This assignment was a letter to our instructor, in my case it is Ms. Nisbett. We were supposed to tell them about what improvements we wanted to make this semester, specifically in our writing process. One of the main topics I cover is actually creating a writing process for myself, since I never really developed one in high school. This letter really helped me plan out a way to organize my writing process and be better about getting all my ideas out and used.
Another topic I touched on was giving myself a time frame and once again kind of plan out my writing process. It's so much easier to write a good paper when you aren't cramming it in the night before or the morning of. Not rushing my writing makes it much easier to read it back over and catch mistakes too.
The last topic I talk about in my letter was about using the writing center to help with my essays and projects. Even though I didn't really use that tool through this semester, I still know more about it and know where to find it when I do need it later on in my college education. This assignment was very beneficial because I actually did use these goals not only for my writings for this class, but other classes as well. It was a good reminder to look back at this letter and remember the things I wanted to improve and remember them for next semester and the semesters after.
Intro Letter:
Ms. Nisbett, My name is Elise Mitchell, a freshman at the University of Alabama in your English 101-323 class. This semester I have a few goals that I will be placing for myself pertaining to this class and more specifically my writing process. My goal will hopefully help me improve my writing composition, style, and even the time frame in which I write my projects in.
One of my biggest goals I want to achieve in this class is creating a writing process for myself. By this I mean cultivating a way for me to efficiently and effectively write a piece. I hope to possibly include a way for me to outline and plan out what I want to write instead of just going straight in and writing. Normally, I would just start typing and think of things as I go, but this often causes me to forget my train of thought and even sometimes deviate from the main idea of the writing. Creating an outline can help me stay on track and focused so my writing doesn’t seem so cluttered. In the outline, I can block off what the main ideas are and how I want to space them out into paragraphs, then show what I want to showcase in each paragraph. I normally don’t do one of these unless required, but I am willing to try it out again and see how it improves my writing.
Another goal I have for myself in this class this semester is to not only create an outline for my actual writing, but also create an outline for the amount I write and the time I do it in. Sometimes when there’s a big project, I tend to start a little when it’s first assigned and then not touch it again until right before it’s due and crank it all out at once. I hope to space out my work a little more and make the writing process less stressful and easier to manage. Creating deadlines for myself would really help me with this problem. This will help me to not feel like I need to rush my writing, so I can take my time and make it the best I can.
My last goal for this class and this semester is to use the Writing Center. I have never had a resource like this before, where someone will read over my paper and help me improve on my writing. It will be very beneficial to get another person’s opinion before I turn in my final copy so I can get another perspective on my writing. Sometimes when you write a paper you get so caught up in it you miss little, and sometimes big, mistakes and errors that someone else might see right away. I really hope to use this resource to my advantage this semester and throughout the rest of my college career.
These goals I set for myself for this semester will really help me succeed in this class. By writing outlines, creating personal deadlines, and using all of my resources, my hope is these things will improve my writing process effectively and positively impact the outcome of this class and how I approach other assignments in the rest of my college career. Sincerely, Elise Mitchell