What I have Learned
My favorite chapter from They Say, I Say is “You Mean I Can Just Say It That Way?” I love that it emphasizes using everyday language when writing. I often try to use big words or complicated sentences, thinking it will make my writing sound smarter, but this chapter encourages me to make my writing more inviting by addressing the readers directly. I also liked the examples comparing unclear and clear writing. They show how small changes can make a big difference in understanding and they have inspired me to revise my own work more carefully, ensuring I communicate my ideas effectively. This chapter has changed how I think about writing. Its focus on clarity and connection makes it my favorite so far, and it provides me with great tools to improve my writing in the future.
I don’t have a least favorite chapter in any of the books I’ve read so far because they all teach me new things. If I did have one I didn’t like, I would go back and review it as much as possible. I once heard that “something you don’t like is trying to teach you something,” so I live by this idea. That’s why I can say I do not have a chapter I dislike.
Honestly, I think my writing can still improve. I feel like I’m in the middle with my writing. Writing is challenging, I recently told my friend that I find writing poems easier than writing essays because I’m more passionate about poetry. My ideas also flow easily when I write about topics I care about, but when it’s something I’m less interested in, my mind often goes blank.
One of my strengths in writing is imagery. I feel like I can paint a picture for readers with my words. Another strength is that my writing is clear, making my main ideas easy to understand. However, I do struggle with poor structure and sometimes neglect my audience. To overcome these weaknesses, I plan to seek feedback from people who are my target audience and revise my work based on their insights.
So far, I know that academic writing follows a structure that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The language used in academic writing is mostly formal, but it can vary depending on the field. References are important in academic writing because they support your claims and give credit to original ideas.
Hi Kare!
I really enjoyed reading about how our English class is going for you thus far. I find it really interesting that your favorite chapter from They Say, I Say is “You Mean I Can Just Say It That Way?” because that was also my favorite chapter. I completely relate to trying to use big or complicated sentences in an attempt to make my writing sound smarter and myself more educated on the topic. I believe this is a struggle for many students, as we often believe that we have to ditch our own voice and use a more “academic” voice in order to get our point across. I’m really glad to hear that this chapter allowed you to learn several strategies in order to improve your writing.
Although I cannot relate to not having a least favorite chapter in any of the books we have read so far in class, I can really appreciate your thought process of going back to review a chapter when you encountered one with information that you did not like very much or understand fully. I also could not agree more with the quote “Something you don’t like is trying to teach you something”. I think it is a great way to look at so many different parts of life, especially when it comes to school.
I completely understanding feeling like you are in the middle with your writing. However, I feel as if you should give yourself a little more credit! As you mentioned, writing is in fact challenging no matter what and this often makes us feel as if we have made no improvements even if we have made many. That being said, I am sure you have made many improvements throughout the semester so far and will only continue to do so. I think it is really cool that you enjoy writing poems. I absolutely love to read poems, but for me I find that writing poetry is difficult. Maybe one day I will be able to write it more easily.
Sometimes it is really hard to identify our strengths when it comes to a task that is particularly difficult for us, so it is really good that you were able to identify one which is so significant to writing. I think being able to paint a picture for the audience is really important when writing, as it can allow them to understand so much more. On the other hand, when it comes to your struggle of structure, I believe that the more you work on it and seek feedback, the more improvement you will be able to make!