When it came to writing I thought I knew all that I needed to know to be an above average writer. I have written difficult papers in the past before but had never reflected on a single one of them. Throughout this class I have found that reflection is the best way to understand the strengths and weaknesses in my writing because it involves taking a step back and looking at my work before, during and after I had finished with it. This class, particularly the reflections and weekly analysis that I wrote in the Common Place Book, taught me that I was far from knowing everything about being a good writer.
My first reflection I wrote on a paper and my first CRQ were weak and showed a writer that was insecure and overcompensated using large words, lots of summary and a bad implementation of quotations taken from articles and writing prompts. The difference I found in writing in the Common Place Book versus speaking in class was that the ideas I discussed and the personal stories or feelings I wrote in my Common Place Book were only between my teacher and me. The idea that the Common Place Book was a personal space to discuss thoughts and feelings comforted me and helped me to use it to its full potential as a helpful writing tool. By using the Commonplace book like a personal writing journal, I found that the most important part of the writing process is the reflection written on the progress of the current paper before it is finished. In these reflections I was able to see the most growth and even though I was writing as an assignment, it helped me immensely to flesh out the things I was struggling with. All of my life and especially at the start of this class, I hated research and analytical writing. I always found that writing on topics I was passionate about or personal stories came more naturally to me. However, after cranking out a CRQ week after week, I have become a writer that can respond to a prompt even if the prompt mentions things I have never heard of, let alone written about. Not only can I respond and write about these topics weekly, but I can do so confidently.
By doing weekly CRQ’s and reflections on my papers in the Commonplace Book, I have become a less formal more to the point writer who has found her own voice. I feel like I can write a well formulated response on any topic or prompt and still be able to implement things that are unique to me and my writing. I have exhibited so much growth in my writing and I hope that the learning does not stop there. I never again think that I know all I need to know about writing because if this class has taught me anything it is that I will never stop improving my writing skills.