A continuous learning process of writing essays - Essay Example

A continuous learning process of writing essays Thinking back how my writing skill was and comparing it today, I must say that my writing skills have significantly improved. I can vividly recall the struggle I had before in getting my thoughts on paper which no longer frustrates me today. Of course there are moments where I have difficulty writing but the techniques and lessons I learned in class helped me overcome them. For example, if I have difficulty organizing my thoughts to be written, the structure taught in class in having a clear thesis in a paragraph supported by sub-thesis put organization in my thoughts allowing me to write coherently. Today, I am beginning to enjoy writing and it is no longer a drudgery compared before. I learned that writing essays is a continuous learning process. Just like any other skill, I learned that everytime I write, I get better at it. I also learn new method and technique to improve my writing everytime I write an essay and that improvement becomes noticeable in the succeding essay. The improvement is noticeable not only in the technical aspect of writing (such as subject-verb agreement, correct tenses, correct word form, synthax) but also in organization, focus and coherent development of my thoughts. For example, in the first essay I wrote about “Misperceptions about African Americans”, I can recall that my focus were quite scattered because I had to associate several desperate things such as Martin Luther King, the US Presidential election and the plight of the African Americans from discrimination. Nevertheless, the process was quite an “eye opener” about the writing process and taught me the process of research which I used to think as daunting. I must admit that I had difficulty writing my first essay. I remember staring at the blank screen for an hour and yet I did even know how to start it. And when I had my first sentence written, my supporting sentences had to be rewritten many times for it to make sense. I had to make a lot of editing and despite those efforts in editing I noticed that there are still mistakes on it which I did not notice when I first wrote it. Clearly, I needed to improve on my writing skill. My succeeding essay is better than the first and the most obvious improvement that I noticed is my remarkable improvement in organizing my thoughts. I attribute this improvement to the fact that I had a good practice in the first essay that I was already familiar with the writing process when I wrote my second essay. Also, I found the second essay entitled “Filipino Language: Never Losing Your Identity” relatively easier to write because I can relate to it having written it from my own personal experience with a Filipino Friend and his household. In addition to the ease in writing, the process was also quite enjoyable because I was able to express myself. Unlike in the first essay about “Misperceptions about African Americans” where I struggled because I wrote from the realm of ideas, the second essay was a joy to write because I was able to express what I think and feel. My use of their vernaculars also such as “opo” and “pasok kayo, pasok kayo” provided an intimate feel of the essay that the reader can relate to the subject being discussed. During the process of developing my writing skill, I discovered few things on the way which works well for in me writing. This may sound unusual but I learned or rather developed my own style in writing and editing that it is better to sleep on an essay and I mean to literally to sleep on it. When I mean sleeping on an essay, I meant reading back the essay after a good sleep. Reading back an essay after a good sleep meant that we have a fresher eyes and a clearer mind to look at the essay that we wrote and notice the mistakes that we overlooked before. Reading my essay with a fresher mind, I am able to find areas of improvement on how the essay could be improved not only in terms of correcting its mistakes but also on improving its structure, organization, logic and flow of thought. By reading it back with a fresher eyes and clearer mind, I was able to develop my thoughts clearly and fully. I also realized that idea mapping works very well for me especially for complex subjects such as the “Misperceptions about African Americans”. Idea mapping is writing technique that involves writing down the key words of my thoughts and organizing it from there to form the basic structure of the essay. After the idea map is developed, it served as an outline for me to base my formal essay. This technique helps me tremendously in organizing my thoughts. After writing the two essays, I learned that writing is just like any other skills that can be learned through practice and conscious effort to improve. With my experience in writing my essays, I learn that we get better at it every time we try. I see it to be no different in playing basketball or any other endeavor that requires skill that we get better every time we practice only that learning how to write is more important because it is required in all of my subjects and is an indispensable skill when I become a professional someday. I also discovered the joy that writers had in writing when we are able to express and pour our thoughts and emotions on paper. Having said this, it does not mean that I already learned everything. On the contrary, there are still a lot to learn and my writing skill still needs improvement. Even if I tremendously improved in my succeeding essay, I noticed that there are still several awkward sentences and inappropriate word usage which could be corrected through practice and conscious effort to improve. There is always a better way to write and I should not stop discovering that better way to write so that I will perpetually improve. Read More