WP4
At the start of this semester, I was dreading this class. Honestly. I kept telling myself that there is no need for me to take a writing class because I already know how to write. However, my opinion was very wrong. After paying attention in class and listening to professor Dissinger, I learnt more about writing than I ever did in high school. Not only did he teach me the practicality of writing, but he was able to allow myself to teach me more about my identity through writing.
Being in this class completely transformed how I view writing, particularly in relation to conciseness and simplicity. Being an English Literature major, we are instructed on turning an idea that could be said in one sentence, into an extensive paragraph that takes minutes to read. Coming into this class was a real shock. We weren’t given a prompt for our first assignment. *Panic mode for me*. The eradication of structure bamboozled me. However, I came to appreciate this so much over the course of the semester. I came to love the idea of writing not having to be so rigid and can alternatively be more fluid.
On a more personal level, this class allowed me to literally put my thoughts and emotions onto paper, without having a professor tell me that it doesn’t meet the criteria for structure. I usually keep my emotions to myself, but this class allowed me to become vulnerable in relation to my viewpoints and emotions. Although nervous at times, it was a great stress relief. Due to this, I began to start journaling daily and from this, I have become more productive and seem to be more relaxed. I learnt that writing doesn’t always relate to education and school, it can assist in personal, emotional things which are private. Writing has given me the opportunity to continue learning more about my identity, as I journal my emotions and the events that take place in my life every day. It is a form of personal reflection
Writing taught me the importance of simplicity. There’s an albert Einstein quote that says, “If you can’t explain a complex concept to a 6-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself”, and I believe this whole heartedly. Prof D always said to us that a paragraph should begin with a leading sentence that highlights the idea/importance of the paragraph. Ever since he told us that, I began to realize that there’s no need to elongate sentences, as you would do in English literature, but rather guide your reader through your work so it is easy to follow.
Over the course of this writing class, writing taught me how it is very difficult to sit down and tackle a great essay in one go. In relation to other things, this point is valid. Results won’t occur over night. It takes time, effort, and determination. This is exactly what it took to improve my first writing project. Looking back at my first draft of WP1, I keep asking myself, “Raph what on earth were you doing”. After hours of effort and craft, I noticed a major improvement in the way I write. This has taught me that in anything I do, I should break it up into bite-size pieces and achieve those day by day. Instead of cramming for my economics final the night before, start revising two weeks before the exam, doing a little each day.
The writing project themes taught me a lot about my identity and made me realize things which were part of me, but things which I never paid much attention to. As mentioned in my writing projects, I have three older sisters, who are my role models and best friends. Because they have been present my whole life, I don’t know what life would be like without them. When I express my views about gender inequality, and what it means to be a REAL man, I notice that I am really passionate about this subject. Looking back at my previous actions, I always have been, but never realized it.
Writing also taught me that you can voice things without speaking. As simple as that sounds, it is true. It is a form of communicating without speaking. I noticed that I express myself a lot better when I speak, compared to when I write. I am thankful I noticed this because now I always practice improving my conciseness when writing. Again, I found the solution and am trying to improve, through CHANGE. This writing class highlighted faults in the way I express myself over email and essays, and it was really a blessing to take this course.
Overall, I was amazed to see how my feelings towards WRIT 150 changed over the course of the semester. Yes at times it was slow, and it dragged on a little. But when I look at how it improved the way I write, and how it improved my understanding of myself, I can only be grateful. Constantly revising pieces and taking the time to dig deep in my thoughts, simplifying them onto paper, improved the way I approach an issue. Throughout the semester, I would get frustrated when I’d have to spend time trying to make things flow, but over the course of the semester, I became better and better at it. There was this element of satisfaction, after I spent hours trying to make the flow of my essay improve, when I completed the essay, and it was really rewarding.
Finally, I learnt how special it is to look at writing of others. It showed me how everyone has a uniqueness to them, and that they can express their own identity through writing. I read some writing projects from students in the other class, and for some reason, despite never meeting them, I felt close to them because I could relate to them; this was only possible through their writing. Writing allowed me to understand others in a greater depth, as well as myself. It was incredible to see how this simple form of writing, was able to allow me to understand their viewpoints and identity, more than a fancy English comparative literature paper. I loved this course. It taught me how to make my essays easier to follow, and it taught me more about my own identity.
