Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: My Growth As A Writer

Submitted By
Words 858
Pages 4
Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to get this huge growth spurt in my writing in one day and just magically turn into an award-winning writer overnight, but huge growth spurts in writing never happen overnight so that thought is probably unrealistic. Growing as a writer happens over time and through many trial-and-error pieces of work. No good writer has started out at their best, but instead, they grow into it because they learn new things in the course of their writing career. Over the course of this semester, I have grown more as a writer than I did in the first three years of high school combined, so yes, I did have a growth spurt as a writer, but it didn’t happen all at once and I am not finished growing.
This semester, I have had to write …show more content…
It is better than any other process I have tried, and I don’t see myself straying from it any time soon. In my writing process, I begin with just writing. I write until I absolutely can’t write any more on my topic. I don’t think twice about how good the content is, my grammar, or what grade I think I would make on it if I were to turn it in right then. After that, I go back and read the piece before fixing everything I would like to fix, such as what content is going to remain in my essay or any grammatical errors. By then, it is usually time to take my paper in for a peer review or two. After hearing the comments other students have on my paper, I use the critically constructive ones to fix anything that the audience did not think was good or clear. Then, I go over my paper one more time before turning it in. Because of this process, I have a better chance of ruling out any bad writing than I would have if I would have turned it in right after I wrote my first draft.
In “New Light,” my first piece of writing, I did not follow my whole writing process and go through all of the planning and critical thinking that comes along with it because it was something I pulled straight from my memory. I was telling a true story, so it practically wrote itself. Writing this paper taught me that personal narratives are basically just the side of the story the author wants you to hear. It also

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: My Growth As A Writer

...You as a writer are just like a butterfly. At the beginning of your writing career, there are many weaknesses just like a measly caterpillar that could get swept off its feet in just one breath. This year specifically, I have seen significant growth in my abilities, and have begun to grow my wings to fly to the next level of writing. Although I have written my essays to the best of my abilities, there are still some things I need to work on. I’m not perfect and never will be, but I hope that I can expand my strengths and minimize my weaknesses. By viewing my strong and weak points in my writing this year, I can make goals for next year and better myself in the art of writing. Strengths Heading towards Honors SLC next year, I can expand my growth as a writer by looking at my strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the year, I have noticed...

Words: 1922 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Brica Family Treatment Plan

...Brice Family Assessment/Treatment Plan Christina Blair CMHC/581 June 12, 2012 Shannon Anderson Brice Family Assessment/Treatment Plan Assessment The writre interviewed the Brice family of 5. The family consisted of a father, a mother, 2 girls and 1 boy. David, the father, is mid to late 60 year old Caucasian male. He is tall with square shoulders wearing glasses. He metacommunication Presenting Problem History of Problem- BRIEF Family History Assessment Summary: Another important quality of the co-research position is that of valuing emotional experiences and reflections. Our understanding of the preceding conversation is that in the state of being oppressed by violence, a person is defined by the violence. The concept of choice in that state is a mirage; a woman would not choose violence, but inside of a war zone there is no violence free territory. If the person and the context of violence are separated (deconstructed through externalization) the person's preferred story of their lives outside the "war zone" context can become visible. This distinction became available in the training conversation due to the process of allowing for correction and respecting the trainees feelings of being emotionally connected or disconnected to the unique accounts of those persons oppressed by the problem. Doherty (1991) has described negotiating meanings versus dictating a theme (p. 134). From our reflections about the interviewing process, we have...

Words: 1510 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Distance Between Us: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

...In recent years there has been a growth of research on undocumented immigrants in the United States; however these studies do not captures beyond public policy and economic perspectives. Few studies have focused on the representation of undocumented immigrants on contemporary literature and their personal narratives. Through a qualitative comparative analysis, this research will study Reyna Grande’s The Distance Between Us: A Memoir and her first novel Across a Hundred Mountains. Reyna Grande at the age of nine illegally crossed the border and became an undocumented child immigrant. Leaving her native country during her mid-childhood influenced her identity construction in the U.S. More significantly, as a writer her immigration experience...

Words: 281 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Fanfiction

...Sentence Outline Narrowed Down Topic: Fanfiction: A Creative Platform for Writers I. Introduction A. Introductory Device B. Thesis Statement People should have the liberty to write fanfiction, because it is an opportunity for enthusiastic writers to develop their writing abilities, it is an outlet for writers to explore endless possibilities in creating derived compositions, and lastly it is an activity to simply enjoy oneself considering it is a non-profit activity that brings forth intercommunication within a certain fandom, though sometimes fanfiction may affect an author’s capability to produce their own stories. II. Background A. Morrison (2012) states in The Guardian that fanfiction officially started, in the modern times, during the mid 50’s and 60’s with the growth of television expanding, more people wanted to create what-if stories with their favourite characters through writing. B. According to Schaffner (2009), fanfiction are stories ripped off from other people's work, so fanfiction is a free form, innovatory or derivative textual work that fanfiction practitioners publish online. C. Alter (2012) writes in her article that fan fiction is still a sensitive subject for writers and publishers; while some see it as free marketing and others regard it as a derivative dreck at best and copyright infringement at worst. III. Body A. Writing fanfiction is an opportunity for enthusiastic writers to develop their writing abilities. 1.) Buroker (2013) an official indie...

Words: 2704 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Gay and Lesbian Theme

...University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2009 Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television D. Renee Smith University of Tennessee - Knoxville, drsmith@utk.edu Recommended Citation Smith, D. Renee, "Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2009. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by D. Renee Smith entitled "Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Communication and Information. Catherine A. Luther, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Michelle T. Violanti, Suzanne Kurth, Benjamin J. Bates Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice...

Words: 33344 - Pages: 134

Premium Essay

Independent Reading: Harder To Read Different Kinds Of Books

...Independent Reading I was successful in enjoying reading different kinds of genres. Before I came to eighth grade, I constantly read fiction and realistic fiction books. However, the independent reading program helped me read different kinds of books. I didn't know that reading different books could be this fun. I struggled as a reader on finding time to read. In the beginning of the grade, it was easy to find time to read; however, as time passed by and more assignments were forming, it became harder to find time to read. Pride Piece I think the memoir was the best piece I wrote. I put lots of effort into this piece. I tried to use lots of figurative languages in order to spice up the piece and make sound more interesting. Because the topic...

Words: 356 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Studies in Professional Life and Work

...STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK Mike Hayler University of Brighton, UK Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education examines the professional life and work of teacher educators. In adopting an autoethnographic and life-history approach, Mike Hayler develops a theoretically informed discussion of how the professional identity of teacher educators is both formed and represented by narratives of experience. The book draws upon analytic autoethnography and life-history methods to explore the ways in which teacher educators construct and develop their conceptions and practice by engaging with memory through narrative, in order to negotiate some of the ambivalences and uncertainties of their work. The author’s own story of learning, embedded within the text, was shared with other teacher-educators, who following interviews wrote self-narratives around themes which emerged from discussion. The focus for analysis develops from how professional identity and pedagogy are influenced by changing perceptions and self-narratives of life and work experiences, and how this may influence professional culture, content and practice in this area. Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK The book includes an evaluation of how using this approach has allowed the author to investigate both the subject and method of the research with implications for ...

Words: 18203 - Pages: 73

Premium Essay

Pt1420 Unit 1 Assignment

...Describe how and when you made a decision to follow Christ 2. Using personal examples, share about your growth as a Christian over the past 3 years.” Yet, the the essay was much more difficult to write than expected. Not only did I have to meet the essay requirements, I was also attempting to win over the admissions board to be accepted into Biola University. I remember as I wrote this essay, I was terrified. Seeing as my father is a Language Arts teacher, I always felt pressured to have “perfect” writing. Always keep your formal writing in the third person. Do not use contractions. Make your essay fight for your topic, not against it. All the added...

Words: 976 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

English Fiction

...detectives, seeking out a kind of truth among the conflicting evidence of the past. There is, furthermore, a large and growing subgenre of historical crime fiction. From C.J. Sansom to Philip Pullman, from Orhan Pamuk to Walter Mosley, from Ellis Peters to Boris Akunin, novelists have been keen to use the past as a backdrop for their stories of detection and mystery. The most famous historical detective might be Brother William of Baskerville in Umberto Eco’s peerless The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa, 1980). Recently we have seen a flowering of historical crime fiction as the subgenre attains maturity and becomes increasingly popular and innovative. Jason Goodwin, Philip Kerr and Susan Hill were all shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers Association Dagger this year (recent historical winners include Arianna Franklin, Jake Arnott and Craig Russell). Clearly the combination of thriller, crime and historical detail is compelling. Anne Perry’s new Inspector Pitt novel, Betrayal at Lisson Grove (out in paperback from Headline this year) is a pacy, twisting thriller. It is 1895 and Pitt is up against a conspiracy in the Lisson Grove offices of Special Branch (in best le Carré tradition investigating the enemy within is more hazardous than looking outwards). The novel outlines a huge conspiracy and ranges from St Malo to Dublin. While it is often too lightly written and some of the relationships are awkwardly handled, the novel is compelling and narratively satisfying. Perry’s...

Words: 5212 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Heritage Language

...call his name. In this poem, identity is not seen as something that is solid and concrete but as something that is situated and constructed by others, a glimpse of poststructuralist view on identity. Recently, language learning has been seen as participation and negotiation of self (see Higgins, forthcoming; Kinginger, 2004; Lam, 2000; Morita, 2004; Ohara, 2001; Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000; and Solé, 2007 among others). The trend is resonated in the growing interest in language learner identity and the studies in narratives. In this paper, a case of heritage language learner will be investigated upon the theoretical frame of poststructuralism. Narrative inquiry will be used to analyze how she negotiates her learner identity. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, by looking at the struggle a language learner makes to acquire her heritage language, I reclaim the centrality of identity in defining heritage language learners. Second, to widen the horizons of narrative studies to the cyber space as it provides an ample source of easily accessible data and it has become one of the commonplace media of daily communication. Heritage Language Learners and Identity To refer to the Heritage Language Learners (HLLs), various terms have been implemented such as ‘native speakers,’ ‘quasi native speakers,’ ‘bilingual speakers,’ or, from the dissatisfaction with the prior terms, ‘home background speakers,’ and ‘heritage language speakers’ (Valés, 2005: p. 412). There has not yet been...

Words: 4079 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Final

...Rachel Blankenship Professor Bohn English 1020, section 005 3 December 2012 Outline I. Introduction i. Adams, Mike. “Exclusive Interview with Billy Best.” ii. Personal Narrative II. Body A. Background Information iii. “Carcinogen.” Wikipedia. iv. “Cancer.” Wikipedia. B. Opposing Perspectives v. Schorr, Andrew. "Interview with Amie Blanco: Hereditary Colon Cancer." vi. Joe Chemo. Image. vii. Phillips, Gavin.“Interview with Dr. Burzynski.” C. Thesis + Support viii. Holistic vs. Medical treatment: medical treatment seems to be a better shot at surviving. ix. Kelly. “Adenoma/Glioblastoma multiforme/Anaplastic astrocytoma/Glioma Cured.” x. Cousins, Emily. “Life after Treatment Can Be Almost As Hard as the Chemo.” xi. Messoria, Josie. Personal interview. 15 November 2012. III. Conclusion xii. Personal. Abstract In this essay the author discusses cancer, what causes cancer, holistic vs. medical treatments. The first part of the essay the author presents a piece of an interview conducted with a young cancer patient who was going against the grain and refusing treatment. The essay then goes into a personal narrative on how the author feels about cancer then from there goes into a great descriptive paragraph about cancer and carcinogens. Her thesis is clearly surrounding the argument whether or not holistic or medical treatments...

Words: 2281 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Liberal Education

...THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING HUMANITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: IN DEFENSE OF LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION A Thesis Presented by Victoria Pleshakova to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education Specializing in Interdisciplinary Studies May, 2009 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of niIaster of Education, specializing in Interdisciplinary Studies. Thesis Examination Committee: . 2 M d Johnson, 111, D.P.A. ,G!krMb. %.&I;-; Patricia A. Stokowski, Ph. D Interim Dean, Graduate College Date: March 4,2009 ABSTRACT The humanities have always been under attack in the higher education of the United States of America. Corporate culture of the university requires the most money distributed towards research and specialization, while making employability of the graduates the main goal of education. With two thirds of all majors being in business and finance, humanities don’t seem to play a big role in higher education overall. This work makes an attempt in defense of liberal arts education to our students, and the importance of teaching the subjects like English, Literature and Philosophy independent of a student’s major concentration. Even in our age of specialized and corporatized education, these courses are of great importance. These subjects can help...

Words: 17805 - Pages: 72

Premium Essay

How Women Writers Use the Concept of Motherhood as a Gender-Divide to Explore the Themes of Entrapment and Escape in Literature.

...ENGL347: Women Writers: Assessed Essay “Becoming a mother will be the one thing that frees you as a woman. But it will also be the one thing that traps you...” – Anon. Discuss the way in which women writers use the concept of motherhood as a gender-divide to explore the themes of entrapment and escape in literature. Since the 19th century, the broader sense of literature as a ‘totality of written or printed works’, and the foundational means of communicating information or ideas, has given way to a range of more exclusive and specific definitions. The rapid growth of adult literacy, combined with economic, social and political developments have vastly increased the sheer spectrum and quantity of subject matter and forms which fall under this umbrella term, forcing the need for greater categorisation in order to make ‘literature’ more accessible to the general reader. The resulting categories which attempt to standardise this process may take many forms, including observation of the structure or literary genre of the text (for example, categorising the text as a novel, poem, report or article) or perhaps the particular literary period or movement, which will link all associated texts with underlying principles or stylistic traits, such as the Romantic era or Post-Colonial literature. However, due to a long-standing patriarchal tradition dominating the history of literature- a literary practice challenged and corrected by the rise of the Feminist movement, particularly following...

Words: 4136 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Praisesong for the Widow

...would gather in the Marshall kitchen after their days of working in low-paid jobs to chat, gossip, and “tackle the great issues of the time” including the economy, politics, war, and their nostalgia for home. They discussed their adopted home, America—acknowledging both the racism they endured, and also the wealth of possibilities that the country offered. These women and their stories were, for Marshall, the origins of her fiction. She asserts that a writer’s ability to render everyday speech is derived from close listening, and the talk that “filled the kitchen” additionally functioned as a kind of therapeutic catharsis, a release of creative energy. The special kind of language used between certain groups of people gives writers their own narrative and unique language: “The principle means by which a character in a novel or story reveals himself and gives voice sometimes to profound feelings and complex ideas about himself and the world.” Although Marshall ultimately transitions from the kitchen table to the library, she states that something was missing...

Words: 2087 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Literally Narrative

...WR 115 Assignment Essay One—Literacy Narrative 600-1000 Words Basic Prompt As you begin this essay writing process, reflect on your experiences and attitudes about reading and writing. Regardless of our backgrounds, our ideas of literacy often become deeply engrained as good or bad without much thought about to how these views have come to be. As a result, many of us have definitions of literacy–of reading and writing–that could benefit from a thoughtful and honest close self-examination. Choose a Topic: Please draw from the following as you develop your essay focus: • Narrate an early memory about writing or reading that you recall vividly. Then explain why this event is significant to you now. • Describe someone who taught you to read or write and explain this person’s significance in your life. • Identify a book or other text and explain its significance for you in your reading and writing. • Narrate an experience with a writing or reading task that you found (or still find) difficult or challenging. • Describe a memento and explain how it represents an important moment in your reading/writing development. Then Create a Narrative: Use sound writing and story-telling skills to organize and articulate your story. Make sure to stay focused on your one, main idea. Key Elements • Create a well told story. Bring your narrative to life by using concrete and vivid details. • Develop your main idea. (make sure you only have one main idea) • Develop the significance or affect of your...

Words: 2363 - Pages: 10