Kimberly Lindinger
IPWS-Professor Chezik
Fall 2010
Reflective Narrative
The Seven Ways I Improved
Before my entrance into Improving Personal Writing Skills, my writing wasn’t very
strong. I found myself struggling to think on my feet and being confident in my writing. Usually
when I was handed a prompt for an essay, I would immediately start stressing over the paper. I
consider myself sort of a perfectionist; in my eyes my papers always have room for
improvements. On the first day of class, whirls of feelings were running through my body. Was
my professor going to be nice? Was she even going to take the time to learn my name? Was she
going to hate everything I wrote? Better yet, were we going to get out early, because my
afternoons were usually taken up by nap time! But immediately after meeting Professor Chezik, I
knew IPWS was the right place for me and I had nothing to worry about. So, now that we have
completed the semester I have found myself having an easier time writing my papers and
actually being proud of my final product. I feel as though my writing has made major
improvements. During class, when we are thrown into a topic to write a journal on, I try to find a
relation between the topic of the journal and an experience in my life. When I find a topic
relatable, it becomes easier and comfortable to write about. Walking into IPWS on the first day I
would have never thought that I would of came out of this class feeling creative in my writing
process and even being proud of it. Reflecting on these seven goals made me realize how much
taking this Improving Personal Writing Skills course has benefitted me and how
Even though I claim I am a perfectionist, I fully understand that nothing can ever be
perfect. Like I mentioned, I believe there is always room for improvements, especially in writing.
I have addressed goal number one and four by having my drafts edited, not only by my peers, but
my professor and family. I understand that the first draft I write is not good enough to be handed
in again in the end, corrections must be made, from simply just grammar and spelling from
adding more information. It takes time to make your paper acceptable as your final draft. Having
your drafts edited by others many times makes it easier to revise, when your staring at a paper
for too long, everything sounds and seems right. Having fresh eyes edit your rough drafts helps
you take notice to the corrections that need to be changed.
In order to even start a paper, you need to know the purpose for writing it. Understanding
your topic is the most crucial and first step in your writing process. Are you making an
argument, persuading, or telling a personal narrative? Secondly, you need to know who you are
writing this paper for, who is your audience. Understanding your target audience is another
essential part of your process, once you know your audience your paper starts to form a context.
The audience and the context of your paper are closely linked. The context of your essay is
directed to your audience, and the audience shapes the context. Without a target audience your
paper can become unfocused and confusing. I found my understanding for this goal during my
process in writing “It’s Not Easy Being Mean.” In my essay I was given the freedom to choose a
certain social group and a specific audience. In each paragraph I had to make an argument about
how my social group negatively affected my audience. Also, I found an understanding for this
goal while writing “The New Addiction.” Unlike “It’s Not Easy Being Mean,” in “The New
Addiction,” my target audience was chosen for me and I had to focus my paper around a specific
age group. In both my essays the audience affected the different arguments I found significant to
the topic. But, most importantly I had to understand my audience; I needed to know the
experiences they have gone through and the ones that are yet to come.
I believe in the common saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” The way
someone looks can’t tell you everything about that person. It is very easy to stereotype someone
within one meeting. I think this same saying applies to writing; you may read or skim through an
essay once and say you understand but you might have missed the deeper meaning. Many people
find that writing is a good way to express emotion so it’s our job to read and try to fully
understand those emotions. I have accomplished goals three and five by learning to go into every
piece of work with an open-mind and trying to read in-between the lines to fully understand what
the author is trying to say. I have obtained these values through completing journals and writing
essay three, “21st Century Bullying”. Weekly we are asked to read essays and write a journal
response to them. While reading these essays you attempt to understand the emotions and the
message that the writer is trying to convey. Also, I have learned this value by our activities in
class, for example at the end of class we could be asked to write two paragraphs about a quote
written on the board. Exercises like this one help us to think on our feet and to be creative. We
have learned to be able to quickly identify the deeper, more complex meaning behind something
that appears to be so simple. During my writing process for essay three, this goal really shined
through my work. This essay, being the final paper of the semester, really surprised me. I was
able to look at the prompt and immediately feel the ideas flowing through my head. I dived into
this paper with confidence and enjoyed the ability to showcase my feelings on the topic with
some creativity. Also, I have learned the importance of information. Before your writing even
begins, you search for your sources, whether it is online or in a library. Information makes your
paper interesting, from use of facts to statistics. The information you find helps shape your essay.
Accurate information is a necessity for a paper because it provides creditability and logic.
Famous author, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the
integrity of your own mind.” Emerson means that at the end of the day, if you have your own
integrity, nothing else should really matter. Whether it is a grade on a paper or the results of a
test, as long as you try your best, there is nothing more you can do. Goal number six states that
as a student I need to be able to “understand the responsibilities of a student, including the
principles and practices of academic honesty.” I feel as though I have met and fully understand
this goal. It is better to receive a B on a paper you completed yourself, then get an A on paper
that you can’t take credit for. Committing plagiarism does not benefit a student in anyway; there
are many consequences that can result because of this act. Aside from possibly being expelled
from school, using another’s work does not help further one’s education.
“Understand the power and ethical responsibility that come with the creation of written
discourse,” simply means being able to take criticism for what you say. When putting your own
personal views into a paper, you are allowing for people to read and be able to respond to them.
Also, during your writing process it is imperative to be able to back up what you say. I have
completed this goal by correctly using my resources. When you are writing essays such as
persuasive essays, it is necessary to have information to support your statements. It is easy to
state your view on a certain topic but to be able to have facts behind it, improves your essay.
Everything you put on paper and submit becomes your responsibly. Yes, the amendment states
that we have the right to freedom of speech, but you have to be open to the consequences of your
actions and be able to take responsibility for them.
I believe I have completed these seven goals to the best of my ability and find myself
very well-prepared for my next stop into integrated comp. After going through the seven goals of
Improving Personal Writing Skills, I found myself proud of the skills I have obtained in only one
semester. Like I stated, before my entrance into this course I found my writing skills very weak. I
struggled to be able to think on my feet and be creative, I stressed over papers and most often
thought I would receive a poor grade. Now I find myself excited and interested in the papers I
write and look forward to the results of my hard work. I take pride in the improvements I have
made and hope that others recognize them as well.