Reflective letter!

Throughout my experience in English Composition 1101, I have studied many novels, articles, and films and have polished up my writing skills tremendously. In studying these many forms of novels, I have broadened my own techniques and rhetoric of writing. There is so much more to writing a paper than just putting words together in context with the specific topic. Through this course I have discovered that my  writing needs to appeal and make sense to not just myself or my professor, but the wide range of audience as well. The use of formatting, tone, level of formality, and genre all need to be taken into consideration to write a successful paper. Prior to this class, I would write as if my audience knew what I was talking about and was given all the background knowledge that I had, but I now know that I must write as if they know nothing about the specific topic. I also mastered the use of the three different rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Using these three appeals gives my audience a better understanding and grasp of the subject being written about. 

Reading and writing have so much more of an impact than just entertainment or for a grade in class. Reading is ultimately how we gain and expand our knowledge. The more a person reads, the more subjects, ideas, and practices that person is exposed to. During the lapse of this course, I discovered that reading is so much more effective when you write or reflect on in, like with our blog assignments. If one reads but doesn't summarize or reflect on the reading, they won't retain or apply any of the information just read. In doing these blogs, project one, and project two, I realized that writing involves research and knowledge, not just opinion and view point. I learned that there is a series of steps involved including research, evaluation, synthesis, organization, and application when writing.

The most important skill I gained during the course of this class was editing and revising my writing. I've realized that writing is continuous process, never complete because you can always add more detail, information are broaden the subject and theme. With this said, the papers and essays I write in college need to go through many drafts and revision before being turned in. With my participation in the writing workshops, class assignments, and discussions, I obtained many unique and in-depth methods of editing. My favorite method is done by simply reading each sentence at a time and locating the subject, verb, and object and then thinking of a more specific word or phrase for the original one. I also now know how to really critique my writing and I can notice and admit when I know it needs a lot more work and revision. With the almost everlasting load of assignments and projects in this class, my laptop and I became best friends. Literally, I have spent more time on my laptop than I have been with my boyfriend in this six weeks, revealing to me that technology and and an overflow of sources are the backbone and basis of writing. 

Along with my new found research, editing, and application techniques, I also realized the importance of the basics in writing, such as format, grammar, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and documentation. There are many different types, forms, and genres of writing and therefor all require different elements of writing. The tone and structure should follow the genre and main idea of the piece. English composition has taught me an immense amount of writing and editing techniques.