Gutierrez 1

Alyssa Gutierrez

Instructor Jessica Zisa

Writing 2: Academic Writing

5 December 2022

Looking Back

In order to change you need a start. Looking back on all that I have done my Final

Portfolio reflects a large improvement in content for both of my Writing Projects (WPs). The

portfolio includes a welcome page that shows who I am. It also displays a WP1 page which

includes my CD booklet as well as my analytical essay, a WP2 page that has the “Teacher

Conference” slides, and a Reflective Letter page which is, well, this. The organization and design

display who I am, and the final products indicate the large growth I have had in writing.

“If I had more time, I would write an entire album,” says the ambitious author Alyssa

Gutierrez, also known as me, but let’s just say there are many reasons why I chose not to. My

choices are a result of all that I’ve learned while writing my WPs. Revsion allowed for

improvement when I was able to look back on my writing. For my WP1 I incorporated stylistic

changes on my CD booklet to better the connection with my audience. Additionally, I made a lot

of changes to my analytical essay as I realized there needed to be more content on specific

choices I had made and how they fit in with the rhetorical situation. I also edited it to involve less

“fluff” and fix many grammatical errors. As for my WP2, I found it very difficult to revise this

since I had more knowledge of rhetorical situations and had changed my writing approach after

WP1. However, I still made certain changes such as the inclusion of more imagery to fit the

genre better, and clearer organization which overall helped improve the content for the audience.
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Throughout Writing 2 it has been a very interesting period of time as I adjusted to a new

way of writing that differed from high school. The whole class was a constant learning period

and there wasn’t really a plateau of concepts. As a writer, I have grown and my perception of

writing and what can be done with it has dramatically shifted. Since the beginning of the class,

we incorporated journaling which helped create a flow in my writing. Journaling created a first

draft environment, as the author wrote, “Very few writers really know what they are doing until

they’ve done it” (Lamott 22). The process allowed me to create and express ideas that may have

not been complete in my mind but came to life as I would continually type. With this, we had to

do reading where I was able to write important notes that helped me develop both of my writing

projects. The class itself was cut short and obviously created less time to work together which

caused me to struggle, despite this, my classmates and I did not stop working. In and out-of-class

discussions were also a great aspect of the class as they allowed for conversation that opened

new ideas. Additionally, peer review was probably the most vital part of improvement for WPs.

It came to be essential for the final portfolio and was good for the reviewee and the reviewer.

The reviewer's skills were improved while the reviewee was able to view their work in a

different light and allowed for proper revision to be done.

Within the class, alongside the various activities, my knowledge of specific writing skills

has grown tremendously. I can definitely say that at the beginning of the course I thought I

could’ve gotten by without learning the specifics of rhetorical situations or using only one genre.

Looking back, my initial thoughts are quite laughable as they express my lack of motivation for

certain things. Rhetorical situations are the entirety of the writing process since audience,

purpose, and context make the writing come together and are the basis for the intended portrayal.

Additionally, I discovered how different aspects like discourse communities and genres play into
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the rhetorical situation as they affect the content of what writers choose and the overall choices

made. Speaking of choices made, it’s seen that whatever is done throughout the process affects

the final product. As the class progressed I was slowly able to piece the rhetorical situation

components together. The article states, “A writer at the end of their first draft now sees things

they did not when they began” (Downs 66). Near the beginning, I would only consider one

aspect at a time whereas now I make sure that each component is working together.

As a writer, I am never fully satisfied with my work but this doesn’t mean I work till I am

satisfied either. My biggest struggle with writing is finding motivation for things I am not as

passionate about. For WP1, I had a broader ability to choose what topic I wanted, however, with

WP2 I was a bit more constricted. The constraint of WP2 caused me to put less effort in initially.

What made WP2 even more difficult was not being in class for most of it. The lack of motivation

was my reality and even the idea of just completing the project felt like a huge accomplishment.

Authors mention, “Our conceptions of writing — the stories we tell ourselves about it, what we

assume about it — really matter” (Downs and Wardle, 7). Therefore, how I think about writing,

whether that be about a topic or writing in general, it will lead to affect the product overall. With

this, my greatest weakness ties to my biggest strength, the ability to do something. This really

keeps me going as I know I can do more than nothing. This may seem simple but in reality, it

leads me to completion. I will not turn in late or unfinished work when I know I could have

gotten something done. For WP2, even when I thought of just submitting something that didn’t

satisfy any of the project's requirements, the idea of that sparked motivation to work on it and

create some substance. Motivation really is my double-edged sword. I truly believe I have made

many improvements, and in the end, I managed to complete both WPs without stabbing myself,

rather I killed my projects (laughs).

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Works Cited

Downs, Doug. “Revision is Central to Developing Writing.” Naming What We Know: Threshold

Concepts of Writing Studies.

https://gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/5187280/course/section/358624/Do

wns%20-%20Revision%20is%20Central%20to%20Developing%20Writing.pdf

Lamott, Anne. “Shitty First Drafts.” Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.

https://gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/5187280/course/section/358589/La

mott_Shitty%20First%20Drafts%20.pdf

Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. “Writing about Writing.” Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan

Learning, 2020. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781319423360/pageid/0