Entry #3

Before taking this course I thought that my writing skills were well above par. I always got decent grades and my professors never said anything too negative about any piece of work I threw together. However; after examining my writing skills I have come to realize that I could utilize many more aspects and strategies of writing than I currently am. Instead of using strategies and skills I feel that I just sit down and spew out words. Due to the fact that I feel that I lack writing skills a goal of mine is to obtain more skills that can help me develop and write a strong paper. I never take the time to really plan out what I am going to discuss in any given paper. I recently discovered that I am a heavy reviser by definition. I like to sit down and just write; however, a heavy reviser also writes multiple drafts and has other people check over their work. Now, I do not write multiple drafts but I do constantly go back and make changes to the structure of my paper. I feel that if I had others look at my paper and help me with structure and organization of thoughts that it would help to elevate my writing. Aside from solely revision I hope to gain more knowledge about strategies because I cannot name one strategy off the top of my head. I am sure I know a few strategies but the fact that I cannot name one probably means I am not very familiar with it. Through this course I believe that I will develop strategies and be able to use them effectively, or at least that is a goal of mine. Some other goals of mine include to get a lot of practice writing and to write bits and pieces of my paper instead of writing them the night before they are due. I would also like to become a better revisor not only for my own benefit but for other people's gain as well. I feel that if I can help others become better writers than that can only ultimately help me out in the long run.