A Self Analysis

I don't particularly like to write. Unless we're talking poetry, I have no innate talent in written expression. While I deeply enjoy the consumption and sharing of knowledge, its conveyance is not my strong suit. When pen is put to paper or fingers to keyboard, coherence is of the utmost importance. There is no way to clarify mistakes made or intentions left unclear and what we say in writing is more or less final. The effort, or lack thereof, that a reader is required to expend in order to comprehend information is key to that reader's acceptance of the ideas that an author presents. Few enjoy the ramblings of a person unskilled in communication, no matter how profound their ideas. It is for this reason that the development of writing ability is essential. My own quest to improve the quality and coherence of my writing throughout the course of my academic career has been marked by changes in style and in strategy. Every class that has ever required me to express myself on paper has seen at least some change in my writing. In this course, five primary areas of improvement were emphasized: the development of research tactics, understanding of rhetoric, grammar and syntax, strategies for refinement of writing ability and the development of critical reading skills. During the course of this semester I have tried my best to apply these goals to my writing.

All throughout high school, I was a fan of free-writing and my work reeked of it. “Write now, reorganize later” was my strategy. The problem was that by the time I was actually done writing, I had grown tired of the process and devoted little energy towards ensuring that it made any logical sense. As a high schooler, my pages were riddled with word-vomit and general verbal insani...

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...ersity of Colorado's Program for Writing and Rhetoric's “Course Learning Goals:” The refinement of writing ability. All of the others are simply methods of doing so. Reflection on past writing is key to future improvement. A development of rhetorical awareness is a vital part of understanding the objectives and techniques employed by writers. The ability to read critically is essential in that it allows for the application of lessons learned from other writers to one's own work. The possession of good strategies for research ensures that an argument made is as sound as possible. Knowledge of grammatical and syntactical convention is an imperative for the shaping of a piece of writing to a target audience. These goals are all necessary tactics and strategies for the creation of refined and eloquent writing. And that my friends, is exactly why I do not like to write.