Williams1

Claire Williams
May 5, 2015
De Piero
A Written Reflection
From the start, I thought class was going to be stupid. I mean, I knew how to write. I was
a good writer. I have been writing my entire life. I didnt need to take this class because there
was nothing knew to learn. Those were my original thoughts. Then I got a seven out of ten on the
first Writing Project (WP). You can say that I have never been a big fan of rude awakenings
especially with my gradesbut they sure do light a fire under my ass. I decided then that I was
going to learn everything I can from this class and attempt to finish with an A (although I would
settle for an A-). Even though my attention was sparked by purely self-interested reasons, I
ended up learning a TON in Writing 2 and enjoying the class.
I had never given much thought to details of my writing. I knew the general format from
high school or what most teachers want to seeevidence and analysis but I payed no attention
to genre. When it was first mentioned in class my first thought was Why the hell are we
learning about this?. Now I know! Its because genre is literally everywhere! Knowing how to
identify it allows writing to adhere to conventions and become a very polished piece. For
example, this reflection piece. It is a personal reflection and therefore using personal pronouns is
acceptable. However, if this was a academic analysis then I would avoid using pronouns because
its unprofessional. Same with conjunctions. In the last sentence I wrote the word its. If this
was a scholarly piece then the proper choice would be it is. Before Writing 2, I skimmed over
all these little idiosyncrasies of written work, now I cant help but to notice it.

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My writing has improved with punctuation too. I learned to use dashes and I love them!!
They make my paper look so classy especially with some semicolons, oxford-commas, hyphens,
and parallelism (I sound so nerdy). These punctuations help the clarity and diversity of my
writing. They allow my piece to stand out from others. I am also more confident with using them
which is just another tool I can use throughout my time here at UCSB. Proper punctuation is not
always taught but it is so important. I am thrilled to finally know how to use it and know that I
actually can use it.
After I failed to prove my writing ability in WP1, I worked my butt off on WP2. I started
by writing a draft. Then I revised that draft, printed it off and revised it again. I seriously think I
went through about five copies of that paper. By the end I wanted Hitler dead not only for
genocide, but also for all that propaganda I had to write about. I really enjoy that paper and was
proud when I turned it in. I wasnt quite satisfied with the structure and that was a huge comment
I got on it, but I was still happy to get a better grade and have my hard work acknowledged. And
yes, revising is hard work. I had no clue of all the revising that goes into writing a killer piece. I
understood that having shitty first drafts is okay because you get your ideas out, and then spend
the rest of the time fine tuning. The revision process is exhausting, but it is so worth it. I found
myself using this in all my other essays. It also forces me to finish my paper earlier than the due
date so I have a couple days to revise. I learned to improve my process of writing, not only my
writing itself.
Moving through the course, my second task was WP2. For this assignment I not only
learned the importance of revision, but I also learned to use academic sourcesand the library.
Using the library website is so useful for future research papers. In fact I just taught my

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roommate how to use it for her Political Science paper. Academic journals are intimidating and
overwhelming. A lot of the readings helped me to look past all the jargon for the content. Even
though it wasnt largely noted in class, writer Dana Driscolls article, Introduction to Primary
Research: Observations, Surveys, and Interviews, helped me get through reading peer-reviewed
articles. Having access to academic journals AND knowing how to read them is a huge help for
the future.
Creativity was a perfect way to end the quarter. After the density of WP2, it was nice to
finish with a piece of my own creation. I didnt really see the difficulty in translating genres,
however I did find it important to analyze the genre you are changing it to. For instance, I looked
at actually obituaries and imitated their design and conventions to make mine more accurate. I
learned from the comment in WP2 about structure. I decided that I would have a definite
structure in my analysis instead of attempting to have some abstract approach. I also used this for
my most recent essay in another class. It was very structured which made the writing process
easier for me. To achieve this, I uses outlines. Now that might not seem like a big shocker
because many people use outlines, but I was the one who didnt. In high school they became a
joke. The assignment that you forgot about until the passing period before class. Then you wrote
it in that passing period and still got 100%. So I didnt really see that they were helpful. To my
dismay, they are necessary. One more thing that I have to do for every paper. I admit, they help a
lot. I get to now see my structure as it is forming and see if things dont flow well or shouldnt be
in there at all. Lesson learned: always do an outline.
I have a better appreciation for writing now. Finally I can see it as its own subject, not
just something that goes along with reading. It is a skill that, just like any skill, needs to be

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practiced over and over again to see improvement. There is more pride and drive with my
writing. I catch myself treating each of my papers as a test or a midterm. Many students do not
look at this way and boy, are they missing out. Its like a whole new world where your
knowledge is not the only factor. It is simply one of many. A student has the ability to take a
blank screen and create something of their own with little black marks. Its nothing more than
that, yet it is so much more then that. It is creative, inspiring, and interesting. It is a form of
expression that gets a bad reputation because its not easy. Its something that must be worked on
and can never be fully mastered. Every writer struggles at one point or another bringing them
back to fundamentals. The same fundamentals that everyone is taught, that everyone can
develop. Writing is beast that can never be tamed. The word nirgua in sanskrit means
boundless, formless, and ever-changing. Writing is nirgua. It is something that cannot be forced
but must come with dedication.
This next phrase is something of great importance. Please take it with the highest regard
because I do not say it often nor do I like saying it at all. I WAS WRONG. About the class.
About writing. About this quarter. This class surprised me, challenged me, angered me, but most
importantly educated me. I have really enjoyed this processafter WP1and have already
implemented what I have learned into my other classes. I have not only new skills, but also a
new perspectiveso quick thanks to the weirdly awesome TA who helped me discover them.