Gonzalez 1

Juan Gonzalez

WRIT 2

3/23/23

Reflective Essay

I have included writing projects 1 and 2 in my portfolio. These projects were fun to work

on and let me improve my writing while being creative. Writing project 1 allowed me to write

about a topic related to my major. Converting the writing into a separate genre was a process that

taught me a lot about genres. Writing 2 showed the progression of my writing which was

encouraging to see. Overall, this course has had a massive impact on how I think about my

writing and has made me more knowledgeable about certain writing topics.

This quarter has taught me a lot about writing and how to go about the writing process.

Having already taken Writing 1 last year, I had some preparation for what was going to be

expected of me throughout the course. Still, I came into this quarter ready to learn and expand

my writing skills as there is always room for improvement. Even before the quarter started I

knew that I had some weaknesses when it came to writing. Some of them are actually starting my

writing process, being too wordy, and structuring my papers. Both of the writing projects gave

me experience in how to put together projects of that type. I found the project builders really

helpful in the process of writing and putting together the whole project at the end. Without these

building blocks my projects would have been put together in worse condition and ultimately

would have damaged my writing. A lot of the readings helped me understand certain writing

processes that I had trouble with before starting the course.

Writing one helped me understand genres and writing conventions. The process of

converting a research paper into something much more simplified like the video essay I created
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helped me follow the conventions of a genre. When making the video I did not want to just

repeat the article word for word which could lead to some confusion due to the complexity of

research papers. One of the course readings that guided me to success with writing project 1 was

“Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk. In the text, Kirk states, “That is, of course, not to say that

there aren’t rules that come with genres; the difference is that the rules change as the genre

changes, that no rules apply to all genres, and that genres require more effort than simply

following the rules.”(258). Kirk claims that all genres have their own separate rules that must be

followed in order to convey your message. This reading helped me understand that I have to

learn the conventions of every genre so I can compose a clear project. Something that I noticed

in my own writing that needs work is having phrases that are too wordy. At times I will use “in

order to” when I can just simplify it down to “to”. I catch myself doing this when I feel that I

won't be able to reach the word count on an assignment. Worrying too much about the word

count will lead me to sacrifice clarity in my writing just to hit the count.

Another reading that helped me realize a mistake I was making was “Annoying Ways

People Use Sources” by Kyle D. Stedman. Stedman claims, “This is something like reading an

essay that relies too much on quotations. Readers get the feeling that they’re moving from one

quotation to the next without ever quite getting to hear the real point of what the author wants to

say, never getting any time to form an opinion about the claims.”(248). Relying too much on

quotes is something that I catch myself doing from time to time. This can be seen across all my

courses and is something that I should stop myself from doing as it takes away from the

paragraph that I am putting together. Reading this text brought to my attention some mistakes

people can make when using sources in their writing. It was definitely impactful course material

that helped improve my writing.

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Writing project 2 helped me tackle one of my biggest issues, writer’s block. Writer’s

block to me is the feeling of just an empty head, with nothing to add to my paper. This project

required me to look into solutions for this problem. The research I conducted on writer’s block

gave me a better insight into why this happens and what solutions may work. In “Ten Ways To

Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Student” by E. Shelly Reid she

talks all about how to get through the writing process. Reid states, “It’s no wonder we get

writer’s block, hands poised above the keyboard, worried about all the ways we could go wrong,

suddenly wondering if we have new messages or whether there’s another soda in the fridge.”(4).

This quote stood out to me because it is exactly what I go through when I encounter writer’s

block. I have a blank head then my mind wanders to other things that I had planned for the day

or it just takes me to my phone to ultimately waste time and delay my writing.

This course has been extremely helpful in helping me grow as a writer and as a person. I

was able to identify some weaknesses and strengths that I had in my writing. When looking at

my other courses this definitely helped as they were also writing heavy assignments. Even with

all this growth, there is still room for improvement in my writing and my composition of these

projects.
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Works Cited

Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres - Writing Spaces.” Writing Spaces, 2010.

https://writingspaces.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Navigating-Genres.pdf.

Reid, E. Shelly. “Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings For College

Writing Students.” Writing Spaces, 2011.

https://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/punctuations-rhetorical-effects/.

Stedman, Kyle D. “Writing Spaces-Annoying Ways People Use Sources.” Writing Spaces,

2011. https://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/annoying-ways-people-use-sources/.