Alejandra Medina

Professor Ditch
English 113B
8 May 2015
Concepts to Know In Order to Become A Better Writer
In the beginning of the semester I was excited to learn new
things. I have always enjoyed writing, but many of the times it was not
correct. I lacked skills such as grammar errors and organization. I have
a good style in writing but I needed help in organizing my thoughts and
ideas. Professors Ditchs class has influenced my writing to become
better, and have made me notice that these skills are going to be
required in the higher division classes.
Writing is one of the easiest way to communicate a though or
idea. It is a lot easier than speaking because what you write cannot be
forgotten since it is on paper. This is why it is important to make your
point clear so the reader follows along and understands what writer is
trying to illustrate. The first thing in writing a good paper, is making
sure the thesis is well done so the writer understands exactly what one
is trying to say.
Creating a thesis is the most difficult part in writing a good paper.
I understand it is the foundation to the paper and this is why I make
sure to emphasize my idea so my body paragraphs can reflect on my
point. On my first essay, Rising Above Traditional Norms and Cultural

Beliefs I knew what I was trying to state. Although I did not make it
clear and was trying to say too many things in one sentence, I stated,
My Mexican Culture has challenged me to overcome barriers such as
gender roles, traditional norms, and stereotypes that have taught me
to rise above into a path of academic success. This was a listed thesis
with multiple points, then I stated rise above which could be
confusing to the reader in questioning how my culture has taught me
to rise above into a greater future. I then revised my thesis, which
addressed the prompt a lot better. My revised thesis is My Mexican
culture has challenged me to overcome barriers such as gender roles,
traditional norms, and stereotypes. These challenges have taught me
to rise above the typical expectations and limits of what is expected in
my cultural space by societys stereotypes, which motivate me into a
path of academic success. My revised thesis explains exactly how I
am rising above. I just dont leave the reader wondering how I am
doing it but instead I am stating that I am rising from the typical
stereotypes that are suppose to affect a person negatively but instead
have helped me recreate the idea and motivate me to do well
academically. Now that I am familiar with creating good thesiss I will
be able to justify my claim with evidence and show that I know how to
write a good paper.
This spring semester I have become a better writer by concurring
grammatical errors such as subject verb agreement, comma splices

fragment and where to properly insert commas, semi-colons and

colons. An example is In addition, my Mexican cultural ideologies of
how a women should portray herself also restricts my actions; at then
end of the day, I walk into the door of a Hispanic house hold. I did not
know how to use semi colons, I had a simple comma after actions
instead of a, semicolon. With out that semicolon the sentence would be
very confusing because I had two independent clauses together which
create a comma splice.
Many of the times I had two dependent clauses together, which
should be separated into two different sentences, but often I would
have fragment, which are incomplete sentences. It was frustrating to
know that I could make a sentence with two independent clause but
other times I could not even form one independent clause to stand
alone. In my unrevised essay Friendship Provides Strength to Act
Courageous When Situations Seen Unbearable, I stated Although
others need a sense of unity that provides the backbone into forming a
steady foundation is friendship. This sentence is a fragment because
of my word choice. I chose to put although, which made the
sentences a dependent clause. When I made a mistake of using
fragments, my thoughts were not complete and the reader might
assume that I am unsure of the point I am trying to make.
I have became a better writer after English 113 B. it is important
to know the basics into writing a paper because it is a reflection of your

commitment and knowledge. If your writing is not well done,

conclusion can be drawn that you did not care about the assignment
nor made enough time in your schedule to properly execute. The
learning process never ends and no one writes a perfect paper.
Although a great paper can be written I have become a better writer
because now I know how to properly structure an essay with a great
foundation, which is my thesis, and I am able to proof my paper and
catch all the grammar errors to show that I put the time and effort to
clearly state an idea.