Sarah Wagner

Rothwell
13 October 2014

Midterm Reflection
My first paper was the altered book paper. I prepared for the paper by writing in my writers
notebook and constructing the physical altered book. The altered book paper itself was a reflection on
the project we had done, allowing me to write in a style that I usually do not write in. I am analyzing my
own work as opposed to creating something new, the paper being essentially commentary. The paper
read rather well, having a nice flow throughout it. It was insightful and I really had to take a moment to
think about what I wanted to write. That is something I aim for with all of my papers, the analytical
undertones that evaluate why the paper was done. I appreciate the attention to detail that is seen
throughout the work. Admittedly, I usually do not write with that sort of detail, but with the revisions, I
think it fits nicely. After having had to write with specificity, using examples from the altered book to
clarify my words, Id like to add that into more of my writings. Sentence structure varied throughout the
paper, holding up the structure standard that I hold myself to. To avoid having the paper sound stiff, I
try to have my sentences vary, such as avoiding starting off with a clause each time. Overall, what I
learned from the piece was: 1) to write a good paper you have to scratch beneath the surface and
challenge what you originally thought, and 2) a good paper has planning- writing beforehand to guide
you throughout the paper.
The second paper that Im analyzing is the learning narrative. As you know, I struggled with the
topic for a while, thinking that a narrative is just a plot. Our meeting opened my eyes and showed me
a new type of writing. I began to understand what a narrative is; its any form of writing that tells a
story. I knew I could tell a story and I knew what story I wanted to tell. What I enjoyed about the paper
was the structure. The plot developed through mini-stories instead of through constant writing. It was
unlike anything I had written before and I took nicely to it. The last two years have been filled with AP
essays: a thesis, a paragraph for each point (thesis, supporting facts, analysis), and a final summary. This
writing allowed me to share my message through snapshots of my memory. This was the first time that I
felt a true creative liberty because I was able to play with the layout of the work and control the tone. I
learned how to manipulate the words and sentence structure to portray a feeling. My take away from

the learning narrative is that a paper is more than just words stating facts; the words can tell a story and
they can be used to exhibit emotions, which can be useful during other papers, whether its a persuasive
essay and youre trying to convince your audience or its a fictious novel and youre establishing a
setting and/or for character development.
All of the timed-writes (including the 70 minute write) in my writers notebook make up my
third collection piece. The first in-class timed write was What makes a good paper? I wrote my bullet
points and stared at my page, now what? The timer was still going and I had nothing else to write. As
time went on, I became more comfortable writing my stream of conscience. The timed writes helped
train my brain to stay on-task and keep thinking about the writing prompt, whereas normally Id run out
of things to write because I wasnt focused enough. Because I was forced to continually think about the
same topic, I went off on tangents that I hadnt thought of before. For example, we were instructed to
write about what we can do with rope. At first I only thought of the most common things, shoelaces,
knitting, tying knots, but several minutes in, I was forced to get creative and thought of outside-of-thebox examples, such as starting a game of Cats Cradle. Those tangents can lead to interesting thesises.
The timed writes started at three minutes and worked their way up to seven or eight minute writes.
Then, most importantly, was the 70 minute pen on fire non-stop paper. My writing wasnt bad, it was
well-organized and well thought out. The paper revealed to me what I actually wanted to write about,
and because I was required to keep writing, my inquiries developed into full thoughts, paving the way to
the learning narrative. Most importantly, the timed writes were used as a base for all of our papers so
far. By writing out thoughts and ideas, a frame is set up for the paper, making it not only easier to write,
but making it a better, more together paper. By having an idea of what youd like to write, your focus is
shifted to adding details that enhance your work. I would like to do an extensive timed write again as it
makes the writing process easier.
Ive never given much thought to my writing process before this class. All of the essays Ive
written in high school would be in-class, preparing for the AP exam. Due to time constraints, I didnt
have time to plan out my paper or give it any real, thoughtful direction. My time was spent looking up
quotes to support my arguments without having time to give thought to word choice or revision. I
arrived in college with the notion that you just write the paper and thats it, turn it in when finished. I
didnt understand why we had to write about what we were going to write about; I thought it
redundant. Now I see that you must write your thoughts on the prompt so you are able to evaluate
them and decide what would be the best for you to write about. Ideally, my writing process for a paper

would be: think about it, write a stream of conscience about the paper, sort what I had written, and
then write. However, depending on the paper, sometimes I just start writing. I dont give consideration
to mapping out the paper, instead I start writing about the first idea I have and let the paper take me
where it will. If its a paper where I am presenting information, I research and pick ~three points Id like
to make. I write the points on a legal pad and write down general supporting facts underneath them.
Once I have my sheet filled, I write my papers, using my bullet points for guidance. Another problematic
habit is that I dont revise after I write the piece. Ill skim through it the next day, checking for
grammatical mistakes, but thats about it. I dont like reading over things Ive written, because its like
hearing your own voice-it all sounds off and you cant believe its you. When revising, I feel as if its all
wrong, but I dont know what to fix about it.
The three goals I have for this semester are, in order of smallest obstacle to largest: to do more
revising, to become familiar with different styles of writing, and to not shutdown while writing. I labeled
the first one as the easiest because its a matter of creating the habit of re-reading my papers. Its a goal
because its something that I need to start doing at some point. Revision is key to ensuring your paper
flows smoothly and is getting across the message that you want. Not to mention its critical for a passing
grade. The second is becoming fluent in different kinds of writings. Having been raised only on what will
get me to pass my exams which are usually expository essays, Im now discovering that writing comes in
many forms. There are several types of papers- narratives, research papers, persuasive essays- the list
goes on. I want to write all of them and see what comes naturally to me. I enjoy writing because it
connects people across the world. Without the ability to write, society cant function. Its important to
be able to put your thoughts into words so what youre saying clearly reflects your intent, as not to have
disconnect with people. Finally, I have a problem with shutting down while writing papers. I will start,
get stuck, and then stop completely. Once Ive stopped, I wont pick the paper back up for days for fear
of having to solve the seemingly unsolvable place where I got writers block. The 70 minute timed write
showed me that I can keep on writing, however, there wasnt a set structure to that paper. Sometimes
its more difficult to write freely than writing a planned paper because you always know the direction
that your planned paper is going and you know what to write about next. My only fear is that with a
structured paper which Ive outlined and pre-written for, that I will run out of supporting facts and
details on the topic. Avoiding shutting down is my largest goal because this is something Ive done for
years and its become ingrained in me.