Dear Reader,

I have learned so much over the course of the semester and have grown as a writer. After
looking through my e-portfolio I have seen how my writing has progressed from the beginning
of the semester to now. At the start of the semester I just wanted to write an assignment as
quickly as possible and be done. For example, when I wrote my topic proposal I did some
research about my topic and quickly wrote each section. When writing the annotated
bibliography I wanted to find good sources and not just use the first couple I came across. I spent
a lot of time researching and picking quality sources to use. The annotated bibliography pushed
me to really think about each source and what I wanted to write about. I have learned that writing
is a process and takes time and my writing is not going to be perfect the first time. I had some
trouble starting my extended inquiry project, there was so much information I wanted to cover
and I had no idea how to start. It was a long process before I finished with the final product, but
it was worth it.
There were many different activities and assignments throughout the course of the
semester. Every class would start off with a freewrite. Our teacher would give us a writing
prompt and we would have several minutes to write whatever came to our minds. I enjoyed
doing freewrites, it was almost a way of clearing my head of all my other thoughts. We also
would be assigned weekly readings that were discussed in class. Sometimes it would be an
article or a chapter from the textbook, we even watched a couple Ted Talks. Often I felt annoyed
because I would have extra reading to do on top of everything else I had going on, but looking
back I can see how each assignment was beneficial to myself as a writer. Often my professor
would point out writers moves and other writing tricks that I would have never realized. It really
made me consider how much effort writers put into their work and the skill it takes to write a
good paper.
Every couple weeks we would have to participate in a Lit Lounge in which we would
meaningfully respond to an article or Ted Talk. I enjoyed doing these, I got to read and listen to
things that were current and many that I could easily relate to. Lit lounges challenged me to be a
better writer. In one lit lounge I had trouble comprehending what the author wrote. I remember
reading the article several times and breaking each paragraph down to gain a better
understanding. I did not always like having to respond to my peers, but I always found it
interesting to see their responses and the different ways my peers interpreted things.
When writing the annotated bibliography and the extended inquiry essay we had to
participate in peer critiques. My first thought was “ugh, I have to talk to people I don’t know.”
But it actually turned out to be very helpful. I really liked my partners, and their critiques were
beneficial to my writing. It is good to listen to a reader’s opinion because they may see things
that the writer failed to notice.
My most important work in class was my extended inquiry project. All the major
assignments I completed lead up to the final inquiry project. This project pushed me in many
ways. At first I found the project daunting and doubted my ability to complete it. I am very
happy to have started with the topic proposal and the annotated bibliography because these two
assignments helped to prepare me to write my inquiry essay. In fact they pushed me to explore
more questions and ideas about my topic. The extended inquiry project helped build my skills as
a writer and a researcher. Never before have I done so much research on a topic or go into as
much depth. There was so much I learned that I had no idea where to start my essay off. This
project also showed me that writing is a process and takes a lot of time. When I first sat down to
write my paper, I thought I would just start busting out paragraphs, but I struggled to get out two
sentences. I remembered the article “Shitty First Drafts” that I had read at the beginning of the
semester and proceeded to write a really crappy first draft. I wrote until I had put every thought I
had about my topic on a piece of paper and went from there.
After finishing my first draft I was told I had to revise my essay. I was not looking
forward to this at all. I had finished writing and I wanted to leave it at that. But, after looking
back on my essay and reading my professors comments I realized there were many things that
could be improved. I printed off a copy of my essay to read over and mark up with all my notes.
It was helpful to me to have a hard copy that I can physically hold and write on. I then completed
the margin outline. After thoroughly reading through it I was surprised with how many things I
could change. I would recommend doing a margin outline to any writer. It helps to break down
your essay and look at it from a new perspective.
 It’s not easy for me to think of strengths about my writing, it is much easier to see all the
areas I seem to fall short. One strength I have is once I get all my thoughts out, I am good at
organizing them to construct a response or essay. One weakness I have is doubting myself. Often
when writing I doubt my ability of actually producing good work. I think this holds me back
from experimenting with my writing in fear of failing. When writing my inquiry essay, several
times I thought about incorporating writers moves but I was too nervous to attempt any. Another
thing that holds me back when writing is the fear that someone will say it is not good. Which is
silly because half the time I write something that no one else will see. This class has encouraged
me to pay closer attention to writing and notice moves that before I would have read right over.
I have learned so much from this class. Forever my perspective on writing will be
changed. I used to think of writing as a pain in the butt and something I was required to do in
order to get good grades. This class has taught me that there is so much more to writing. It is not
easy by any means, but this course has equipped me with writing strategies that make it easier
and I will most likely use them for the rest of my life. I have learned that writing is a process, it
takes time and revision. I am very thankful for all this class has taught me. I will use the skills I
learned in this class for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Daly