Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Writing 2
Maddie Roepe
Meta-reflection of Writing 2
For this reflection, I've been tasked with composing a meta-reflection on my experiences
and the progress made throughout the quarter. As I reflect on this period, I've come to realize the
substantial advancement in my writing skills. I firmly believe that every word I've read, written,
or contemplated has contributed to shaping the writer I am today. In this essay, I aim to
synthesize all the readings, projects, writing tasks, reflections, journals, and lectures into a
narrative that demonstrates the evolution of my writing abilities. Unfortunately, I must omit
some details for the sake of brevity and to respect your time as readers, because the scope of
what I wish to convey surpasses the available time I have to write. I've chosen to start from a
year ago, when I was crafting my college essay, as a point of reference for gauging my growth
Earlier this quarter, I had the random idea to revisit my college application essays. As I
reexamined my U.C. application essays, I was struck by how subpar they appeared. They lacked
and overall coherence. How could I have ever deemed this as good writing? Why did I submit
such work? Then, a realization dawned on me: It wasn’t necessarily terrible writing, at least not
for its time. Instead, I had evolved since I had written them. In the past quarter alone, my writing
had undergone a nearly complete transformation to the extent that it was almost unrecognizable
from its former state. This remarkable change began as early as week zero of Writing 2.
Round2
Reflecting on week zero, I now realize the wealth of crucial ideas covered. We received a
document packed with threshold concepts that, initially, I failed to comprehend or appreciate
their significance. However, as the class progressed, these concepts gradually unfolded for me.
At the outset, I anticipated an ordinary writing class—expecting to earn Cs on assignments and
barely secure a B in the course. Yet, in the very first lecture, there was an unusual energy in the
The turning point arrived in the following week, week one, marked by profoundly
influential readings from 'How to Read Like a Writer' by Mike Bun, 'Writing about Writing' by
Macmillan, and 'Thinking Two Types of Thinking' by Peter Elbow. While 'Writing about Writing'
didn’t strongly impact me due to its extensive length, 'Thinking Two Types of Thinking' and
'How to Read Like a Writer' proved pivotal for the course. 'Thinking Two Types of Thinking'
attempted to write and immediately grammar check—a challenging approach. Now, I engage my
creative mind during writing, reserving the organizational phase for later revision. 'How to Read
Like a Writer' instilled in me the practice of reading not just for comprehension but also to
discern the author's deliberate choices—a skill crucial for deciphering future readings.
In week two, I encountered my second most impactful reading, 'Make Your Move' by
Brad Jacobson, alongside a significant step in grasping the concept of genre. 'Make Your Move'
stands as one of my top two readings. Its effect on me is akin to the discovery of the Wardrobe in
Narnia—it transported me to an entirely different realm. This text introduced the notion of
rhetorical moves, delineating the parts of a text that serve distinct purposes. Armed with the
concept of rhetorical moves, I found myself capable of analyzing any given article, reading, or
essay with ease. Additionally, 'Navigating Genre' by Kerry Dirk provided a deeper
Round3
comprehension of genre, transforming it from mere categories of writing into means by which
communities communicate among themselves. On a side note, the weekly journals significantly
excessive concern for errors or grades—a freedom rarely afforded during my high school years.
In week three, I encountered my top-ranked reading, 'Reflective Writing and the Revision
Process: What Were You Thinking?' by Sandra L. Giles. This article introduced the concepts of
reflection and revision, both of which were previously unfamiliar to me. Prior to this, my
approach to revision was minimal—I often neglected it entirely. Reflecting on writing seemed
mundane and unnecessary. However, this article transformed my approach. Now, for any
significant writing project, I prioritize revising beyond the teacher's requirements and always
take extra time for a reflective process, even if it's not mandated. This shift has significantly
elevated my writing. I've learned to identify errors and enhance my writing in ways I hadn't
thought possible. Essentially, I've doubled the improvement in my writing by eradicating errors
and replacing them with stronger, more refined content. I now perceive revision as the
paramount phase of writing, particularly crucial for Writing projects one and two. I also want to
mention 'Changing Your Mindset About Revision' by Lennie Irvin, which also played a pivotal
Week four marked the introduction of my first writing project (WP1), a profoundly
influential piece for me. WP1 acted as a pivotal benchmark, allowing me to gauge my learning
from the initial three weeks. I had the opportunity to observe how I analyzed genres using
acknowledge its improvement over any prior writing attempts, yet it fell short of my potential. It
article, and the reflection component was notably weak. In retrospect, I failed to thoroughly
analyze all my sources, impacting the depth of my reflection. However, this by no means renders
WP1 useless. It served as a platform for honing my reflection, revision, and genre analysis skills.
It was somewhat expected that WP1 might not excel, as initial attempts often involve a learning
curve. Nonetheless, it provided valuable lessons. I intended to leverage these insights from WP1
Weeks five and six seemed to pass swiftly as there were few standout moments in the
class. Week five marked the commencement of WP2 with Project Builder 2. At this point, fully
engaged in the course, I opted for a more personal approach with WP2 by selecting an academic
communities and academic discussions due to my exposure to my mother's research during my
childhood. Unfortunately, the articles I initially chose didn't align with the academic conversation
I aimed to explore in WP2. On a lighter note, the Halloween playlist during week five was
outstanding. In week six, no readings were assigned due to Halloween, leaving Project Builder
Two (PB2) as the sole task. Regrettably, I made a critical error similar to PB1. My sources didn't
presumed expertise, failing to dedicate enough time to find more suitable articles. Looking back,
I realize I should have set aside my confidence and invested more effort into sourcing
appropriate articles.
In week seven, the consequences of my earlier mistakes resurfaced as I worked on
Project Builder Three and Four. While summarizing my sources, I realized they had little
coherence. This sudden realization prompted a frantic search for three additional sources to align
with my Writing Project, leading to rushed and subpar PB3 and PB4 submissions. Reflecting on
Round5
this situation, I recognized a neglected yet vital aspect of writing: planning. Historically, I
seldom planned my writing—partly due to the emphasis on short quick writing in AP literature
and Language, and partly due to my own inertia. Now, I understand the immense value of
preplanning. Considering the prompt in advance and crafting a detailed plan for executing my
writing, including sourcing, time allocation, and essay structure, can significantly enhance my
work. In terms of the readings, 'Understanding Style' proved beneficial. It imparted techniques
for refining writing clarity, emphasizing the avoidance of overly intricate sentences, words, and
During week eight, my main task was to complete Writing Project 2 (WP2), which, in
hindsight, taught me the most about writing. Similar to WP1, WP2 acted as a trial for applying
what I had learned in class. However, in comparison, I arguably performed worse on WP2 than
WP1. Initially, I devised a quick plan outlining the main writing portion and the cover letter for
WP2. However, I made the mistake of attempting to write almost the entire WP2 in a single day.
Although I believed I had produced quality work, peer feedback revealed that I had
summarized them. I failed to effectively employ the writing preparation strategies I had learned
in the previous week. Consequently, I had to rewrite WP2 into the form of a Reddit conversation
within a day, which proved to be a challenging task. Nevertheless, this process allowed me to
extensively practice my revision skills. These errors weren't the only ones I made on WP2, but I
only recognized them during revisions for the final portfolio. Overall, WP2 imparted several
valuable lessons: ensuring sources align with the prompt, accurately understanding the prompt,
spacing out writing over multiple days to reduce errors and prioritizing completion of the prompt
In weeks nine and ten, I focused on the final project, dedicating time to revisiting all of
my Writing Projects for revisions. Initially, I started with a swift project builder session to plan
out my writing for the forthcoming two weeks. This planning proved invaluable, especially after
the challenges I faced with spacing my writing during WP2. Creating a structured plan allowed
me to space out my writing, offering flexibility in my schedule, ensuring I could review my work
multiple times, and avoiding last-minute rushes, akin to what happened with WP2. Additionally,
I had the opportunity to meet with my teacher, Maddie Roupe, who provided highly pertinent
feedback on my writing and guided my revision process. One aspect highlighted in the feedback
was my struggle with the translation of WP1. I realized my translation was more of a summary in
a different format rather than a true translation of the article. Leveraging my improved
rhetorical move analysis of all my sources, adding or omitting information as necessary. I then
comprehensive but lengthy document. Using rhetorical moves analysis once more, I discerned
With regards to WP2, revising it was quite an endeavor. The feedback highlighted that
my Reddit post didn't quite capture the essence of an actual Reddit post, and my reflection lacked
the format of a cover letter. Before diving into the revisions for WP2, I took a moment to reflect
on the common issues between the cover letter and the Reddit post. It dawned on me that a lack
of creativity was a recurring problem. My tendency to adhere to the formal, academic style from
high school left my writing lacking in creativity. However, the weekly journal sessions offered a
space for me to practice creative writing. With this realization, I approached the revision of WP2
with a renewed creative mindset. For the Reddit post, I made substantial changes, emulating the
Round7
appearance of a genuine Reddit post by incorporating profile pictures, upvotes, simplifying the
language, and fostering a more conversational tone between the authors. As for the reflection, I
drew inspiration from online and initiated it with the salutation 'Dear Reader' as if it were an
actual letter.
As for this meta-reflection (yes, a reflection within a reflection), I find myself navigating
within a limited timeframe. Even though I followed the Project Builder plan outlined in week
portion of my writing time. Consequently, I have a wealth of content to cover within this
reflection, but time constraints led me to cut some out, and somewhat generalize the rest. Rather
than delving deeply into the specific meanings of course readings, I focused on how they
as 'before and after' sentence revisions, as I believe most of my progress stemmed from a shift in
mindset rather than merely enhancing technical writing skills. It feels like there's so much more I
could express, yet I struggle to articulate it onto the page. I hope that despite these constraints,
In summary, this course has been transformative for both my writing and personal
growth, primarily in reshaping my mindset and commitment to writing. I've learned that writing
is inherently social, never perfect, always open to improvement, revision is the cornerstone of
good writing, and there exists infinite potential for growth as a writer, facilitated by regular
especially when juxtaposed with my high school perspective, where I harbored a fear of writing
due to anticipated low grades. This course equipped me with invaluable skills and ideas,
won't end here; in the upcoming winter quarter, I'll be enrolling in Writing 50E. I aim to refine
my writing skills, particularly in engineering-related contexts, where I still encounter challenges
in highly technical writing and academic reports. I anticipate that the genre and rhetorical moves
analysis skills I've developed will prove beneficial in Writing 50E. Perhaps in a year's time, I'll
revisit this reflection and perceive it as 'awful writing,' recognizing the extensive progress I will
Work Cited
Bunn, Mike. “How to Read Like a Writer.”Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 2,
Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genre.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1, Parlor
Elbow, Peter. “Embracing Contraries: Explorations in Learning and Teaching.” New York
Giles, L. Sandra. “Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You
Thinking?” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1, Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse,
pp. 249–262.
Jacobson, Brad, and Christine M. Tardy. “Make Your ‘Move’: Writing in Genres .”
Writing Spaces, edited by Madelyn Pawlowski, vol. 4, Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse, pp.
217–237.
Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. “Exploring Threshold Concepts of Writing Though
Inquiry .”Writing about Writing, 5th ed., Bedford/St.Martin’s, Macmillan Learning, Boston,
Williams, Joseph M., and Joseph Bizup. “Understanding Style.”Style: The Basics of