The only way to get better at certain things is by doing them over and over. I feel as this applies to writing. In writing workshop we wrote a lot. So obviously I think that I became a better writer. Mainly because this semester I wrote as much essays as I did my freshman and sophomore year. During this class I changed some of my ways of writing because I didn’t like how it was. It also helped me see my strong and weak spots in writing. I can leave this class with tips for other students and with things that help me write better.
This class is writing workshop and I will leave this class with more writing skill than 1 had in the beginning of the year. Looking back at my work seems like a long time ago, but it was only a couple of months ago. I feel as most of my writings were rushed, which honestly they probably were. I don’t like this in my writing. I don’t like it because I know I could make the writing better but I didn’t spend enough time on it. Even though I had more than enough time. It also felt better when I had the essays done the day before it was do, which didn’t happen a lot.
Although I didn’t spend as much time writing as I would’ve liked, I did change some of my bad habits. The one that was most noticeable for me was my word choice. While I was writing the research paper I used an online thesaurus. I have never used one while I was writing before. I started using one because it felt like I kept repeating the same words over and over. While people reflect on work, they tend to try to change things they don’t like. There are certain things in writing that I am good at, and there are things that I could improve on. One of my strengths is that I can come up with some and type it out really fast.
This is probably why I wait until the last day to do papers. I know that| can write a 500 hundred word essay in an hour. It may not be the best, but it’ll be decent. Another strength that I have is that I know how to use my resources. I know to use paper rater to check for spelling or grammar errors that I might of missed. Also what to look up online to get ideas for writing. As for my weaknesses, I get writer’s block a lot. The only thing that gets me out of it is when I know that the paper is due the next day. Another weakness I have is that I write how I talk.
I don’t talk with perfect grammar. So I usually have to read my writings a couple of times to get the words to flow right. Knowing my weaknesses and strengths already make me a better writer. I know this won’t be my last class that I have to write essays in, but I know what helps me write essays. Things that teachers could do to help me have an easier time writing an essay is to not give work time in class. Honestly I will probably spend it playing computer games. While I could be doing a worksheet that shows me how to write better. Another thing that could help me is to make mini due dates.
I like knowing that I am going at the right pace while I am writing. I also have a few recommendations for students who take this class next semester. The first and biggest one is to get done early. If you get done early you can spend class doing other homework or play games, without being stressed out about finishing your essay. Another tip is to use paper rater. You do a lot of writing in this class, and paper rater can make it so your essays don’t have errors without having to spend a lot of time looking for them. The last is write in the format that you are most comfortable in.
I have always been taught to write in the 5 paragraph format, so I always use it if I can. I make me write my stories much faster. Knowing what other people do to pass a class can help you pass the class even if they are smarter than you. Writing workshop is a class that doesn’t have to be stressful. A lot of students will make it stressful by waiting for the last day to write the essay. Although it may have been a little stressful for me, I became a better writer. Since writing has always been one of my weak points, I am happy that I got to spend a whole semester writing.
