Kyle Plemmons Plemmons 1

Arnold

English 1101

12/10/10 Final Portfolio Reflection

At this point in time, being that we are finished with the course of English 1101, I feel

completely different about the way I write. It has now appeared to me that writing can actually

be fun! In the past, I don’t think that I have ever actually “enjoyed” writing a paper. The topics

that have been presented to us in this class are not the kind that make you drool on your

keyboard. They actually included something that you can relate to and I think this really helped

me out with understanding how to write or type a better paper.

The two main papers that we had in this class were, how can I say it, fun! The significant

event paper really allows you to express an event in your past that has remained significant to

you in some way. You are writing about an event in your life, not about the political statistics of

Thailand. While writing this paper, I felt it was very easy to keep going. With most of my

previous papers, I would stop after a paragraph or two so that I didn’t die of boredom. Writing

about something interesting can really bring out the writer in somebody and that is exactly

what this paper did. Being that it was our first assigned paper, this was a very good thing.

Explaining something that you are experienced in actually makes you feel a little better

about yourself. After completing this paper, I realized how much I actually knew about tennis

after years of experience. The structure of the paper made it really easy to write. Starting with
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the basics and then adding in more advanced measures of the sport or whatever you wrote

about. I learned while writing this paper more about how a paper should be written structually.

In the past, I have really had problems with moving about from my main topic and that is no

good. This paper of explaining showed me how I can stay on topic while introducing other

aspects of the topic. I didn’t stray away from the main point and this made me feel better about

my writing.

I very much see myself improving even more than I have in this course in the future.

From learning how to stay on topic to realizing that writing can actually be fun, I am excited for

future writing-intensive courses. Usually my writing process consists of just starting

somewhere. The invention work part of this course has helped cure this problem very

successfully. I can now brainstorm my topics and get rather important and valuable details out

of it. I must admit, in the past my teachers have shown me brainstorming but I just haven’t

been able to utilize it until this course. I’m sure it was the combination of how it was taught and

the topics I was able to brainstorm about.

When I go back and look over my papers, I can see parts of them where I can improve

still. Me being able to do this is truly a blessing. In the past, revision has not been one of my

strong points. I can actually now go in and pick out certain aspects of my papers that I feel can

be better or I can improve upon. After revising them already, this is a massive improvement in

my writing abilities. Revision, I have learned, is a huge part of the writing process. It gives you a

second chance to go in and pick apart your paper while correcting mistakes, which really helps
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me out. Overall, this was one of my favorite courses I’ve taken this semester. This is very good

considering English used to be one of my hard subjects, at least the writing aspects of it. I now

shall not be frightened when I see that writing course on my schedule. Even though this class

was early in the morning, which I’m usually not in favor of, I actually wasn’t bummed about

going to class. Jumping out of bed with excessive energy is an overstatement but it never

stopped me from not getting out of bed. This course has been one of mine in which I haven’t

stressed about and believe me, that is a good feeling. I surely hope that in the future, my

writing-intensive courses are as fun and effective as this one has been.