Prior to beginning my journey of academic growth and development in 39B I thought myself to be a solid writer. Despite myself-assurances, I was weary of the rigor that a college level writing class may contain, so I began the class feeling prepared but also slightly fearful of the unknown. The content and structure of the class soon became clear after repeated clarification and assignments to reinforce student comprehension. Throughout my limited college experience I have also learned to value thoughtful professors, and I consider myself lucky to have gotten Professor Hanson for such an important class. I greatly appreciate her openness and detailed explanations to prepare her students for success. In taking 39B at the same time as some of my peers, they often came to me for the class slides or detailed critiques posted by Professor Hanson for major assignments in the class. Writing is a crucial, fundamental skill necessary for all aspects of life, and I can confidently say that I have emerged a stronger, more knowledgeable writer as a result of the guidance and advantageous process assignments (though I still have much to learn).
Crafting Drafts
To create drafts for large assignments my process differs according to the overall structure of the task, but for the most part my drafting process remains the same. First, I create a general thesis statement who’s content allows me to design a basic outline for my body paragraphs. Then, after deciding the general argument of each paragraph I gather quotes and evidence that will reinforce my arguments. I wrap my work by creating a conclusion that encompasses the overall message of the essay, while also introducing a new, thought provoking perspective to my position.
After completing a primary draft, I value constructive criticism offered to me by instructors because they expose flaws in my writing that I did not realize prior to receiving the critiques. The image above is displaying the very first draft of my general analysis essay. During my first attempt, I went off the preferences of my senior year AP literature teacher instead of paying close attention to the actual GA prompt. Every course differs in the tasks it demands of its students, so this was not the best method of approaching this problem. I failed to include the main aspect of the prompt which was addressing how the author employs, reinterprets, or subverts the genre conventions I mention. I then adhered to the suggestions offered by my instructor to make my sentence structure more concise and went on to revise the remainder of my essay.
Valuable Lessons
Doug Downs’s Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies altered my perspective on receiving constructive criticism towards a more positive light. I have always acknowledged the benefits of edits and critiques, but receiving them has consistently made me feel like a poor writer. Downs’s excerpt offered a new perspective on the subject, stating that revisions are not negative but rather “much the opposite- a sign and a function of skilled, mature, professional writing and craft.” I welcome opportunities for growth in my writing skills and no longer allow critiques to bruise my ego as they only serve to benefit my pieces of work all together. My change in perspective displays academic maturation since the beginning of the quarter. Beforehand, I would have chosen to stubbornly cling to my preferred writing style with little to no regard to the suggestions of others. In addition to this, as far as revision goes, peer review would have to be my least favorite part of the drafting process. Peer reviews oftentimes only seek to fulfill assignment obligations rather than actually concerning themselves with benefiting the work of their peers. Also, I wouldn’t consider myself the most knowledgeable individual on editing papers, so I find it difficult to trust the validity of student opinions in my writing. I prefer instructor based feedback to solidify the progress of my papers.
Throughout the duration of my time in 39B I have also learned to value the importance of breaking down assignments into smaller, more manageable drafts. In high school writing classes I often chose to procrastinate until the very last minute to begin important assignments. It was a stressful practice, but for the time being it worked out all the same. The requirement that 39B students break down assignments into smaller process tasks truly helped me form the habit of doing the same with other classes. Procrastination is an arduous habit to break, but through the high level of effort required of 39B students I have learned to work more efficiently. My procrastination has not been completely eradicated, but I am satisfied with my progress.
Instead of simply skimming through assigned readings, I found it much more beneficial to conduct in depth annotations. Annotating is definitely the more time consuming option, but it also proved more rewarding in the end. When it came time to draft multiple 400 word critical reading exercises I was able to integrate many of my marginal notes in the CRs. Annotating also requires more focus in order to analyze the text to create such in depth notes, which reinforces critical reading and comprehension. I failed to do this with my first critical reading assignments, and I noticed I struggled more to organize my thoughts. The ineffectiveness of writing without proper research beforehand is the manner in which I have been writing up until 39B. Throughout this course I have been exposed to a variety of useful writing techniques that I will most definitely be utilizing throughout the remainder of my academic career. Additionally, finding valuable evidence to support arguments is made much easier as crucial information relevant to the story’s development is already highlighted and analyzed. Personally, I am also a visual learner, so although I am still reading text through this practice the color coding aids my understanding.
Room for Improvement
The content of the above image was posted as general feedback for the general analysis essay. The critiqued sentence was posted anonymously, but in reading the guidelines for ways to improve my paper I quickly realized that the sentence was my own. While it is true that I have grown in my writing in many ways, I also have much room to grow. A main issue of mine is creating wordy sentences with confusing sentence structures. Instead of practicing concise sentences, I often try to incorporate large vocabulary words in order to make my writing sound more advanced. Rather than bettering my writing I leave my readers confused and with information unnecessary to proving my overall argument.
Another weakness in my writing skills is creating a deep analysis. In a haste to finish assignments I tend to brush the surface of the author's messages and offer over-generalized statements in response. Coupled with wordy sentences, such faults leave me with much room for self improvement. I have now been made aware of the ways in which I can better my writing, so continuing on in 39C tackling these issues head on will be my main goal.
Looking to the Future
I am grateful for lessons learned throughout my writing 39B experience, and am also greatly looking forward to further growth in my writing as I head into 39C in the fall. I hope to live up to my utmost potential and emerge a scholar penman.