Over the course of the semester, I have had the opportunity to expand my writing skills. Before entering the class, I had never written an article for the media, much less writing to AP standards. Through each of the portfolio assignments, I have taken a step back and analyzed how my writing had improved along the way.
The first thing I learned about was my weaknesses. From the very first assignment where we had to describe our strengths and weaknesses, I knew a few areas where I would probably need improvement. I knew that because I wrote how I spoke, that my grammar and sentence structure would sometimes be awkward. This can be seen in my profile essay of Phillip Aaron. I didn’t have enough quotes towards the beginning, and I needed to rephrase a few paragraphs to make things flow correctly.
A helpful solution to this dilemma was having practice AP style worksheets to work with. These exercises have allowed me to see which areas needed improvement. As the semester progressed, my writing ability became stronger and I had fewer errors in my writing. I still have errors, and I probably always will, but it is not so bad that a few small revisions can be made to make it perfect.
Aside from weaknesses, I also have strengths. One of these strengths is my ability to clearly explain a position. It may be due to using simpler words, or just using simple sentences, but my writing is easy to read and understand. I use simple sentences so that there is less confusion in relating my ideas to the reader.
During this last project, I found that posting writing online is not too easy. First off, many of the online writing applications are not refined enough to allow for tabs and indents. Also, just cutting and pasting text from a paper does not mean that the text will be formatted correctly when pasted into the online application.
Due to the uncertainty of the online text application, I first posted the text how I thought it was going to appear, and then check for alterations that would have to be made. This is how I learned that indentations made little difference during this project. As a result, I decided to format my assignments as best as I could and figured that as long as they were readable, the point would get across.
Other than these few minor complications, posting online into a blog is an excellent way to store writing. I particularly liked the fact that all of the posts would be visible in descending order. Seeing my writing online allowed me to see it from the viewer’s standpoint and assess its readability better than previously.
I do not feel that my writing was directly affected by this last project, simply because I already strive to write as if it was going to be posted for many people to see. For example, I like to use as few paragraphs as possible. Chunks of text are detrimental to online writing, so I try to use no more than three sentences in a paragraph.
I suppose I really liked seeing a header with publication information for my writing. Seeing it online somehow made me feel validated and accomplished, as though I had taken a new step forward in my writing.
Now that the semester has come to a close, I can’t help but think about the future of my writing and how I will improve and change it. This class alone has helped me see my writing in a light that conventional English classes had not before.
In this writing class, we were taught that the audience is the target of our writing, and we want to influence them and shape their opinions through our writing. Whether it is an advertisement for a new clothing line or a public relations article detailing some new service or product, it is our job as writers to relate as much information as possible to the reader.
I feel that I will continue to improve my writing simply by continuing to write and check for corrections. The more I learn about what I am doing wrong, the more I can help to prevent those same mistakes from cropping up again later in my writing.
While I do not have plans to go into a career that focuses on writing, I know that there will be times that I will need to write professional memos or letters to either clients or the media about whatever company I’m working for. It could be designing an ad for a magazine, and I would still need to make sure my sentences are correct.
I have learned that writing serves more than the writer or the reader directly. A document can influence a consumer’s opinion based on word choices and mood. In the design business, this attribute of writing is key to selling a product. I intend to take my knowledge of media writing with me into whatever career I get into once I graduate.
Considering I plan on graduating with graphic design as my major, I feel that my knowledge of media writing will come in handy no matter what I end up doing. If nothing else, it will also allow me to help others revise their writing.
My writing style will only improve over time, as it has over the past semester. I am confident that what I have learned here will serve me in my career to come. I admit that it was not easy, but things worth learning rarely are. For better or worse, the semester is now over, but that doesn’t mean my education or learning has. I intend to keep writing to better myself until I can write as a professional. Like the old adage goes, “practice makes perfect.”
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