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Maryam Siddique
ENGL 5M
Professor Doutherd
Dec 9, 2017
Theory of Writing
Throughout the semester I have gained literacy skills, and my writing has become much
efficient. Writing in Computer Science is completely different from the format I have been using.
In my writing, I layout the information in an order where they relate back to each other and,
some facts could hold hidden meanings, whereas, in Computer Science the writer must be very
clear, and layout information in sections. In this class, I learned many new techniques, and
writing formats; I discovered that writing is different in all communities. I gained the skill of
comprehending other authors into my writing, and mainly I determined the importance of
authority and identity in writing. Although, I accomplished many literacy skills, for example:
expressing my ideas clearly, building a position in the text, and reading with certain
concentrations, I am still struggling to improve my grammar skills. In this class, I observed that
writing is nothing more than expressing your ideas with details.
The learning outcomes of this course have surprisingly increased my skills of viewing
literature differently. The first course goal helped me establish a sense of analyzing and
evaluating how communities and purpose influence writers rhetorical situations. Writing the
Rhetorical Analysis paper helped me understanding that writing in every field is different. All
fields focus on different writing formats, and require writers to concentrate on various purposes,
indeed, each has unique circumstances. For example, the paper I choose to compare with writing
in Computer Science did not met the requirements in my field, however, it was written
effectively to the prompt. This shows that format of writing is unique in all fields, and most of
the content and purpose differ. Writing in my field is unique from what I have been taught. I
used to write my paper in a formal way, while writing in my field requires me to be very clear,
and detail information in sections. Completion of this assignment has taught me that you can
have controversial opinions, but you must be able to clarify your point clearly.
The second course goal has helped me examine and analyze how language influences the
writers identity. While completing my research paper I learned the importance of authority and
identity in writing. I read articles by Ann Penrose, and Cheryl Geisler, both articles convey the
importance of authority and identity in writing. Penrose and Geisler illustrate that writing a paper
without authority makes it more informative than reflective; indeed, the writer lays out effective
information, but does not show their understanding if the text. On the other hand, Wardle discus
the importance of identity, she states that having the knowledge of presenting certain information
at correct timing helps the author gain identity in the text. Completion of this assignment clearly
qualified me that a text can never be as powerful until the author develops a role in the text. I can
express my opinions more effectively, since I am aware that a role in the text does not make it
less effective, but, indeed it becomes more efficient.
Apart from the importance of authority in the writing, organizing the text is equally
essential. The third-course goal allows me to practice self-assessment and revision to improve
reading, writing, and research processes. Indeed, I was able to practice this skill in all major
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assignments, and self-revise my papers. Throughout the semester, I observed that most of my
work is benefited from revision and feedback from peers. For example, when writing my
Rhetorical Analysis paper, my understanding of the prompt was not clear, and my paper was all
over the place; however, my peers significantly promoted me to organize my paper better. I
determine that organizing my text is essential since it allows both the reader and the writer to
comprehend the writing easily. Both of my peer reviewers helped me organize my paper better,
and make it comprehensive for the audience.
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The last course goal demonstrated flexible strategies for generating, drafting, revising,
and editing the text. Anne Lamott discusses the importance of a rough draft in writing. In her
article titled "Shitty First Draft", she elaborated that all professional writers also prefer writing
the first draft to layout all their ideas, letter organize them effectively. I read this article for a
reading response, and it significantly promoted my understanding of the writing assignments.
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After reading this article, I started writing more than two drafts for each assignment, and my
improvement is very clear. My skills of presenting ideas clearly, building a role in the text, and
utilizing feedback improver. For example, I could not develop a thesis for my Literacy
Narratives essay, however, feedback from and revising the essay helped me write a stronger
thesis based on the information in the body paragraphs. As a result, my third draft turned out to
be much effective. An example of my peers help in this assignment would be the screenshots
below.
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This course is extremely beneficial for my future professional writing and research
projects. I learned many core concepts of writing in this class. Although grammar is still an issue
for me, I did develop my skills since the beginning. My reading skills are also benefited from
this course, I can comprehend readings better, and thinking about other's perspective has become
more comfortable. I believe that the concepts I learned in this class would help me in long-term,
and I would be a better writer, reader, and thinker in my future writing classes. Without any
doubt, I am leaving this class with a better understanding of literature, and more comfortable
writing different essays.