As this fall semester comes to a close, I have been thinking about what I have learned so far in English 165 and how my knowledge of writing has changed. When I first began the class I believed that I knew how to write effectively however, as I went through classes I learned that there is so much more to writing than I thought.

However, after reading through the books “Understanding Rhetoric”, “They Say, I Say”, and Academic writing, I have been able to understand that writing is so much more than that. Now I understand that writing is a form of communication and it allows people to express ideas and thoughts.

One of my favorite chapters from the book, “Understanding Rhetoric”, is chapter 1. I really enjoyed coming back to the topic of ethos, pathos, and logos because I honestly forgot about these topics since we discussed them at the beginning of my high school career. I also found it interesting reading about all the historical figures like Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero and their personal opinions about the topic. Although I found this interesting, it was also pretty interesting to see how far back in time these rhetorical devices really go. 

However, one of my least favorite chapters would have to be Chapter 7 which focused on “Reading and Writing in the Humanities”. Even though I understand that this is important information to know, I found it very unconnected from my personal writing experience and major. For example, I found it interesting that the humanities use Chicago and MLA as their style guides but, I also found this unrelated to my major being business where we use APA. However, I know that being able to understand writing from other view points is important because I have learned that writing is a form of communication.

My current strengths are being able to organize ideas and be able to flow clearly between my paragraphs. However, I think I need to work on my ability to edit and proofread after I write. I plan to improve on being able to proofread more effectively and use the feedback from my professors and peers to better improve my writing.

Right now I have learned that being able to write across different majors and careers requires special kinds of styles, languages, and structures that better fit that particular field of work. Every career sees writing differently but they all share the same ideas of communicating clearly and efficiently. Being able to understand these differences has helped to expand my portfolio as a writer and be able to adjust my style to fit different academic classes and situations.

For my favorite book and chapters, I honestly learned something valuable from each one. I really enjoyed the “They Say, I Say” book because it gave me practical tools that I can actually use in my writing here at Longwood. The part about juxtaposition, how to balance what others say with what I think is especially helpful. I learned that writing doesn’t always have to sound complicated or “academicspeak”; it can be more natural, like “normalspeak,” as long as it’s clear and supported by sources. I also liked learning how to include what peer-reviewed authors say and then respond with my own opinion, whether I agree or disagree. It made academic writing feel more like a conversation.

I also enjoyed “Understanding Rhetoric.” It reminded me of things I learned before, like ethos, pathos, and logos, but in a more creative way. Learning about kairos, the right time and place to say something, was new for me. I liked how the book showed that good writing means putting yourself into your work, almost like taking on a character. It made me think differently about how I communicate.

As for “Academic Writing,” I liked learning about structure, language, and references in different disciplines. I now understand how word choice can strengthen or weaken an argument depending on the discipline you’re writing for. That was very interesting to me.

My least favorite readings were also from “Academic Writing, ” not because they weren’t useful, but because there were just too many words! I’m the kind of person who likes things straight to the point. That’s why I liked “Understanding Rhetoric” more. I don’t always have time for long, wordy explanations; I’d rather have bullet points of the most important things to learn.

I still don’t feel completely confident in my writing ability. I’m a detailed and meticulous person, and I used to have a really good memory, one of the reasons I graduated cum laude in nursing school. But now, I feel like my pre-menopausal symptoms sometimes interfere with the details I try to remember. I can usually recall the main idea or the “gist,” but not word-for-word, which makes me feel less confident in my writing. My weaknesses are paraphrasing, grammar, and expanding on my ideas. My plan is to keep practicing, continue reading about grammar, and work on writing more regularly until it becomes more natural and I gain back my confidence.