During high school, my writing classes used an advanced English curriculum that required students to write up to five papers a week. While this rigorous method helped me to develop good time management strategies and improved my writing to an extent, I never felt very connected to the subjects I was writing about or had confidence that I could express an opinion on any topic. My view of myself as a writer was very narrow: I knew with total certainty that all I could do was write poetry, that I was no good at essays or short fiction or personal narratives.
LHSP 125 has changed that mindset entirely. The more I wrote, the more I believed that I had something to say, and the more I learned to express it with clarity and conviction. Coming into this class, I believed that I couldn't make a descriptive piece of writing compelling, and yet I finished my first paper successfully. I wasn't sure that I could be convincing in my analysis of artwork, and yet I am incredibly proud of my second paper. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not write ten pages about anything, and yet I learned a lot and actually had fun while writing my third paper. With each piece of homework I became more confident about my ability as a writer, and now I feel that, with enough planning and critical thinking, I can complete any writing assignment given to me with relative success. I know now that I do not have to limit myself to just one type of writing: I can, and should, try it all!
Brooks,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy how you described your writing as something you were not initially confident with, to something you realized you could do, to something you found fun and enjoyed. I think this shows the class impacted you in so many positive ways. Thanks for sharing!
Brooks, I think I have also gone through a transformation as a writer. Although it was not so drastic, I definitely think that this change is only the beginning of an even greater change. In class today, and a few days ago, I reread my Soylent essay. Although I am still proud of that essay and think that it is a good representation of my writing, there are definitely some details that would be changed had I written it now. One thing that would be different is my risk taking; now I would definitely take more risks. One of my favorite things about the essays we wrote this semester is that if you had told me what they were about a year ago, I would call them obscure. An entire essay about one piece of art? A year ago, I could never see myself writing that. But my analytical writing, in the past semester, has become much more creative and less rigid. Writing an analytical essay in the first person was previously unthinkable to me. I am looking forward to continuing the positive changes that have begun to manifest themselves this semester. Good luck in the future!
ReplyDelete