Carmen Ballard

Midterm Writing Reflection

This course has challenged my writing abilities more than theyve ever been before. Ive

always considered myself a good writer, but I was writing essays or research papers and not

much else. So far in this class Ive stretched my idea of what writing means and the importance

of writing for communication.

Writing can take on many different forms, and authors use many different mediums for

their writing. Before this class I didnt have a concept of how writing forms change and adapt to

different mediums over time because everything I wrote was print-based. A few assignments

have changed the way I think about the purpose of different mediums of writing. In Studio #1, I

created a brochure on how to be a successful student in academic discourse. I made the mistake

of not including many pictures to engage my audience, and the point of a brochure is to captivate

an audience. I made the same sort of mistake with the group inquiry project by adding chunks of

texts without many visuals. In both of these cases, the medium of the writing required the content

to be captivating and engaging to be effective. Its important to be able to understand how these

forms can enhance writing, especially because of how integrated technology is in society. Its a

challenge for me because I have to adapt my content to fit these forms, but this experience will

be valuable for other work that I do in my career.

The hardest part of the writing process for me is the beginning, which is how Ive always

been. Once I get started, I dont have a big problem getting my thoughts on paper. For a few

years now Ive been working on opening myself up to feedback from others on my writing. This

is difficult because Im used to hearing that my writing is fine I dont have a lot of experience
revising or editing because I never considered the importance of it for developing myself as a

writer. This course has emphasized the importance of the writing process rather than the final

product. Composing and reflecting are what develops a writers ideas; writing isnt solely about

producing work.

Because of my critical inquiry topic, Ive had to think more about the purpose of writing

in the world instead of the classroom. Coming up with a topic was easy; I know what interests

me and what Ill be able to write about. Figuring out the purpose of my writing is difficult

because I dont have a good understanding of who is included in my discourse community. As a

student, Ive never had a role in academic communities until now. Performing my own research

and voicing my ideas is uncomfortable.

I feel that this course has already made me a more experienced writer. Ive challenged

myself to write using mediums I normally wouldnt use for formal writing. Ive been able to

open myself up further to feedback and criticism.