“Practice makes perfect”. A statement that has been applied to every kind of endeavor there is, no matter if that endeavor is athletically, musically, or, in this case, writing related. However, the truth is that perfection can never be reached. There will always be room for more improvement even in the slightest areas and, with there being many areas of writing, there is always something that can be improved. An amazing paper will still have many flaws and things that could have been done differently, even if it is something as simple as placing a comma in the correct location or rearranging a few words. It was throughout this course that I began to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect paper. There were always things that I could …show more content…
There have been several occasions when I was writing a paper that I believe conveyed my stance or ideas on the topic properly. However, I found that I was incorrect in that belief. My critical analysis assignment, “Tweet Less, Kiss More Analysis” (4), was an example of when I incorrectly conveyed the topic that I was assigned. As it was an analysis paper about the article, “Tweet Less, Kiss More” by Bob Herbert, it was expected that I was to actually analysis the article. I, of course, believed that I had been doing that when it was brought to my attention that instead of analyzing the article, I had given my stance on the topic discussed in the article. It was because of that that I came to the realization that the structure and information put into an essay can completely change the readers’ views of the paper. Instead of the reader forming their own opinion or stance due to the article and my analysis of it, I had unintentionally only given my own stance on the topic that the article discussed. The information and structure of a paper is essential to the quality and clarity of the paper. A good paper cannot have one and not the other and that is something that I learned throughout this
When I read “Proficiency” by Shannon Nichols I really felt for her. I understood and resonated with her story perfectly, especially when she stated “After I failed the test the first time, I began to hate writing and I started to doubt myself. I doubted my ability and the ideas I wrote about.” (83). After I failed my writing assignment I was so embarrassed and didn’t want to write again but obviously, I had to. I always doubt the things I am going to say or which order I am going to organize the essay in. I try so hard to make sure all my sentences are cohesive and all my ideas connect to each other and the main concept but sometimes it just seems that when I keep messing with one little sentence or paragraph I just makes things worse.
I am more knowledgeable about invention, arrangement, style, and delivery, all in which create a masterful piece of text. A few examples, I have learned to organize and construct my thoughts and ideas clearer. I have been taught to use stronger transitions and focus more on the delivery and content of the body element of essays. Further, the instructions and advice I have received throughout this term have influenced my understanding of the purpose of writing. My outlook on writing has been modified by shifting my perception of writing from, writing to prove I am a good writer by perceiving it as using “fluffy” or BIG words to impress my audience. I grew to understanding that good writing’s purpose is to engage the writer by mind-striking ideas and arguments, which therefore will prove and title me as a “good writer”.
Perfection is something unattainable because it is socially constructed; therefore, it is inaccurate to say that there is a “perfect” style of writing. In “Two Questions,” Lynda Barry introduces the two questions that haunt many when writing: “Is it good?” and “Does this suck?” She explains how these two questions are developed from life experience and the need to please others. In relation to Barry’s “Two Questions,” Anne Lamott gives reason and alternatives for dealing with the need to be perfect and why we should not let that need be the obstacle between us and our “Shitty First Draft” in Bird by Bird. Using both texts, I relate their experiences with my own, detailing the common struggle to please others and be perfect. Although people
In the essay “Getting Started” by Anne Lamott. The author reaches out to her students and other fellow writers who struggle to overcome the infamous writer’s block. Thought out her paper she gives us hints and tips to train and prep us for our future papers. Her tips range from training you mind to prepare for a long and often strenuous essay, learning to take information in slowly to not overwork your brain and the last one always tell the truth in your essay. She threads through her essay that writing may be hard and seems like there is no silver lining but it’s not impossible to do. When done reading this essay I widely agree with Lamott’s writing ideas and tips they can be helpful for many struggling students. As one myself I found
I chose the article “How a Sexist T-shirt Harms Us All” by Chitra Ramaswamy, who believed advertisements for children’s apparel were sexist and a prime example of the sexism that surrounds us in modern society. While I partially agreed with the author, I quickly identified several flaws in her argument, however, the challenge came when I needed articulate my thoughts so others could easily understand the follies as well. This essay improved my ability to recognize faults in writing and identify both the good and bad techniques or methods used. My enjoyment of debate and pinpointing fallacies in people’s strong opinions show in this particular
The title highlights what is believed to be academic writing, thus the purpose in academic writing becomes lost, since exaggerated analysis containing complicated and elaborate sentences still occur. Though the title states a problem in academic writing, indicating the function placed upon academic writing being at fault, the article itself counter-argues. It says, “…bullshit does not necessarily involve a misrepresentation of facts, but must involve a misrepresentation of the self – one's feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.” (Eubanks and Schaeffer 2008, 375) suggesting the problem is the writer’s incapability to writing properly, resulting in a disconnect between the coherence in the paper and its readers, either because the skills for academic writing were not achieved or a to comprehend its importance. This can be supported by AW, as it notes, “…writing as a thinking tool in the processes of, for instance, verbalising, discovering, understanding, and communicating ideas...” (Björk and Räisänen 2003, 16) meaning conveying thoughts and ideas are means to develop a deeper understanding of information thus gaining implements to a concise language and coherence. AW goes on by stating, “…it will help you not only to learn new things, but to discover things you did not know you knew. Writing also presents an opportunity for critical thinking…”(Björk and Räisänen 2003, 16), thus it illustrates how writing, in general, needs to be seen as a method to relay knowledge as much as a process to receive
For my psychology class, I am required to complete critique papers on reputable research studies. For one of these assignments, I was asked to analyze a research paper entitled “The Misperception of Sexual Interest” and to identify possible flaws in the study, as well as explain what the authors did well. While completing this assignment, I had to consider the ethos of the class and understand the kairos and network of interpretation in which I was writing. An understanding of these facets is essential for effective, well-structured writing that is focused and appropriate for a science course.
Because I have never been one that found an interest in history, much less comparing and contrasting two historical topics, it was hard for me to produce a paper. As a result of my lack of interest, I chose a topic that was not an adequate comparison. For essay two I decided it would be a grand idea to write about the comparison and contrast of Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. Wrong. According to multiple articles I found on the Internet, Trump is Hitler reincarnated, which I believe is absolutely absurd. While writing this essay, I was able to develop my writing by stating my opinion strongly while weeding out the good and bad articles found on the Internet to back up my opinion. To find reliable articles, I had to use my critical thinking skills, which I had not done as much in the past. During the time period for essay two’s topic proposal, as I already stated, I did not put enough thought into what topic I chose; this helped me learn that picking a topic is the most important step when writing a
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a paper, checked for grammatical errors and thought I was done. After learning about the recursive writing process my process for writing papers changed drastically. My original thesis for the researched position paper was “Despite some people’s belief that technology is progressively destroying humanity, it is evident that technology’s advancements have greatly benefited human connection due to its contributions to improving education, health, and communication.” However, after writing the 5-page paper I used the recursive writing process to consider, inquire, proofread, and reconsider my essay’s content. Later, deciding my thesis was too broad, I narrowed my thesis to only focusing on education, rewrote the five page paper and tried the recursive writing process again until I achieved a paper I thought represented the best of my ability. A second area in which I improved was critical reading. The unique pieces picked for blog discussions exposed me to new content and the new perspectives from my peers. I found the blog discussion to be refreshing and inspired me to think critically from multiple perspectives. The blog discussion on environmental racism was particularly controversial. At first, I thought Flint’s situation was obviously a problem of race, but after looking at others opinions and their evidence to
...t。 Singer Position Paper, I got a very low score. Even so, I still want to praise myself for being brave enough to ask if I can rewrite it, which is considered to be the most important step for my improvement. Then I used one hour to work on this essay after class. At the same time, I signed up for the writing tutor online, used my free time to meet with the tutor and fixed it at home as soon as possible. Above all I gradually improved myself. So, I become more and more self-conscious and responsible for the study of writing which I didn't have enough before.
As I look back into my high school years, I thought I wrote papers well. But then coming into a college environment, my papers were mediocre. By overlooking at my past papers, I found that they were unorganized, sloppy and had bad use of diction. From now on, I will use the tools I learned in English 1100-40 as a foundation for the future papers I intend on writing in college. Following the criteria of organizing ideas so that they flow, impacting the reader with diction and also by being creative, will help become an ideal writer. Following the criteria of staying motivated in short and long term goals, taking responsibility for actions and finally the ability to study well will help me develop into a supreme student.
In the past three months I feel like I have accomplished a great deal. As the semester comes to an end I find myself reflecting not only how I have survived the first semester but also what I have learned. The most important thing I have learned so far is how to become a better writer. I did not think it could really happen to me. I did not think I could handle all the work. I did not think I could actually become a better writer. Some how after all the hours of writing, and putting effort into the papers that I wrote this semester, I became a better writer. I did this because I concentrated on two very important areas, with the attitude of, if I could just become better in those then I would become a better writer. With help from an awesome teacher and a reliable tutor I have become a better writer by improving my skills in the areas of procrastination and content.
The answer lies in the perfect formula, mastered through trial and error, to arrange success. Now listen closely. The trick was to use the exact same writing style and essay structure that got me the grade I wanted freshman year, all throughout high school. As long as I got a decent grade, my writing skills would be good enough. Why would I seek improvement, when the end product would be praised? Unconsciously, I was getting into a habit of a fixed
Within this field, I would have to make statements and arguments for different cases or for public issues. Additionally, I would have to use rhetorical analysis to understand concepts and reasons from writer’s articles and journals. Rhetorical analysis would help me since I understand how to use it, I could apply it to the controversial essays that I would have to write in my field. For example, I know that politicians have to understand their counterparts position and explain why they are either for it and against it. The first assignment would be to analyze someone’s stance on a known situation. I know that I would start off the paper by making my argument and that would be my thesis. After that I will set up evidence that is for my position and then I will set up evidence that is against my position. At the end, I will use both evidence to help support the claim that I made in the thesis. In order to revise this paper, I would have to start by making sure my thesis is clear and makes sense. Secondly, I would have to check to see if my evidence is relevant to the topic and that my analysis is well thought out and explains the purpose of the evidence. Therefore, using rhetorical analysis would be a vast help in my success for that specific
During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...