If I could sum up junior year academically in one word, it would be writing. I’ve been writing non-stop this year. History, AP Environmental Science, English, journalism, and French have centered around writing this year. I’ve written more this year than I have in the rest of high school. I’ve written research papers, OP-EDs, news articles, descriptive essays, analyzation essays, and a host of other writings. In life we’re told, the more you practice something, the better you get at it; this year, I practiced writing non-stop, and I can confidently say my writing has improved exponentially. I’ve seen my writing improve tremendously this year through writing more, going through multiple revisions with my writing, and learning how to condense my thoughts.
I’ve been a writing machine this year. I’m constantly working on multiple papers and news articles at once. This practice has been so beneficial for me as I’ve found my writing voice through trying out different writing mediums, such as research papers and descriptive essays. I know how to craft a serious voice and a silly voice. I’ve learned when to use vocabulary words and simpler language. I’ve developed the skill to condense my thoughts from the expanded version to the final version. Through my numerous writing assignments, I’ve improved my weaknesses and worked on my successes. As I go into the summer, I plan on keeping a journal where I will write whatever flows out of my head. This will serve as a beneficial way for me to practice writing in different styles. I’m hoping I’ll draft up some poetry, write some stories from the summer, and reflect on junior year in my journal. This journal will not only show my progress as a writer but as a human-being. Writing is all about documenting who you are at the time and this journaling project will do just that. Throughout this year, I’ve practiced editing my work. I’ve always struggled with editing assignments as I struggle to find the motivation reread my essays countless times if I’m not interested in the topic. This year, I’ve written essays on topics I’m truly interested in giving me the motivation and drive to spend time examining my writing. I’ve developed an editing style that lets me craft my writing to be the best it can be. I begin by reading my essay after I’ve finished writing it leaving comments on whatever I have questions on. From there, I hand my essay off to Mary Ella or Miriam to see what they believe I can improve on my essay. Their suggestions help me hone in on what I’m writing about and improve my writing to be more reflective of my opinion or story. I’ve always been someone to need a lot of space for what I’m doing. When creating art, I fill up a huge canvas full of ideas. When cooking, I use the entire kitchen to mess around and create my recipe. When writing, I went way over the word count. Nowadays, I write my essays within the word count. I’ve worked on condensing my thoughts this year so my essays are stronger. I used to word vomit and edit some of what I said. Nowadays, I brainstorm everything, pick out what's important from my brainstorm, and write my essay based on the most important points. From there, I edit my essay to see what detracts from my thesis. Focusing on narrowing in on my word count has challenged me to focus more on what I’ve been writing this year. Throughout this year, I’ve been challenged to expand who I am as a person. One way I’ve done this is through improving my writing to better reflect me. I’ve focused on writing about topics I’m truly in, which has resulted in me being passionate about what I’m writing. When you’re passionate about something, you do it well. When I’ve chosen topics I’m passionate about, I’m able to construct my papers in advance. I can outline them to ensure my points all relate back to my main point and fit within the word count. Choosing topics I’m passionate ensures my writing is interesting to me and the reader because I don’t drone on about a topic. |