Process Reflection

Dear Students,

English 110 is a course all students have to take, unless you received examination credit for the course. Whether you like it or not, you must take this course. For some, this may not be a big deal, but others less inclined to writing and reading might be dreading the quarter they take English 110. I for one was one of those students. Despite being told in the past that I am a decent writer, English 110 was the one course that would seem to burden me the most-not because of the work load, but do to my lack of interest in the subject and intense focus in my major. Whether you are looking forward to taking this class or pessimistic in every way about it, English 110 was a very educational and helpful class. The theme of every class varies and the material explored provides a wholesome balance to keep students engaged. Sure, you may have heard about the “overwhelming” research paper, but the class also deals with less formal writing in Commonplace and blog posts. Besides, the research paper involves many steps to ease the writer into the process, so you never feel too overwhelmed with the guidelines or the writing process. My favorite blog prompt required each writer to sell something on eBay and write a short description of it. Reading over posts and responding in an online discussion was fun as it exposed other creative works to the class and generated new ideas. The class discussions let students voice their opinions about writing and student review helped each writer to develop further. I ask you to suspend judgment of how this class will settle with you and be open to new ideas, concepts, and ways of writing.

One of the biggest things I took out of this class is how to write a fluid, professional paper. The tone of my writing, I have noticed, has become more mature, bold, and unconventional. I learned new ways to look into a source and then analyze what the sentence structure, word choice, or absence of material really means. I no longer look past material I would have considered rather obscure in the past, but base discussion off of these points. Realizing these facts, I have been able to critique papers in a more in-depth manner and develop solid arguments quickly.

This being said, I have a few suggestions about how to navigate through English 110 and make the most out of it.

To be a successful writer, you cannot be afraid to voice your opinion when it applies. Make sure you have substantial evidence to back up your claims-this helps you, the writer, become more effective and shows your peers that you mean business.

Start assignments in a timely manner. This means not waiting until the last minute to start a paper or read a book. We all procrastinate to some degree, but putting assignments off just makes the situation that more stressful and this type of situation hinders the analytical writing process.

When writing, choose a subject that truly interests you or stimulates analytical thought. Choosing a subject you’re passionate about makes writing the paper easier. You are guaranteed not to get bored as quickly with your topic if it’s something that is intriguing. Also, apply the primary source analysis to your original topic. In this way, you already have something to expand on and won’t have as much difficulty in picking a subject to write about. Regarding the research paper, I found that picking a primary source with a lot of criticism surrounding its content or creation gave me a variety of choices to pick from regarding secondary sources. In this way, you can many options of where you want to take your paper, and which one you think you can expand on the most.

Read the assigned writings. You may think you know how to write analytically, but a little more advice from the text doesn’t hurt. The text book is a cook book recipe spelling out term by term how to write the analytical paper, essays, and reviews. This writing technique can be carried to all your other courses, so picking up tips now can help you for rest of your college career and beyond.

Above all, come into class with an open mind to different styles of writing, analysis, and student opinions. Don’t be afraid to ask a question-usually another person in the class is thinking the exact same thing.

Best of luck in exercising your analytical thinking and your writing journey.

Sincerely,

Jill Sanders