned you can make any structure and any topic work. One of my favorite essays was “Contributor’s Note” by Martone. I really enjoyed the way he wrote about himself in a new perspective, it was really original. I also really appreciated the humor he added. The essays that were humorous were always more enjoyable for me. It taught me that it is good to step outside of the box and try new styles.

4. 4.My writing process is to think a lot but not write anything down at first. Then write down the basics and get the organization right. I go back through and add in details, research, and such. Then revise, revise, revise. It works for me because if I don’t write everything down while I am thinking about it, I will forget. So I get my ideas down then go back and refine it to make it better and more meaningful. I could improve it by maybe having a more structured approach to writing.

5. 5. The blog has been beneficial to me because it has made me write every week. I don’t really enjoy writing that much, it kind of stresses me out. So the blog made me less stressed about it and just made me write. I found over time on the blog that the posts where I just wrote and didn’t worry about being perfect came out so much better than the posts that I fretted about for a long time. I guess you could say it boosted my confidence a little. Definitely put me outside of my comfort zone.

6. 6.My favorite assignment for this semester was the ruminative essay. I felt like this essay was the easiest to write once I got going. I was overwhelmed by the length requirement at first, but once I got into the groove of writing the ideas just kept coming. And the length came just fine. I had never written an essay like this one before and it was a fun, new experience. I felt like it showed how much I have grown over this semester. Again, it was another good confidence booster.

7. 7.My favorite (and least favorite) part of this class was the workshops. I’ve said it before, but I never revised before this class and never really felt like a good writer. So the first workshop was really stressful and scary for me, I was worried what all these other great writers would say about my work. But I found it really helpful to hear what others thought and how I could improve my essays. By our last workshop I enjoyed them, but was still worried about what everyone would say. So I love and hate workshops. Mostly hate, but I know they are really beneficial.

8. 8.The final portfolio is helping me to see that I have grown a lot over the semester. Looking at my first essay and blog post to my last essay and later blog posts, my writing has improved a lot. I have become more comfortable sharing my thoughts and expressing them in a well-written manner. It has been fun to read through everything while putting it all together. I think it will also be really neat to be able to look back at all the things I wrote when I was a freshman in college.

9. 9. Submitting my writing to a public audience is beneficial because it makes you more conscious about what exactly you are writing. I think a lot more about what I am trying to say if it is going to be read by the public. It is not beneficial because it makes me stressed out and I over analyze every word I write. But overall, I guess it is a good thing.

10. 10. If I were to take this class I would change how long some of the readings were. I am not a super lover of reading, so most of the time I just read the essays we were assigned to get them done so I could write a 3. When I didn’t feel like there was SO much to read I could enjoy the pieces a lot more. This is probably just an attitude thing that I should change, but it is the only criticism ti could think of. I would want to keep everything else!

11. 11. I think the thing that I learned in this class that will help me in other situations was the revision process and all the different revision practices that we did during class. Revision is a big key to my writing being good. So I can apply that to all of the papers that I will have to write throughout the rest of school. I also learned that writing can be enjoyable and not stressful, which might come in handy someday when I need a hobby or something.

12. 12.For me, good writing is engaging and has something to say. I think that is the most important factor of good writing. If the author is just writing with no point or interest it is so boring and just fluff. Also, it should be clear, organized, relevant, grammatically correct, imagery, and humor. Basically all of the things we’ve read this semester have most of these characteristics along with other things that make them good. I can contribute to this good writing by continuing to write for me and writing well. By making sure every paper I write is written well.

13. 13.I really enjoyed this class, even though it made me really frustrated a lot of times. I felt pretty inadequate at first but throughout the semester I figured out that I need to stop comparing myself and just write. Not that I did that all the time but I tried. So there you go. I really liked this class and will miss it!

Lilly Pyle