Reflective Essay

What I wanted from this class was a change of pace. I was ready to try something new--to not write a commentary about a book. I was pleasantly surprised. The class was filled with opinionated pieces and freedom to write about topics that actually interested me. I was able to put a piece of myself on the page. That isn’t an easy feat for me: to put myself into my writing. Firstly because I was trained not to do it for the sake of academic, analytical writing. Secondly because I am a very private person and don’t share much with people. With prompts like “What is Your Obsession?” and “Why I [Blank]”, how could I not put pieces of myself into the writing? This class let me see what my strengths were as a writer (grammar, structure, third person, academic writing). But it also showed me my weaknesses(creativity, exigence) and gave me a chance to work on them.  

I chose My Writing Inventory because it was the first assignment for this class. I wanted to show my starting point in the “writing world”. For example, the fact that I have a background in analytical writing and that I know it. I know it takes over everything I write. It is ingrained in my head. Even in the writing I do for my own enjoyment, I have the analytical side of me exposed on the page. I can’t get rid of it. I wanted this piece to show that I have developed as a writer. I can write creatively and add my own style to my work.

I chose the 200 word sentence (Nicaragua) because it was a descriptive piece. I don’t do a lot of writing like that especially not for an English class. The piece gave me a chance to elaborate. The description was open ended; I had just described the gated courtyard. I had multiple routes that I could take with the piece. I could describe the interior of the pink house, the people, our week in that little surf town, or where we had been before. I decided to talk about the scenery of Nicaragua as a whole and the town of San Juan del Sur because it was gorgeous. That said, it also broke my heart. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The entire trip was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I was away from home longer than I had ever been and in a place where English isn’t the native language. There was adventure and something new at every turn and I wanted to show that in this piece. This specific memory stood out to me because there was so much detail. It was completely overwhelming and chaotic. It was the perfect place to describe.

I hated the script I wrote about my obsession. I absolutely despised it. It was just a bunch of monologues strung together. There was a lot of information but it was dull and boring. It even put me to sleep when I read it. It’s about my passion! I shouldn’t dread reading about it! This was my chance to change that-- to make it an actual dialogue between the characters and make it easier to read. I had the chance to be creative, put myself in the place of my characters, and find the words they would use to discuss Philadelphia. This piece connected two of my weaknesses (creativity and exigence) and let me work to strengthen them. This was one of that last pieces we wrote and, now that it is cleaned up, I think it shows the beginning of change in my writing. i am trying to be more creative. I am attempting to let new styles, structures, and ideas into my writing inventory. This class has been the impetus for that.