After weeks of writing blog posts and various assignments, I would conclude that this class has improved my writing skills. I want to reflect on my experience in this class, because it was a positive one. Although at first, it may have been seen as a chore to compose a blog post every week. After doing one every week, it became easier and I can tell my writing has improved. This process has made me more aware of my writing because it is published to the public, so I want to ensure that I make my writing as clean and entertaining as possible.
I had never written a scene before this English Composition I course, and I dreaded the idea of it. It wasn’t that hard after being taught how to write one, and practicing with my previous blog posts. One of my favorite blog post written about a scene was Composing a Present Scene with Dialogue and Symbolism because the picture of my dog really makes the scene feel more alive. I also like that blog post along with many others because I was able to write about anything I wanted. It is really easy to write about myself or what I experienced. Making a website was also fun because it made it more enjoyable to do the assignments because I like the aesthetic of my website. It gives it personality and shows the viewer the personality of the author of the website. I also like writing blog comments because I like seeing the feedback from my classmates and it helped me improve my writing. The idea of leaving a comment on a classmates blog was a little daunting, but I think it is nice and helpful to give others feedback on their writing as well. One of my favorite processes from class was listening to Lulu Wang’s podcast What You Don’t Know because it helped me write about a moment that had a negative impact on my life from a choice my parents made for my Narrative Project. Her podcast helped me add dialogue to my story, and sensory details to make the moment come back to life. She also provided context and delivered subtext to her story which played as an example for how I was going to write my narrative. Listening to another podcast Rewinding and Rewriting: The Alternative Universe in Our Heads also helped with that process and the second draft of my Narrative Project. For my second draft, I wrote an alternative and a “what if” counterfactual situation to change the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this course, because it made me become more creative with my writing. Even my ALP class which was right after this class was beneficial for me because I had more time to edit my work and had one-on-one time with Professor Mangini. One day during my ALP class, we discussed growth mindset. This means that no matter where we are in our writing skills, there is always room for improvement which can be accomplished by using effort, good strategy, and help. There is a gold standard to writing and I know I am not there yet, but from my experience in this class and what I have learned, I am moving forward in my writing to get to where I want to be as a writer.
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For my midterm reflection blog post, I wrote about my experience in this class using the text Reflective Writing and Genres in Academic Writing: Reflection to help me do so. Below, I included specific assignments, readings and processes that helped me learn and grow in the class. I focus on my writerly identity and even my blogging. I chose to not film a reflection video because I am not yet comfortable talking in front of a camera. This reflective observation is about my thoughts on how I have done in the class and how I feel I can become a better writer.
My experience in this English Composition I course has been very beneficial in teaching me how to be a better writer. Writing the blog post every week, especially the blog posts writing about different scenes has helped me compose my Narrative Project. I was also taught about literary analysis and it has helped me understand that I must provide context which is background information that frames the text along with subtext which is the theme or the main idea of the story, symbols, motifs, essentially what is left unsaid in the story. Don Murray’s “Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product” allowed me to realize that writing is a form of language and communication, and that you’re active in your own choices in your writing. From his passage, I understood that in order to write something, I just have to write about anything because eventually I’ll be able to develop something from an idea. Even listening to Lulu Wang’s podcast “What You Don't Know” helped me recognize context in a story. The text in a story has to have description along with senses, symbols, and motifs. Description is an important aspect in a story because it allows the reader to relive the story with the author. The process as we discussed in class is a phrase Professor Mangini says which is “what’s D.A.T.” That phrase means that we as students have to question our writing and ask whether or not our writing has description, action, and a clear time-frame. As I continuously rewrote my narrative project, especially in the blog posts, I was able to ask myself if my story had any description and if it delivered subtext. Although I was a little nervous, I was glad that I shared my story to my class and received feedback from them. That experience really helped me develop my story and add information that a reader would want to know in my story. I needed to also add dialogue and more sensory details in order to relive the scene rather than just retelling the scene. Another aspect of the class that I find interesting is reading and writing blog comments for and from classmates on the blogs. Reading the comments on my blog allow me to grow as a writer and improve my writing. Even writing comments on classmates blogs help me with my own writing. I have never experienced a class like this course, and I like that we have more freedom like creating a blog and a website. As an artist, I am used to critique sessions so when we comment and talk about how we can improve our writing, I really appreciate it. Instead of handing in an assignment and receiving a grade, we are able to critique and learn how we can improve. My three primary intrinsic English Composition I goals for the rest of the semester is getting assignment done a few days before the due date, using more description and sensory details in my writing, and sharing my opinions and thoughts in class because sometimes I can be a little too shy to share my ideas. For this week’s blog post, I have read What is a Found Poem, Sample Found Poem and Examples of Found Poems to help me write my own found poem by taking works from my Narrative Project. This found poem summarizes the decision of going to community college, and how it affected me my senior year of high school. The type of found poem I created is an erasure poem which means that I took my existing Narrative Project and erased the majority of the text, leaving behind select words and phrases so when it is read in order, it composes a poem. Below the found poem is a reflection section where I answer questions that will help improve my narrative project when I revise it.
“How Could I Not Go There?” I grabbed mail out of the gold mailbox It was a breezy afternoon, I flipped until a purple and gold pamphlet caught my attention I wanted to apply to this school; West Chester University “How could I not go there?” I raced up the stairs to discuss the possibility to my future My mom was laying out blue sheets of paper I was puzzled on what was happening A wave of disappointment filled my mind My mom, unable to send me to a four-year school Only to community college I was upset, skeptical of the school at first But after visiting, I fell in love with West Chester I didn’t fight back, this conclusion was due to the financial decisions my dad created He destroyed my family and I, made me depressed I recovered as it matured me, but I felt embarrassed and so out of place Why would he do this, I feel resentment, anger I knew it wasn't the right choice for me I would be at a loss of experiences and independence, I felt like a failure Reflection
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Chrissie FackenthallI will use this blog to write and post weekly assignments for my English Composition I course at Delaware County Community College Archives
December 2018
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