Reflective Essay

I have often heard it said that, “writing provides a window to the soul.” Reflecting on what I have written has given me a chance to look through that window. Creating this portfolio has raised many questions about myself as a writer. Questions like, what are my strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What are some of the challenges I have overcome thus far in my collegiate writing career? What are some of the important aspects of my writing process? Through exploring these questions, I have been able to further my growth as a writer.

Exploring my strengths and weaknesses as a writer has been a humbling experience. One of my major strengths as a writer is that I project my voice well through my words. I believe this come from my desire to not only say what needs to be said, but to actually speak to the reader. The difference between the two reminds of a CNN news caster reporting the condition of country and President Obama delivering his State of the Union Address. Both are speaking on the statues of the many issues in our nation, but President Obama is making a connecting with his audience in a way that the new caster does not. This is what I strive to do in my writing, make a connection with my reader. Another strength is my genuine interest in writing and desire to become a more effective and skilled communicator. I aspire to be an attorney, a career that not only requires you to write clearly and concisely, but also as effectually as possible. I see every writing assignment as an opportunity to sharpen the skills that I will greatly need in the future.

One of my major weaknesses as a writer is my need to me more economic with my words. In my first semester of English, my professor challenged my class to write multiple in depth papers with strict word limits. Not only did I fail to meet the word limits, I was unable to effectively make my argument when I revised the papers to meet the strict word limit. With my professor’s help, I identified ways to be more concise and maintain my effectiveness in convey my arguments.

Writing at the collegiate level has presented many new challenges, many of which I did not anticipate to encounter. I unexpectedly find the freedom professors give to be an obstacle when writing papers. In my African American Literature course, I was assigned a 3-4 page paper to be written on my choice of the topic. I was not only free to choose a text to write about, but also to choose my writing topic. I overcome this obstacle by seeking a purpose in every writing assignment and framing the paper as a debate topic. I ask myself, “what point do I want to prove about this topic?” In this way, I build my interest in the topic as well as take a stance to write able. Another challenge I face is writing concise and verifiable thesis statements. I believe this obstacle is a side effect of the freedom allotted me by my professors. As you will see in my portfolio, I have used the revision process as a way to refine the thesis statements in each paper.

A tremendous benefit of creating this writing portfolio has been exploring my writing process. Since beginning this portfolio, I have been able to observe the steps I take towards completing a paper and then refine those steps. A major step in my writing process, which I underestimated, is the importance of outlining before writing. An outline acts as a road map for writing a paper. When the forest of thoughts in your mind causes you to lose sight of your topic, you can refer to your outline to focus in on it. Another important step in my writing process is taking time writing a clear and concise thesis. As I stated previously, revision is key in writing a strong thesis.

Through reflecting on all of these aspects of my writing, I have observed new things about myself that have made me a more effective writer. It is my hope that the various pieces in my portfolio effectively illustrate my progress toward strengthening my writing. After the completion of this portfolio and this course, I will continue to “look through that window” and reflect on my writing to further my growth as a writer.