My Reflection on Writing Experience - Essay Example

My Reflection on Writing Experience Writing is a fluid process through which professionally accomplished movein-between unconsciously and consciously. Younger writers, on the other hand, learn by following the structure and security of the writing process. In the past writing was viewed based on the written products such as books, newspapers, and magazines, however in 1972, Donald Murray published a piece titled, “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product”. This piece advocated the instruction of writing not focused on the product, but the means. The writing process provides many lessons and necessitates the development of skills for writers and students. Over the course of this semester, I have learned several skills, habits, and gained indispensable experiences in writing. In the beginning, my perception of writing was simply putting words on paper, and you are done. I have since learned that writing is not that simple, firstly it is a process, which consists of five stages. The first stage is prewriting, which involves gathering ideas for writing. Ideas are received through, reading, teacher motivation, the audience, voice, developing word banks and many more. Secondly, the rough draft stage follows, which a writing stage where ideas are put on paper. Consequently, the revising stage involves rearranging, modifying, adding, and deleting content and thus making the content appropriate to the audience. In this stage, the rough draft is improved. After the revising stage, follows the editing stage where the writer corrects grammatical errors and improves style and clarity. The final stage is going through the work to confirm everything is good and then submitting. I have always had a passion for writing, but taking this class exposed just how weak my writing and literary skills were. Consequently, I have polished these skills through several exercises that we have handled in class. For instance, through reading and summary exercise, I have managed to develop objectivity and accuracy regarding someone else’s work. As such, I have learnt to identify and concentrate on the main points when doing a summary. The reading, “Working at McDonalds,” for example, allowed me to develop and exercise these skills effectively thereby improving my writing abilities. Moreover, this class has taught me how recognize other people’s opinions presented in the literature, and thus, create my independent opinion either supporting or opposing another author’s ideas. As such, I have learned to construct a sound and coherent argument. Constructing a good argument as I have come to know is not easy. It involves having a claim or thesis statement, as well as organizing my thoughts and ideas well for a logical flow of evidence and essay in general. Learning that writing is not an individual process has been humbling and adventurous. It has enabled me to share ideas with classmates and group mates. Additionally, I have learned that it is advisable to have a friend or colleague proofread my work before I submit it. This is because there are some mistakes in writing that one makes, which can only be identified by a third person. Moreover, working with classmates during writing exercises has enabled me develop and build a friendship with these people. I have also learned that writing is not just piecing of ideas rather it involves gathering of information and active mind. Reading various literature and critically thinking how they relate to an idea is a critical aspect of writing. Through this course, I have gained practical skills that will enable me become a better writer. Working with sources and acknowledging other people’s ideas in my writing has given me the opportunity to gain formatting skills. This allows me to reference the sources, as well as format my work according to different styles. Similarly, being part of the classes has given me valuable experiences including sharing ideas with classmates. Moreover sharing and exchanging ideas is an experience that has enabled me embrace other people regardless of their social, cultural, ethnic, or religious background. Additionally, participation in classwork has allowed me to gain confidence and trust my fellow students. I have also acquired effective communication skills and the ability to interact well with other students. Often information is shared and misunderstood because the main idea was not well communicated. As a student am expected to do much reading and think critically. Having skills to identify points and make summaries in my words will enable me to present my assignments in the acceptable standard. I have become a better student since I can now express myself better and more confidently. If I had to do this semester again, I would create more time to interact with my group as this builds good relationships with my fellow students. I would also prepare much earlier for my classes, which would give me a fuller experience in class, as I would be a step ahead of the teacher. I would approach writing more positively. Initially, I was skeptical about what I was going to learn through this process, but now that I understand everything, I am going to put double effort. Additionally, I would also create time to read more literature, even those outside our syllabus. The reason for this is that I have realized that literature does not tell stories, but they are valuable sources of learning about history and the surrounding. Literature also allows us to identify our connection with people from various backgrounds. Advice to writers is that writing is a process that requires a lot of your time and hard work. Organize yourself properly so that you can be effective. You must create time for much reading and researching. The best way of doing this is by surrounding yourself with people who are also as excited and interested about this. You can exchange notes and learn from each other. Avoid people and activities that waste your time. Avoid drugs and alcohol as they interfere with your thinking. I have learned that if I put my mind to work, I can accomplish many things. I have developed a critical eye when reading information. This is a good habit. Another useful habit that I have developed during this period is time management and organization. This has helped me to manage my work well, attend classes on time, and allocate enough time for study for each course. However, I have also picked a negative habit as my social life has significantly declined since I do not have enough time for friends as before. In conclusion, writing is a process that enables one to develop writing skills, learn to focus on the main idea, identify bias and separate content from form. Learners must decide whether that is a road, they would want to walk. The writer’s road is tough and requires a relentless work ethic. People and activities that waste time must be cut out from the writer’s time. Nonetheless, writing is exciting and intuitive and enables you to convey your ideas and thoughts. I can confidently say that now unlike the beginning of the semester, I can organize my thoughts, ideas, and knowledge to make a logical argument that covers as much as ten pages. Though my social life has been affected, I plan to work on it next semester by creating more time to socialize with friends. Read More