It's always beneficial to take a moment and reflect on your writing. What do you see as your major strengths and/or weaknesses as a writer? What aspects of your writing are you most proud of? What would you like to work on as you head off towards college? (Feel free to think in either large or small terms ...)
20 comments:
I have found that I really have a problem with grammar; I know it is something that I should know, but I always end up making mistakes in my writing. However, this is something that I can fix; I can have someone look at my papers and proofread them before I hand them in. This may work for high school, but I think it may be harder when I have really long college papers. One other thing that I know that I need to work on is expanding my vocabulary, if I’m at home writing a paper and I have time to think I can think of different words. However, when I’m writing in class or in more stressful situations I get stuck for words. Expanding my vocab is what I would really like to work on before I get to college.
I feel that I am comfortable in expressing my ideas. I am able to organize my thoughts and this helps me to write a paper that is easy to understand. I feel that I am able to either expand my ideas to make more specific points, or condense them into generalizations, depending on what the prompt or topic is asking. I find this flexibility to be helpful, so even if I feel very strongly on a particular topic, I can generalize that thought to make a topic for an entire paper.
My most pronounced weakness, as I see it, would probably be writing literary analyses, such as for examining some aspect of a book or poem. I am perfectly adept at writing scientific papers for biology, physics, psychology, ect. However I have more difficulty writing papers on literature as they require a more eloquent touch where as science papers are able to be more blunt and direct. As for my strengths/aspects that I am proud of, it would probably have to be ability to write a pretty good paper quickly, meaning if I work on my tendency to procrastinate (I'll start tomorrow) I could potentially write some excellent papers. And my procrastinating nature is what I need to work on as I go into college.
My biggest writing problem is that I am horrible at organizing my thoughts. I like to just write in a stream of consciousness style and not worry about having the points I want to make being in their own individual paragraph. As soon as a good point comes into my head or I think of something I want to say, I just write it without thinking of if it makes sense at that point in my paper. It alson makes editing tough because i have to reorganize my paper multiple times and rewrite a lot of it so it makes better sense. Now that I am going to college and I know I will be writing many long research papers, I hope I will be able to organize my thoughts better because I know that writing in a stream of consciousness way is going to hinder me.
I think that my biggest weakness as a writer is procrastination and not planning ahead. I know that procrastinating isn't only in writing but thats where it becomes a really big problem for me. I always put off papers until the last minute even if i get them weeks ahead of time. I really need to learn how to plan and organize what i want to write in advance so that when it comes down to actually writing i'm not stressing out and throwing things together. This is going to be an even bigger problem next year when i have endless amounts of free time. I think that i should start working on this now by making outlines and organizing my thoughts ahead of time so that i'm used to it by the fall and don't feel overwhelmed when it comes to writing college papers.
I think that the best thing about my writing are my main ideas. When I know what I am going to write I just push forward and the essay seems to come without any effort in thinking. It is when I don't know what the question is looking for that I get lost. I think it is easier to write a paper that has a specific topic. Another thing that comes easily, due to all the practice I've had in school, is pulling out quotes that effectively support the point that I am trying to make. We've done this so many times, and I think that it gets easier. The downside is when you have a limited amount of space to explain exactly what you want the reader of your essay to see in the quote that you picked. Overall the most difficult thing with my writing is grammar. Proofreading my own papers I never see any mistakes, but then the teacher's editing says otherwise.
I would say that my primary strength in writing centers on my ability to persuade. I am confident in my ideas and present them fluently. Organization is definitely one of the golden keys to effective persuasive writing. In terms of what I need to refine, it is difficult for me to choose a point to focus on in open-ended situations. I am an indecisive person and prefer when the topic is handed to me rather than at my disposal. In college, it's likely that I'll have to write a thesis. When that time comes, I want to zone in on one or a few issues and write it in a clean and clear manner. I don't want to waste time debating between this and that and conducting unnecessary research. I know I have the power to direct my own writing-I have to DO IT!
biggest weakness is probably grammar and my loathing towards MLA format and specific organization of writing, guess i always felt if it makes sense and sources are somewhere it's all good. minute details and expressing what i mean by certain phrases is also a weakness. if i remember correctly i'm also not so great at literary analysis. oh well. my strengths are probably getting my message across in concise sentences, i don't like clutter or don't feel a need to expand to infinity about every single idea. so in college when we have to write a one page paper or something about a long book i can do it and get all of my ideas across.
I can be kind of harsh when it comes to judging my own writing. A deffinate weakness of mine is grammar. I always make the smallest mistakes that actually cost me because it eventually ends up causing me to lose a lot of points. I really feel that I need to fix that as I head off to college because professors will be assuming that I don't get the little things wrong. I also need to work on my organization. Sometimes I just get all these ideas at once and I can't just slow down and break it down. I need to learn how to break it apart so that it still all makes sense. However, It can be a strength at times because If I get lucky is does fall into place nicely and it flows. My vocabulary is also expanding as I continue to write. I would like to have everything down pat before I leave for college.
My abilities and strengths and weaknesses in writing all blend together into one big double edged sword. I have the potential and the ability to create and imagine and discover all sorts of things- I take pride in my insight- but I have the worst time organizing. I'm slightly impatient and a hyper-procrastinator (as many of us are) and I simply don't provide myself the time to really sit down and edit and go over my stuff. If I put more effort into the organization of my papers rather than just try to gush out my, usually really involved & abstract, ideas...my papers would be significantly more readable.
I have a really large vocabulary...but sometimes I'm a little too verbose. I need to seriously concise and pare down my writing sometimes, or write with simple (but still poignant) diction.
I need to watch out for paraphrasing and reiterating ideas; pretty much running in circles around the same thought for 4 sentences straight.
I have to HAVE to HAVE TO get myself motivated to take MLA seriously. I have such an internal domestic disturbance with like pots and pans flying when we have to employ MLA in research papers.
I'm not a rebel- it's not that i dislike form and stuff, I just -like I said- am impatient and need to really take the time to do stuff right.
The things that I really like about my writing is that I feel my voice is really unique. I'm not being a weirdo and just saying that. Even in class people sometimes smirk or laugh (not in a mean way) at my ideas or are taken aback by something wiLd that I say and I take pride in my ability to shock people and make them think really differently. I think like that line of stitching on the inside of socks up by the toe that no one ever sees until they randomly turn their sock inside out...or the thread starts to come undone and its tickling your foot.
yeah...i'm going to stop on that one.
My issues with writing are more or less similar to to a bunch of other people's. Like Lauren, I hate having to organize my thoughts; I think that is the most difficult part of my writing. I take forever just thinking about how I'm going to write an essay and where I'm going to insert my thoughts: that's torture. It probably doesn't help that i sit down to write my essay the night before it is due, which is what I have done with EVEY SINGLE PAPER THIS YEAR. Making all of my ideas come together in one unified thesis is also something i want to work on. Otherwise i just write what pops into my mind. I think my writing is good in the fact that it isn't boring. I like filling my work with interesting phrases to keep my reader interested. I keep any analytical papers clutter-free and concise. Of course, this all depends on my mood during essay writing: If it's 2:00 in the morning I might not be up to spicing up my syntax. Convincing myself that my creation will be a work of art does help though.
First of all...I like Dovile's blogging name. haha I find that my strength in writing, similarly to Lauren, comes with persuasion. I don't have a problem writing about an insane statement that I make up about a story or something. The problem that I have is coming up with a controversial statement. I never see to feel inspired before the day a paper is due! And i procrastinate worse than anyone can possibly. When I do my papers at the last minute i miss spelling mistakes (like cianfone) and stupid things because I don't read. In college, if i procrastinate I will fail!
i need to come up with a thesis and not put so much pressure on myself to make it bold and daring becasue it takes too long to think of. I also seem to have a limited vocabulary when i write -- and find my tone the same in a lot of my essays. Overall, I think that starting things earlier would slowly help clear up other issues like editing and vocab becasue shen I do edit a paper it goes through at least 80 drafts (when it's done on time). But then I over-edit it to the point where I don't even have my thesis anymore! i guess I just need to find a balance.
I believe that I can come up with good ideas. I do think that I have a lot to work on. Supporting my quotes is one thing I need to do more often. And finding more support for my arguments would help make my ideas that much stronger. I also need to really look through my own paper more than once. Having peer editing helps, but it would be better if I can come up with the changes that need to happen on my paper. That way there will be less errors on my paper. Also, I could use a bigger vocabulary. I feel that the words I use are too simple. I do feel that I need to make a lot of changes to the way I write my papers. To be quite honest with myself I have a lot of work to do. Specifying my points and ideas would definitely be a start, being clear with my ideas also. Overall, I feel that I need to put more time into my papers, and analyze the concepts I want to put into them.
I think my biggest weakness in writing is thoroughly explaining the points I try to make. Sometimes when I'm writing about one idea, another jumps into my mind and I quickly skip to that point so I won't forget it. As a result, the points I write about are not always completely explained. Also, parts of my writing end up choppy and a little confusing. I could probably fix this problem by taking more time to plan and outline a paper before I write it. Perhaps the next essay assignment I receive I will try and make an outline for myself and see if that helps.
I hate how I write. My main problem which I'm absolutely horrible at is organization and/or categorization. I'll write a great introduction laying out the basics of my thesis, yet when I get to the specifics in body paragraphs, I have a tendency to lump everything together in ridiculously large paragraphs. I have to take more time in organizing my thoughts and ideas and then more eloquently "label" or "categorize" them. Otherwise, I create this epic page-long paragraphs which suck. Secondly, another thing I hate about my writing is that I'm too complex sometimes. In other words, a point I'm trying to make could be a lot more concise and clearer but I screw it up and make rather ambiguous with verbosity. I have to start thinking less can be more.
I think my greatest weakness is organizing my thoughts concisely. Like Lauren said, I tend to write in a stream of consciousness at times--especially when I don't plan out my writing ahead of time. When I write like that, I tend to reiterate ideas and points of my argument (which in turn makes them weaker than they probably are). I think one of my strengths is my diction/vocabulary. When I'm trying to describe something, I can think of distinct/unique words to perfectly describe that thing/idea most of the time.
I think my biggest weakness is vocabulary. I find myself wishing there was a word out there that could describe a thing I'm thinking or trying to make the paper feel. And I'm sure there is, I just don't remember it. I read a lot, so I am familiar with an "extensive vocabulary," but I can't seem to find the the words when I need them. I think part of this comes from, like many others have said (not to be repetitive), but waiting to do things. Procrastinating. I'm doing this entry at 11 on the last day of February...so I think that part of my lack of being able to express what I would like to express comes from not giving myself enough time to edit my writings. Ideas and words probably flow better when they're not being rushed to come out.
Yeah.. I'll work on that.
And I go off on tangents sometimes.
I can't think of any strengths that are unique/non-repetitive. I'm pretty good at doing opening introductions.
The biggest issue for me when writing is word choice. I have an issue in taking an idea and expressing it in a sentence using the correct words, especially when I'm trying to write down my thesis statement. Another issue that I have is editing. I like to write a paper in one sitting, because I feel that's where my best ideas and most creativity comes through. But I also know that sometimes it leads me to be sloppy and not notice mistakes or areas where I can improve upon a paper. I'm pretty sure almost all of us have procrastination issues, which also applies to me. But even if I didn't have that issue, I would still type a paper in one sitting and not think about it after that.
When I write I always forget to do a good proofreading. I always spell words wrong and my sentences sound kind of confusing sometimes. Everytime i go to proofread, i always somehow manage to fly through my paper but finding many corrections. And then after its graded i go through it and im like "omg i cant belive i said that, how did i not catch that!" It's getting better though. Good thing we usually get to proofread papers with a partner in class. I deff. learned my lesson. I'm always going to have someone proofread for me before handing something in.
I feel like work really hard on the body, setting up the intro and sticking to it throughout the essay, but then by the end i am burnt out and my conclusion is weak. I also need to proofread a few more times. I always misss something cause it is not like i dont know the differnce between there and their but when i am typing fast a type it wrong and i dont always catch everything in a proof read. I also need to be more careful to not revert to "speaking language" int he essay but keep it formal and organized. any other suggestions mr. cianflone?
Brenda, we all make mistakes on first drafts, especially when we're typing/writing quickly. Want proof? Read the blogs! It's rare that I get a blog response that's free of grammar/spelling/usage errors. As far as proofreading, I sort of think there's two types of proofreading that should be done prior to turning in an essay. The first should be a "big-picture" read-through, making sure that your arguments are sound, your organization is clear, your points are adequately supported, etc. THEN, do a sentence-by-sentence read-through, ignoring the larger picture and focusing on each individual sentence (as we do when we do sentence corrections in class.)
As for conclusions, they can be tough. (Not my forte either!) Often successful conclusions are written long before the bulk of the rest of the paper is. This ensures that you haven't "run out of steam" by the time you get to the end. In an in-class essay, or an AP essay, when the conclusion has to be written at the end, try to at least save some major concluding point for the final paragraph.
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