As I sit and reflect on my past written material and experiences I can definitely say that I have some strengths as well as some weaknesses. Over the years my writing style and capabilities have gone through many changes and progression. One of my strengths when it comes to my writing would be organization. When I begin the writing process I usually have several rough drafts, but in addition I always begin with a solid outline. I would say that in my opinion, forming an outline can drastically improve the effectiveness of an essay or any type of composition. Over the years my organization skills have improved, thus producing a better quality paper. Another strength that I have as a writer would be the use of personal examples in my work as well as using them appropriately. I find that adding personal references and anecdotes into any piece of work results in the reader having more emotion towards the work, as you can find in most literature. In addition to my strengths I have weaknesses as well. I would say that one of my weaknesses as a writer would be the lack of enticing and exciting vocabulary in my work. Most people would agree that the words you choose to use can add to the creativity and development of your writing style. Another weakness in my writing would be the occasional grammatical errors.
There are a couple ways that I would like to improve as a writer; however, the most desired of them all would be further developing my own way or style of writing. Over the summer I read a book called “The Woman’s House” by Naomi A. Hintze and upon completion of the book I was really inspired by the way she wrote; literally. (You can find more info on it here http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2834713-you-ll-like-my-mother ) I loved the way I could get a hint of her personality just by her writing style. Similarly, I would love to develop that skill of Naoimi’s so that my readers can actually have the same experience with any piece of literary work I create. I think the only way to acquire such skill would be to continue writing and eventually that style will come naturally. At that point I can tweak some things and mold my own writing “personality”. Another way I would like to improve my writing would be the choice of words that I use, which I previously mentioned as one of my weaknesses. When I think of the use of spectacular vocabulary one person in particular comes to mind; William Shakespeare. (http://classiclit.about.com/od/romeoandjuliet/a/aa_romeojulietq.htm) I predict that this course, English 15, will for sure help me achieve my goal. I think that the goal of the course and my desired improvements in my writing correlate quite closely. Also, I believe the practice of rhetoric which the course entails will be a great way for me to improve my creative writing skills. I am confident that with my instructor’s assistance as well as the great effort I will put into the assignments, my writing and rhetoric skills will only progress.