WRT 101-Fall Semester Reflection

Throughout the semester I have been writing blogs shaping, analyzing, and reflecting on my own writing and the writing of others. The first blog I have ever written listed my writing goals. I said:  

“My goal as a writer is to constantly enhance my writing no matter how small the improvement is, so I can excel in writing research papers and any literature necessary for my future career… I wish to improve my ability to transfer my thoughts on to paper more authentically and in an academic manner by the end of this semester.” (Nickens, 2023). 

Looking back at this, I was specific about the outcome I desired from taking a college writing course. The goal is broad, but caters mostly to academic reasons rather than personal reasons. Although the last sentence, when I said I want to “transfer my thoughts onto paper more authentically”, touches on a personal writing goal because it relates to my desire to voice my ideas more clearly which involves discovering my unique writing style. A chronological display of my progression in writing style and skill from several writing assignments I completed in my freshman year to now should reveal whether I have met those goals. 

For starters, a good example of my writing style from freshmen year is a Conversation Essay I wrote for a College Writing 100 assignment. For the assignment I was asked to explain an existing general and academia conversation around a topic by researching the opposing and/or similar views on the topic. I chose Art Therapy as my research topic, so I explained what it is and the different uses for it. Here is a paragraph from the essay I wrote; 

Absolutely anyone can benefit from art therapy. According to the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), an educational organization dedicated to the growth and development of the art therapy profession, Art therapists work with individuals, families, and communities and enhance clients mental, emotional, and physical well-being” (2017). More specifically, the AATA clarifies that, Art Therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological changes (2017).  Thus, it can be agreed that the benefit of this creative therapy is extensive because it can address more than psychological problems. 

Basing off this one paragraph where I am explaining the benefits of art therapy, I sound like an advertisement selling Art Therapy sessions. The tone is very formal and doesn’t sound like me at all. The structure of the writing imitates academic writing, so little of my personality is shown in this writing. Just to critique my own work, I’m now realizing that the information I present is very one sided. My writing could have been stronger if I included the opposing perspective and then followed with a counterclaim.  

In the next excerpt from an exploratory essay I wrote in College Writing 101 this semester, I do a better job at being less confined to academic formality. I wrote about my thoughts on “free-will”. My favorite quote from the essay was when I said:   

“Maslow also noted that the hierarchy of needs does not meet a standard progression because people prioritize certain needs differently (Cherry, 2022). If our actions are not only influenced by psychological and physiological needs, but also an order of prioritization of the 5 basic needs, then what influences our decision to prioritize certain needs more than others? And if we have external reforms manipulating how we order our priorities, do we as humans truly have free-will? I have a theory that so many variables such as social structures, education, and fate can set those priorities. (Nickens, 2) 

Here I was revealing my thinking process through rhetorical questions and interacting with an existing academic conversation that flowed really well. I think this was my best essay I have made that exemplifies metacommentary, although there is still room for improvement. I also expressed more creativity in this essay because I chose a topic I’m curious in and related it to a movie I love which made writing it more enjoyable and “freeing”. Similarly, in the Multimodal project, where a presented a voiceover presentation explaining an academic article, I even did something out of comfort-zone. Which is choosing to do a voiceover presentation for my multimodal project. As an introvert I usually do not navigate towards public speaking, but I wanted to push myself to that challenge. I believe things like that help me grow as a writer.  

Off the topic of reviewing my writing process, I want to take note of my favorite small writing assignment, the Sonnet blog. I absolutely enjoyed writing a Petrarchan sonnet and mimicking the style of Donne John, “Holy Sonnets: Batter my heart, three person’d God”. I already enjoyed reading poems and listening to poetry slams, but the blog assignment made me realize that writing poetry is enjoyable and even I can part-take in it. I enjoyed the process of being metaphorical and adding figurative language because it was like taking a break from academic writing. In other words, that assignment really sparked a lot of creative juices flowing. In the poem I made I wanted to share my perspective and that is also what I have been doing in the previous assignments this semester, unlike past writings.  

Considering all the writing assignments I have done I have come to the realization that my work is all connected because they present different qualities of who I am. And a common theme among them is sharing my perspective on how I view and navigate through society. Which ties into my favorite thing to do as a writer, make my readers question their existing perspectives. Other than improving my writing, that is my personal goal.  

References  

Nickens, Jayla. College Writing 100 Conversation Essay. American University, 2022. Accessed 2023. 

Nickens, Jayla. “My Writing Goals.” Jn9261a-WRT101, American University, 2023, https://edspace.american.edu/jn9261a/2023/09/08/my-writing-goals/. Accessed 2023.