Reflection-Part 1-Thinking and Writing
We have had to write four pieces for this class so far. They have been a memoir, an essay about The Scarlet Letter, an essay about The Crucible, and an essay about the nature walk we went on. In the memoir piece we were learning about the "brushstrokes" of writing. We had to write our memoir using all of these. In The Scarlet Letter essay we were focusing on how to write persuasively. We had to pick a topic or come up with our own. We had to prove our point on the issue. The Crucible essay focused on taking a character and comparing them to an inanimate object. We used the brainstorming process to help us get started. On the nature walk essay we related our nature walk experience to the theories of Emerson and Thoreau.

Usually went I write I go through a long writing process. It also depends on what I'm writing. If I am writing something that is informal, I usually don't think a lot about my grammar or how the sentence sounds. If it is formal I always think before I write. I rework the sentence in as many ways as I can. Once I think that I've found the best sentence I write it. I also hate to revise my writing after I have finished. This is because I revise as I go. This is part of the reason that it takes me so long to write. I read over sentences over and over again before I go to the next one.

So far this year I have learned several things about my writing. The main thing is that I try to use better and larger vocabulary. This may seem like something I should already know, and it is. My problem has always been that I have never used good vocabulary. So this year I decided it would be my goal to use better vocabulary. Another thing that I have learned is to use a good thesis statement. Before this class I wasn't exactly sure how to construct a thesis statement. I have also learned to use my writing "brushstrokes". My favorite brushstroke is "Painting with Absolutes". It is when you use a noun followed by an "ing" word. I can't wait to see what else I will learn this semester in English.

Reflection-Part 2-Process of Revision
After reading the suggestions of Mrs. Turner, I changed several ideas in my writings. In my memior, True Joy, I learned to use the "Brushstrokes of Writing". I also learned to write in action voice. I believe this made my writing sound very professional and make me seem like a much better writer. In my Scarlet Letter essay I origanally wrote "This scaffold marks the beginning, middle, and end of the novel." for my thesis statement. I then changed it to "Hawthorne uses the scaffold scences to structure his novel by places them in the beginning, middle, and end of the novel." I changed this because Mrs. Turner suggested that I have a stronger thesis and show the use of structure. I also have a tendency to start to write in past tense. With Mrs. Turner's help I realized this and changed it. I also revised my Crucible Essay. I wasn't happy with my essay in the first place. After I read Mrs. Turner's comments I realized that even though I was not going to put in on my blog, my essay need revising badly. I changed the introduction paragraph to include Arther Miller and his reasons for the personality of the characters.

Reflection-Part 3-Learning from your Classmates
After reading through Dylan's "Cut Away" essay I realized how different I wrote my paper than his. I learned that I needed to try to go deeper into the comparisons between my person and my object. Dylan also used excellent metaphors and similes. I learned that I need to use more of these in my writing because they make it more interesting. After reading Savanna's "Black Belt" memior I learned to use more literary elements, such as personification, imagery, and loaded language. Savanna used personification very well. I love this sentence in her memior: "Silence filled the karate studio because off all the nervousness and because just like a test at school, we couldn't talk under any circumstances." In Erika V.'s "Nature/Transcendentalism Essay" I learned that I stink at writing compared to her. Actually, I learned that I should go into more detail and think more when I write. I've noticed this year that I haven't thought enough about the topics I am writing on. Erika's essay helped me see just how much more I needed to elaborate on things.