Eliza's Writing Self Assessment

Being able to construct a thesis statement that includes more than just the literary assessment of a work of literature is something that I've been able to get better at because of this class. This was probably the biggest difference that I noticed in my writing from the beginning of this class to now. Previously, I would construct a very cut and dry thesis, that was followed by a paper that was equally as black and white. It would very simply say two or three literary aspects of the piece I was about to analyze, and what the conclusion was. This led to zero surprises in the paper. Of course, readers shouldn't be blindsided by what is written anyway, but the way I used to write thesis statements made the entirety of the paper essentially developed in the thesis alone, leaving little room for growth and depth throughout the rest of the paper. And if there was any from of further evaluation on the analyzation than it was a little bit confusing.

Adding on to that same idea, another ability of mine that has developed throughout the last semester is the ability to write a thesis that not only is broader and more clear than what I was previously able to accomplish, but I am able to write a thesis that is deeper, and that pulls more meaning out of a work of literature right from the beginning - providing new thoughts for the readers, and dividing even an educated audience.

Another aspect of my writing ability that developed was my ability to write concisely the thoughts that I want to say. It has always been a weakness of mine to find precisely the right words to convey what I am trying to say, which always led to lengthy papers that were all over the place. But through the different developmental writing that we did with the various papers in this class, I found myself being able to write a shorter, and overall better paper, than my previously long winded work.

I loved involving others in the writing process. There are some major benefits of social inclusion in the writing process. I have found that ideas developed in my mind, and then shared with others, have the opportunity to develop even more through my own words, but also through the thoughts of other people. I have had some of the most fascinating conversations not only with classmates, but with my peers, and those closest to me as well. I found myself excited to continue writing about what my current topic was, because I wanted to develop my own thoughts more, to be able to share them with other people. One aspect of my life that paired well with this during this time, was that I've been in a long distance relationship for the majority of the semester, meaning that the main activity between me and my significant other was talking. And we talked about ideas, and topics, and literature, and so many aspects of this class, it was really enjoyable, and brought us closer together, and helped me become a better writer.

Another aspect of my writing ability that was developed throughout the course of this class was the ability to use sources. Wow. This has made a major difference in my ability as a writer. Google was my go to, and my main source of inspiration for a lot of my work - before this class. Now, my mind and my computer tabs have been opened to a whole new world of sources, particularly the informal sources. There is so much to be found through the media, through pictures, through reddit discussions, and things like that, that are contributors to the literary world!