See the source image

 

Throughout high school, English was always one of the easiest classes in my schedule. Rather than honing our writing skills, we spent most days reading and discussing literature. I viewed English as a break from other classes, as well as the social aspect of school. Unfortunately, my flaws as a writer were never addressed because I was never properly criticized. Consequently, I was completely unprepared for the amount of writing that Writing and Rhetoric (ENG170) required. ENG170 exposed massive weaknesses in my writing skills and my approach toward writing. For example, I realized that I have major perfectionist tendencies. Early in the semester, I would spend nearly 10 minutes trying to perfect one or two sentences. With the amount of in-class work we had to complete, this habit became very problematic. I struggled to write 100 words by the end of class, let alone 300+. Additionally, my desire to be a sophisticated writer often resulted in convoluted sentences and poorly constructed ideas. While ENG170 was challenging, it taught me invaluable writing skills. One lesson that I learned was how to “connect the dots” for my reader. In my rough draft for Major Project 1 (persuasive essay), I proposed solutions to the mental health crisis on college campuses. However, I failed to emphasize the effects of mental health on students and their academic performance. My professor explained how I could correct the issue, and I did so in my final copy.

One area of writing that I thoroughly enjoyed was using pathos. I enjoy writing about my own experiences because it feels very effortless. I do not have to spend hours editing every sentence because there are no rules. Additionally, my sensitive nature makes it easier to be genuine about my feelings. I believe that people are naturally drawn to vulnerability and authenticity in writing. One aspect of the course that I did not particularly enjoy, but improved significantly in is the research process. In high school, I was a ship lost at sea when it came to research. I had trouble understanding databases and finding relevant, reliable sources. After taking this course, I feel much more confident in my research abilities. We spent multiple classes learning how to navigate the library and use keywords to narrow our search results. Having a librarian in class was particularly helpful, as I had many questions about the virtual library. 

This course gave me a strong sense of my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. One of my greatest strengths as a writer is my command of language. I know how to come across as knowledgeable, and my use of grammar and punctuation are strong. I also feel that I am good at incorporating evidence. One weakness that I need to rectify is overburdening my writing. I often place too much emphasis on context/background information when the main focus should be developing my ideas. In addition, I am still a perfectionist at heart. I will continue to try to break that habit.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

AJ Rella