The semester is finally over. Writing 150 was my only class this time, but it was a busy semester nonetheless. In addition to this class, I had work, chores, applying for a mission, getting a mission call, filming, editing, skateboarding...it’s a hard life. It is natural for us to reflect on something when it draws to a close. There were some assignments in this class that I really enjoyed, especially keeping a blog. Through these assignments, and others, I feel like I have improved my writing, and have at least learned to be more responsible.
I liked the blog assignment; maybe it is because I am part of the social networking generation. I had a blog before this class, and I plan to continue to update it after I am done with class. I enjoy writing. I do it for fun, but when I write it is really informal, as you can see in this excerpt from my third post Wait a Minute...It’s Wednesday!!! At Least I Think I Know What I’m Doing Now..., “This is starting to get to be a lengthy post, and you know how much I don't like those (what you didn't? ... oh.. well you do now) So I'll wrap this up”. I like to pretend that I am having a conversation with the reader and only write my side of it. While this might be fun and make sense to me, it might be more difficult for someone else to understand what I am doing, especially if they do not know me personally like people in my class. These blogs are mainly graded on completion, but I thought since I was doing it for a class, I should put a little more effort into it to making sure the reader knows what I am trying to say. I had to take my audience in consideration. The lesson of remembering your audience in your papers is something that really clicked for me this semester. I had been told to take your audience into consideration before, but I never practiced it in my papers.
My writing has improved because of this. I have always thought that I am naturally a decent writer. Decent enough to get A’s on essays that I wrote in one draft the night before it was due. I can even do that in some college classes, but not many. To be able to get an A in college, I have to actually think about what I am writing and why I am writing. I need to read and reread it, get other people to put their input in, and think about who will be grading this if I want to get an A for sure. Audience is crucial in writing. In school your audience is your teacher who determines your grade. At work, writing to the wrong audience can get you into trouble. You are not going to describe to your science class how water evaporates then you are to your five-year-old brother. Your audience affects your tone, word choice, length, and just about every other aspect that goes into writing your paper. When I wrote my blog post A Year in Provence, I had a different audience in mind then I usually do. I wrote it like I was writing for my art history teacher, so I said, “You can see by their fairly simple clothing that this is not the French Bourgeoisie or Aristocracy, they are the working class after work or on a weekend enjoying themselves at a cafe”. I would never use Bourgeoisie or Aristocracy if I was describing this to a friend. I would say something closer to, “They aren’t wearing very fancy clothing, so they are probably working class people at a cafe.”
I, like so many other students out there, suffer from chronic procrastination. As I have said earlier, I have usually been good enough in school to put everything off until the last minute and still get good grades. College is a bit more difficult, and I have found, and am still learning that life is much happier when you are responsible and do your work on time. I am still working with this, I have my ups and downs, but at least I am not constantly putting things off like I used to. I have taken many steps to try to be more responsible. Using a day planner has worked well for me, since a common reason for me procrastinating is I will actually forget that I have an assignment. Writing down what I am going to do and when helps me remember everything and stay organized.
I have enjoyed this class this semester, and I really feel like I got something out of it. Hopefully I won’t forget to remember to think of the audience when I write papers. I have plenty of school and writing to go, and remembering your audience is key in organizing and composing your paper. What I really need to improve on is leaving myself enough time to write and do my assignments, and then actually use that time well.
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