Gilbert 1 Shawnee Gilbert English 1010 Dr.

Greenwell November 30, 2013 Doubts about writing A great essay starts with a great idea well at least it!s su""osed to. #t starts o$$ with an attention%getting start, li&e a story or a sho'&ing statement. (hen it moves itsel$ onto a thesis statement, there it gives you the e)a't "oint or reason behind the "ie'e itsel$. An essay has body "aragra"hs that go into detail on the sub*e't, sometimes it even states the o""osing side o$ the argument it!s trying to ma&e and sometimes it *ust doesn!t ma&e any sense. (a&ing English 1010 during $all semester 2013 was one o$ the best 'hoi'es # ever made. +ell that and a'tually going ba'& to s'hool, that!s been "retty great too. ,y $irst day o$ English 1010, Dr. Greenwell told us that by the end o$ this 'ourse we would be more 'om$ortable writing and voi'ing our o"inions. # "eo"le in the 'lass *ust li&e "robably hal$ the other

wasn!t so sure that 'ould ever ha""en. Sure # write in a diary at home and

wrote a $ew things here and there in high s'hool, but # never had to write anything really truly im"ortant. And # 'ertainly never had to a'tually loo& at a sub*e't, analy-e it, brea& it down, and then re"ort my $indings in a way in whi'h # made sense. #t is hard enough $or me to voi'e my thoughts aloud, and Dr. Greenwell wants them "ut on "a"er. (hen he is going to read it and tell you what he thought. (o say the least, when we re'eived our $irst essay to write, # was s'ared. Dr. Greenwell made it 'hallenging but never on'e did he leave us without guidan'e. +e had all sorts o$ tem"lates, a te)t boo& o$ great e)am"les, and he was *ust an email away. +hen # wrote my $irst essay it was a little sho'&ing to me. # never &new that # 'ould read something and have su'h a strong o"inion 'ome out to $ight. # also 'hose the longest essay $rom the 'hoi'es

Gilbert 2 given to us. # had ta&en something that # didn!t understand at $irst and beat it into submission, ty"ed it out and learned $rom it. Ea'h essay # wrote # got a little more 'on$iden'e 'learly did not have when # $irst wal&ed into that 'lass. ,y writing "ro'ess starts with me writing out a tem"late about what #!d li&e to dis'uss in my "a"er. (hen # start ty"ing, usually with the introdu'tion, be$ore # ma&e my way through the remainder o$ the tem"late e)"anding on ea'h idea and remembering other "arts # le$t out. .n'e # have wor&ed through it. # go ba'& to the beginning and read it again, $i)ing little mess%u"s here and there. (hen # have someone else read through it. # $igure i$ # ste" away and get a $resh ta&e on it it 'an only get better. .n'e # have wor&ed out those &in&s # run through it again, ma&ing any last 'hanges it may need. (hen # turn it in. Even though # $eel li&e # am a mu'h stronger writer than when # started # still get nervous about getting my grade. /ut # also thin& that that is 'om"letely normal. +riting an essay is hard wor&. #t ta&es time and dedi'ation. 0ust slo""ily writing down something that *ust $lew o$$ the to" o$ your head is what 'auses an essay to not ma&e sense and be 'on$using. 1ou *ust have to &ee" at it. /ut most im"ortantly remember that you 'an!t win them all. 0ust do your best, be honest, and have $un. something #