Rational Improvement of Writing Skills - Essay Example

A Reflection on my Writing This semester has exposed me to different types of essays. I feel this has helped me improve my writing skills as the various essays I wrote introduced me to a variety of new concepts in writing. The essays I have been wring in this semester range from descriptive essays to narrative and argumentative essays. I have as well registered an improvement in the basics of the writing process. First, I can now organize my work better than before. Even though I have not perfected this, more practice will be helpful for my perfection. Additionally, I realized the importance of having someone help me scrutinize my work. Previously, I did not consider this, and ended up with numerous mistakes even after my own proofreading and revision. Nonetheless, as I look back, I can see the progress that I have made. I have also discovered my strengths and weaknesses in the writing process, which I will build and work on to be a better writer in future. One of the weaknesses in my essays is lack of strong introductions and conclusions. Presently, this remains my goal that in future, I master the writing of good introductions and conclusions. In addition, I feel that my essays portrayed good organization, as shown in their structures. However, I feel I need further improvements on my sentence transitions between paragraphs. Redundancy is another aspect I should work on in my future essays. In two of my essays, I noted that I tend to repeat some ideas in an unacceptable manner. Finally, the objectivity aspect in the essays was well above average. In most of my essays, I focus on the topic I am supposed to address, without deviating to a different course, or beating around the bush. However, I feel I need to perfect on this aspect since it is core to the writing process. During this semester, we have widely discussed the issue of human rights in the world. This issue is real and is given great attention in most countries. Each one of us was asked to choose a topic associated with the human rights issue and write an essay addressing the solutions to the problems that arise from this issue, as well as the effects of the problems in society. Choosing a topic was not hard for me, so I quickly identified peace and racial conflicts as my topic. This essay was engaging as I was required to research on this issue in different countries in order to establish the presence of this issue in those countries, as well as the possible solutions to the problems the issue presents in those countries. This particular essay was instrumental in sharpening my research skills in writing. I sought information from different sources, but relied on the most authoritative sources. Apart from enhancing my research skills, this essay also introduced me to the concept of annotated bibliography, which was previously not my common practice. I wrote the annotated bibliography as an independent project, standing on its own. In writing the separate annotated bibliography, I mainly gave an account of the research I had done, and of everything else I had addressed in my essay. I learnt how to summarize all the sources I had used and to comment on their relevance on the topic, in addition to assessing them. This was a great experience and I continue to practise writing annotated bibliographies so that I am perfect in this area. The essay about peace and racial conflicts also gave me an opportunity to be informed about what is happening in various countries in terms of racism and peace. This is one of the major issues in governance, and so this essay made me develop an interest in the political and social issues of different countries. Another exciting element in writing, which I have learnt, is the use of visuals in writing. In most of my previous writings, I did not attempt to use visuals in my essays. However, the essay on peace and racial conflicts introduced me to this concept. It was interesting to see how texts and visuals can merge to enhance the understanding of the argument and ideas in the essay. In my essay, I used visuals to prove the existence of racial conflicts in different parts of the world, and to prove the adverse effects of these conflicts on the affected populations and the country’s economy as a whole. I remember using a picture showing an Indonesian armed officer perpetrating racial conflicts by shooting on people of a different race. This helped me prove that racism is present in Indonesia. I also used a picture of a grave in Germany. This grave bore the remains of a victim of racism. This therefore helped me prove that racism can result in death of victims. Finally, to point out solutions to racism, and what countries are doing to stop this, I used a picture of peaceful demonstrators in Italy campaigning against increased racism in the country. From this, I have learnt that integrating visuals in texts makes the message clearer and realistic. This is a concept I find exciting and hope to use it in future writings too. Conclusively, writing is indeed a process, which involves gradual learning steps. Personally, I have covered many steps already, especially in this semester. The essays I wrote this semester have been instrumental in elevating me to a higher position in my writing. Today, I am more familiar with all the basics in writing, including referencing and page formatting. However, I owe this semester’s classes for my experience with annotated bibliography, use of visuals in writing, as well as advanced research skills, which I previously was not accustomed to. Nonetheless, I stand as a writer who can control their writing and capable of doing commendable papers. I hope to learn more and continue developing my writing skills in future, since writing is a continuous learning process with no limits. Read More