Taylor Belleville

Professor Reynolds

ENG-W 350

8 September 2020 /Learning Log 2

1) How do you feel when you are assigned a writing task?

a. I am a terrible procrastinator, but not because I enjoy putting off my work.

Typically when I am assigned a writing task, I take a look at the prompt and then I

mull on it for a few days. I usually have to have a vague sense of direction for

every part of my paper before I can even begin typing anything up, which means

that if inspiration doesn’t strike I sometimes find myself finishing up my writing

at 11:58p when it’s due at 11:59p. If I don’t have a sense of the big picture I find

it nearly impossible to start on the assignment. From there, I usually will begin

typing up a draft. This will involve quotes that I want to use and little snippets of

sentences that I think would work well. From there, I usually just begin adding in

sentences and ideas wherever I can, until I come out with something that looks

like a paper. If I am on a writing kick but am struggling with a sentence, I will

sometimes put a sentence filler in that has the general gist of what I want to say

and label it red. I usually go through three or four drafts before I feel comfortable

submitting my paper. Ultimately though, the feeling that I have could be

described as panic. I am not as confident in my essay writing abilities as I am my

creative writing abilities, so I get really nervous and begin doubting myself right

from the beginning.

2) How do you feel when you decide on your own to write something?

a. When I am about to begin writing for myself, I feel whimsical and giddy. I love to

write, especially when it comes to poetry. The process of writing is so meditative

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for me; I tend to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself, so writing is my

opportunity to let all of those pent up emotions out and experience emotional

release. I guess what I am really trying to get at here is that I absolutely love

writing and am thankful to have a way to express myself.

3) What strategies do you employ to accomplish a reading assignment you may not like?

a. In order to accomplish a reading task that I may not enjoy, I usually try to break it

into chunks that feel a little more manageable. A five page assignment about a

topic that I don’t like may feel impossible, but writing one page every day for five

days is a lot easier. Beyond that, I usually try to find at least one aspect in the

assignment that I enjoy. If I don’t enjoy the book, I can write a paper that is

slightly scathing. If I do enjoy the book and don’t like the assignment, I can

usually get through the assignment simply because the topic is good. I tend to

think of it in a “give and take” kind of way.