Peter Giannaris

Caitlin Geoghan

FIQWS 10113 Med 3

Dec 20, 2019

Theory of Writing Essay

To me writing used to be a tedious task that was a waste of my time. I used to believe that there was a set format for how an essay should be written with an introduction, two body paragraphs with two concrete details, and a conclusion. Throughout this year I have gained confidence in my writing, and have begun to enjoy spending my time writing. My writing has changed over the course of the year and has improved as I was able to write about things I never had the opportunity to write about before. Before entering the class I did not enjoy writing and did not believe that I was a good writer.

My likeness for writing has increased this year because of the ability to write about any topic I that interested me with no set format. I am a politically versed and technologically versed, and throughout this year the essays that I have written have been on the topics that I am most passionate about, which has allowed me to improve my writing as I have enjoyed writing about topics I like. In my research paper I wrote “There is a split right through the heart of America, and it can further be seen as there has and still is a divide in how white people and minorities view and have experience with guns and gun violence.” Gun violence in America is something that interests me greatly, and having the opportunity to write about it allowed me to develop a strong argument. I enjoyed writing the paper and in turn I learned a lot of new information that I never knew before. I also have a passion for the environment and in my critical lens essay I was able to write about Elon Musk who is an icon in the push to go green. He is a leader in the world that I respect, and writing about him allowed me to create a strong argument because I am passionate about the subject. Never before in school was I allowed to pick what I wanted to write about, and that is what led me to dislike writing and not writing very well.

Another piece of writing that has also sparked my interest in was free writes. I was given a question or task and had to answer it. The prompt was given after we watched the movie “Gun Hill Road” and it stated “Write a scene about what would happen next from the end of the movie.” It was a very thought provoking exercise that allowed me to be creative and it ended up being enjoyable as a crafted the final scene.

My writing has also improved immeasurably. In one of the first discussion posts that I wrote I used many details, but didn’t make enough of an argument and create connections with my own words. I began to realize that writing is more of getting my point across, not the facts and opinions of others. So, throughout the year I began explaining the details that I used to a greater degree in order to improve my discussion posts and create an argument that is stronger. Toward the end of the year I became very strong at interweaving my details with my explanations in a way that flows and gets the point that I am trying to make across.

The peer reviews also helped me to improve my writing, as feedback is the best way to build confidence and fix problems with my writing. The face to face peer review that was done on the metaphor essay gave me an opportunity to improve my writing while getting honest feedback from someone else’s point of view on my writing. For the outsider essay, the online peer review gave me important information to try and fix in my essay. My classmate stated  “I would suggest using more description as a way to place the reader in his shoes.” I believe that this was an important statement as throughout my outsider essay I became more descriptive which allowed for a better narrative to be created.

After all the writing that I have performed this semester, I have realized that I do in fact enjoy writing. I have realized that writing is a medium where I can express myself and my opinions on certain topics and matters. Not only have I begun to enjoy writing more, but I have improved my writing skills in a way that is beneficial and will allow me to improve my ability to write in the future.

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