Manaye 1

Evan Manaye

Instructor Litle

ENG10100L

06 December 2020

My Growth and Newfound Confidence as a Writer

Writing is used in our daily activities. It is used to provide information, persuade others,

and express opinions. Developing writing skills was not focused as much as science at my

former school which impacted my strength in writings. I knew I had to work hard and dig deeper

in improving my writing as I joined my English class. Thankfully, I have noticed much

development in my writing as well as my communicating skills through the help of my instructor

and classmates.

Throughout the courses, I have done many writings and communicated with my

instructor. To list some examples of writings I practiced: journals, major papers, emails, peer

reviews, discussions, in class writings, conference meetings, and online tutoring. The first week

began with a discussion where students introduced themselves. It was a good start for students to

know each other and to establish friendship. Even though my first participation was MLA

practice, I was able to communicate with my classmates through chat. During the first few weeks

of the class, the writing mainly focused on formatting papers using MLA style. I learned how to

format my papers using double space, intext citation, lists of works cited, and margins. I wrote

“In addition to that, MLA format provides sources taken in such a way that assist readers about

the borrowed information” (MLA practice, para.1). This is a style author should use while

quoting or referring sources as it gives credit for the author of the source.
 Manaye 2

The first major paper I submitted focused on analyzing images, visual literacy, and the

use of rhetorical appeal. I consider it as my first accomplishment as well as my fist paper where I

noticed my strengths and weaknesses. While drafting paper one, I learned methods of developing

writing skills such as expanding vocabulary and cultivating reading habits. I have watched many

videos and read articles that briefly explained rhetorical appeal. This has magnificently affected

how I draft many of my writings. From understanding the main idea to preparing an outline,

paper one has been a great experience. This experience had influenced how I perceive visual

images and better understand means of persuasion used in many writings.

Journal is a free writing where students express their feelings and opinions. I have written

ten journals for this semester and the one I really enjoyed writing was a journal where I share my

favorite type of music genre. After briefly discussing Bazerman’s article over speech act and

genre, understanding music genre and their unique pattern was not so onerous. Journal seven

required students to submit their favorite music genre and what characterizes them as a genre. I

wrote about Afrobeat which I learned new information while writing my journal. I wrote “

Afrobeat is classified as a group of genres because it contains music that flow in similar patterns

and are characterized by traditional African rhythm and jazz”(Journal 7, para.2). What makes

something preferable is its unique flow and character. Analyzing the genre of music has made

me realize categories of music have their own pattern making listeners favor one over the other.

When students are introduced to a new topic, confusion and misunderstanding occurs. I

believe that reaching out to their instructor is the best if students do not understand or feel

confused. This is because when drafting their paper, they might not include the main idea or

misinterpret the instruction for the assignments. The first week of my class was challenging. I

had my laptop open and sat for hours without writing a page. I reached out to my instructor for
 Manaye 3

more clarification. In our conversation, my instructor explained every detail clearly. I was glad I

reached out to my instructor or I would have been stuck in the same page for hours. Students

should not be shy or afraid to ask anything that is not clear because it helps them uncover

challenges they are facing, and it gives them an idea on what the teacher expects them to do.

Another way to eliminate confusion is to work with a tutor. Otero Junior College, a college I am

currently attending provides online tutoring where it connects students with verified online tutor

which I found to be a great help. I had a chance to go over my paper 2 draft and it was amazing.

My tutor later sent me a feedback which I attach in artifact #5. Conclusively, communication

between students and teachers is very important as it strengthens the relationship between them

and helps build the character of students.

Another resource I used to help my writing journey is peer reviews. Peer review opens up

opportunities among students to share feedback and edit issues in their writings. I have

submitted three peer review assignments which I enjoyed doing. In peer review one, I shared

what the author’s strength and weakness and found it beneficial not only to the receiver but also

to me. One of the weaknesses I mentioned was that “There were noticeable grammar errors and

replicated the same sentence in a paragraph. This essay needs improvement in grammar choices”

(peer review 1, pp.3). while answering such a feedback, it made me take a good look at my paper

and check each paragraph carefully. In addition to that, I was able to correct some errors from

the feedback I received. Peer review provides valuable feedback that can be used to enhance

one’s writings.

Overall, this semester has provided a great lesson that will surely impact students’ writing

skills. I have seen a dramatic development in my writing as well as my communication skills. It

has been an amazing journey and I am glad we ended it with fun. I am looking forward to taking
 Manaye 4

more English classes in the future to enhance my writing skills and achieve my goal of becoming

a great author.