When we began this semester we were asked to make a “To-Do List” and to focus it on some areas we wanted to improve in our writing. In my personal list I included things like working on the structure of my essays, sticking to my topic, my concluding paragraphs, and really presenting a forceful essay that didn’t have a lot of useless information used for filler. I believe that through the semester, I’ve accomplished many of these things. My first paper, which was my weakest of the semester, showed many of my downfalls. I don’t believe it had enough solid information and I think the argument, though it was an opinion paper, wasn’t strong enough. I also don’t think my concluding paragraph was well written. With time and effort, my writing has improved greatly over the semester and I believe it shows in my fourth paper.
My fourth paper was an argumentative paper about electronic texts which involved using counter-arguments and critical analysis. I believe that all of the information in this paper was necessary to make my paper strong. My paper structure improved greatly with this project as well as my concluding paragraph. This was my strongest piece but I think it will soon be replaced by my Final Project. My Final Project is a revised and lengthened version of my fourth paper. When editing this paper I noticed that there were places in it that needed clarification as well as opportunities for more counterarguments and opportunities to strengthen my thesis. I believe this project is a greatly improved version of my fourth paper.
Though my writing has improved, I still have things I feel I need to work on. In my first paper, my inability to write an elegant paper about myself and my opinions shows. I feel that I need to practice and improve upon that. I also feel like I need to work on my transitions between topics, though this semester made me realize how important they are and how to make them effective. There are many things that I still would like to improve to create strong, persuasive essays in the future but in this year alone I know I improved greatly.
