Singh 1

Lovedeep Singh

Writing 2

6/12/17

Professor Johnson

Reflective Letter

Hi, my name is Lovedeep Singh and I am a sophomore biology student at UC Santa

Barbara. I am taking Writing 2 this spring quarter and this is my final portfolio. I would like to

thank Professor Johnson for her input all quarter and her insight on how to improve my writing.

Thank you for viewing my portfolio. I have put in a lot of effort to revise my assignments and I

hope you enjoy reading my new and improved work!

Writing 2 has introduced me to many new aspects of writing from genre awareness to

various writing conventions. After taking this course, I have gained the confidence to write

without second guessing my literary decisions. Prior to taking this course, writing had always

been my least favorite class. I dreaded the tedious assignments and never found joy in

completing my writing pieces. However, Writing 2 with Professor Johnson encouraged me to

appreciate my writing and the only way to get over my fear was to put in extra preparation when

reviewing my rough drafts. The extra reviewing produced a more refined product and that helped

increase my confidence level with regards to writing.

My understanding of writing has grown in the aspect of being more aware of certain

conventions that specific genres need. Before, I did not think of what literary practices

assignments required in order to be viewed as a genre. After learning of what a literacy practice

even was, I constantly kept that concept in the back of my mind and made an avid effort to
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follow the specific conventions. For example, McClouds Making Comics revealed that it is

vital to have persuasive word choice, clear imagery, a corresponding flow and the ability to

differentiate between major and minor events in order to compose a comic. These conventions

are slightly different from other genres like a brochure or letter, but they are necessary to help

identify a piece. Knowing about the conventions was necessary when I was doing Writing

Project 3 because the assignment required us to translate one genre to another. If you were not

knowledgeable on what constitutes a specific genre, then you would not be able to translate a

piece into that genre. For example, I translated a fictional novel into a brochure. If I did not know

how to make a brochure or what techniques are necessary to make an effective brochure, then I

would not have been able to do the translation. Learning about literacy practices not only

effected by writing, but it is also pertinent in other aspects of my life. There are literacy practices

in everything you do. Bartons Literacy Practices states that literacy is a social practice and

literacy practices are what people do with literature. When you are driving a car, you have to be

educated in the literacy practices of the signs and signals that arise constantly. The same goes for

when you are cooking and utilizing a recipe. You must be educated in the various measurements,

vocabulary and ingredients that the recipe needs. Literacy practices are all around us and Writing

2 has revealed their presence to me.

I have never considered myself a strong writer. My strengths revolve around fictional

pieces and research papers. When we were assigned Writing Project 2, I was ecstatic. I have

been exposed to research papers since the eighth grade, when I was part of the Science Fair.

Once I came to college as a Biology major, my exposure to research papers increased. I had

written at least 5 research papers before Writing Project 2, so I was prepared. I would say my

ability to scour through scholarly articles and pick and choose evidence vital to support my
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claims are one of my strengths. In Writing Project 2, I demonstrated an ability to incorporate

effective evidence. Fictional pieces are my favorite to write because they are free-flowing and I

can set my imagination free. Elbows Teaching Thinking by Teaching Writing mentions first

and second order thinking. First order thinking is exactly why I like fictional pieces so much.

First order thinking is creative and does not strive for conscious direction or control. There are

no major conventions to follow other than basic literary elements and you can just write. My

major weakness pertains to structure and organization. In Writing Project 3, I had issues with

organization throughout the entire piece. My thoughts were scattered and they did not flow well

together. However, after Professor Johnson was able to give her insight, I figured out my

problem. I never really utilized my thesis statement as a structural guide. If I follow the order in

which I listed my main points, my essays would follow an easy guide and I could write my

papers step by step. My abilities as a writer since the first in-class piece have not changed

drastically per say, however my confidence as a writer has grown tremendously. I am not afraid

to try something new and venture out of what I have always done. Being exposed to various

literary pieces have allowed me to figure out the literacy practices of those pieces and now I have

a solid foundation to build upon for writing in the future.

If I had more time to work on my writing, I would definitely go back to Writing Project 1

and go further in depth about gang violence and the toll it takes on cities. The assignment

specifically asked to not go in depth on the actual topics, but more so the techniques each genre

utilized. I would like to go beyond that and be able to write a persuasive piece highlighting the

dangers of gangs and compare that to the lyricism of Kendrick Lamar and how he sheds a light

on this issue. I want to be able to analyze his songs and inform my audiences on how he is using

rap as a platform for social change.

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Overall, Writing 2 has been a beneficial course for me. I can now write without dreading

any assignments. The most important thing that Writing 2 has done for me is expose me to more

literacy pieces. If I can build a foundation of what specific genres look like, Ill be able to

replicate what I learned and use my learnings to construct new pieces. I would like to thank

Professor Johnson for her hard work and encouragement, and I hope to take more courses like

this in the future.

Works Cited

Barton, David, and Mary Hamilton. "Literacy Practices." Routledge Linguistics Classic, 2012.

Web. 12 June 2017.

Elbow, Peter. "Teaching Thinking by Teaching Writing." Heldref Publications, Sept. 1983. Web.

12 June 2017. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40164191>.

McCloud, Scott. "Making Comics." New York: Harper, 2006. Web. 25 May 2017.

<https://gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/1033947/mod_resource/content/1/

McClouds%20Writing%20with%20Pictures.pdf>.