Writing as an Important Part of Life - Essay Example

Word count: 1240 Reflections on Writing Coming into a writing this semester had me worried. I assumed there would be a lot of homework for me to try to keep up with at the same time that I would need to keep up with all my other classes. I was under no illusions that my homework in any of my classes was going to be easy or quick. I truly wondered if I would be able to keep up and, if I did manage this wonderful feat, if I would really be able to get anything out of it. One of the classes that concerned me most was my English class because I assumed there would be a lot of writing involved. My background in writing goes back as far as childhood when I first became thrilled with the way that marks on a paper could communicate ideas and pictures to my mind. I was thrilled with the stories that books could tell with nothing more than black marks and a little education. I never believed I would be a person who would communicate much in this way, but I recognized, even then, that writing was an important part of life because it was essential in preserving ideas. No matter what kind of writing I am busy with, I always learn new words and new rules of grammar or punctuation. I do try to practice my writing as often as I can. When I must write to fulfill writing assignments, I usually spend a good deal of time working out a basic outline of what I want to say to answer the question and then I slowly begin to fill in the different sections with more and more information. Once everything seems to be long enough for a whole essay, I read through it and revise several times before handing it in. As I reflect over this past semester, I realize this is one of the more valuable classes I’ve taken for a variety of reasons. When I first entered the class, one of the things that really made me nervous was that I didn’t feel very comfortable about writing in general. It is so difficult for me to put my thoughts into words that really express what I mean. Rules of punctuation and grammar terrified me and the idea of always having to formally organize my thoughts before I started writing seemed like a big waste of time. This can be seen fairly clearly in one of my first essays, “The Case Against Babies Taken Too Far.” In this essay, there are several lengthy sentences. One sentence included in the introduction is “The intended audience for the reading is anyone who wishes to have babies and need to take a reasoned approach to the task and for those who are interested from the point of view of an objective stance on why we should have babies.” Although it seems to be grammatically correct, it is difficult to follow the meaning. An equally long sentence is found in the introduction to one of my last essays for this course, “Gambling and Increasing Crime.” The meaning in this sentence is much easier to follow: “This paper will attempt to look at gambling and the link that it has to crime and attempt to assess whether gambling does cause an increase in crime rate in areas or if that is just mere speculation.” Through this course, I have learned that there are a great number of benefits to be gained by learning how to write better. The exercises we have participated in during this class have really helped me to understand that there isn’t really just one way to approach writing, but if you can find a way to organize your thoughts quickly and logically, you will become better at anything you do. Writing helps to develop the talent because it forces you to spend time thinking about your ideas and really developing the power of logic and reason. The more I wrote, the better I became at doing this. This includes focusing on things such as a thesis statement as a means of organizing the information to be presented and the use of topic sentences to organize paragraphs. I imagine that if I continue through several more years of college, it will be much easier for me to do this as I converse with others. No matter what field I end up in, I will be able to use these skills to improve my ability to communicate my ideas to others. As a result of this realization, I have gained a new appreciation for writing that I believe will serve me well in the future. In terms of my personal writing skills, I know there are still some things I am good at and some things that could use some work. I believe I have greatly improved my skills in organizing my thoughts, creating metaphors that help to illustrate what I am trying to say and including imagery in my writing. I hadn’t realized before how much these literary tools could contribute to getting my main ideas across to my audience. I no longer chafe at the idea of having to put together an outline for a paper and have even discovered that it can save a lot of time and make more difficult papers easier. Although I think I have improved my knowledge of grammar and punctuation skills, I still struggle a great deal with vocabulary and feel my use of punctuation and grammar could still be improved. I know I have a problem with run-on sentences. I always have so much to say, but I always want to make sure my meaning is clear from the beginning. Perhaps what I really need to do to improve my writing in the future is to learn how to leave room open for alternative views. I managed to take an opposing view in my first paper, “The Case Against Babies Taken Too Far,” but I think I can do a better job of this in the future. Some of the reading and writing I have done this semester has really made it clear to me that what makes a good writer is not always the writer’s ability to provide the reader with a solid, inarguable idea, but is instead the writer’s ability to introduce ambiguity and doubt. This would be helped further by better use of formatting techniques in my papers. In particular, I noticed that my use of subheadings in my last paper, “Gambling and Increasing Crime,” was not very effective in leading the reader through my thoughts. Even though I don’t plan to make my living through writing, I believe writing will always be an important part of my life. Right now, it is important to help me get through my university classes and to keep track of my thoughts. I believe the lessons I’ve learned in this class will also be important in my future. No matter what career field I follow, there will likely be instances where I will need to write a report, a letter, a proposal or something else. I will not be considered professional if I cannot write well or communicate my thoughts effectively. If I am not considered professional, it is unlikely I will be able to attain a very high position, which is my goal. For this reason, I feel writing is very important to my future life. Read More