Taylor

=** Online Reflective Portfolio **=


 * Cover Letter **

Taylor Wells 12/9/10 English 103 Cover Letter

Dear Mr. Hartman,

I would be lying if I said I underwent some major epiphany and my writing dramatically changed over the last three months, but I did see a little bit of difference. Writing and I have never been very close friends, mostly because I really hate writing (at least when it's something I'm going to be graded on). So I feel as if asking me how much my writing has changed over the course of the semester is a difficult question to answer. My work has diversified, and I've branched out into other areas of writing, but I feel as if I write as well as I did coming into class that first day. Of course, over the weeks I've become more comfortable, which has allowed my voice to truly saturate my writing (which is always good). But I think that if I had not had the inhibitions I started with, I would have been on the same level. Although, you could say that since I no longer have any inhibitions about writing, I did learn something in the class. The feedback on every step of every paper helped me as well, it was nice to get second and third opinions on what I was writing. As I got more and more positive feedback, and constructive criticism, it made me more confident in my ability to write. Not to mention some of the projects we did were right up my alley. I really enjoy being creative with my writing, I don't like stale or boring assignments. The multigenre project was my favorite, it really allowed me to express my creativity and go in whichever direction I wanted, which is a first. All throughout high school I had to write research paper after research paper, rarely having the choice to pick my own topic. Which is another thing I liked about the class, I've never had the freedom in an English class to write about whatever I feel like writing about. No more boring Renaissance poets, and certainly no more persuasive papers about whether or not abortion should be banned. Being able to use poetry in a paper wasn't something I've done before either, or dialogues or short stories for that matter. The poetry I wrote for the multigenre project was fun and different. I loved that project because I wasn't worried about the length of any of the pieces, all I had to worry about was whether I liked them or not. If I could give myself some advice, I'd tell myself to think in that capacity in every writing that I do. If I worry about whether the piece is true to myself and whether I like it first, and worry about length second, I think I would enjoy writing a whole lot more. Overall, this class helped me to become a more well-rounded writer. I learned to trust my instincts when I write, and to be confident in what I put down on the paper. I learned that there is more to writing than boring research papers and essays on tests. Hopefully, I can take what I've learned here in English 103 and apply it to every writing experience I have from now on.

"My First Pet" My memoir was the first piece I wrote after starting English 103, and it's obvious. The memoir was about my memories as a child, specifically about my cat. There wasn't much I could say after I told the whole story, which didn't quite fill out the paper. There are some good moments in the story, but it was too short and needed a bit more work.

The poem “Roller Skates” is about one of my fondest childhood memories, roller skating around the living room with my siblings. I wrote this piece for my Multigenre Project and it is one of my favorite writings I've done in class. I liked this piece and I think it helped me grow as a writer because it made me explore poetry, which is a new area of writing for me.

My open letter was to my childhood self. I wrote to myself as a child giving myself advice and tips for the future. This letter was important in my writing experience because it was the first paper I felt confident in writing since starting college. I was intimidated by the college-level classes, but when writing this paper I felt that I could hold my own and do well. I feel that my confidence was boosted after I finished this letter, and it helped me become a better writer.

This poem I wrote after “Roller Skates.” I like it because I was still exploring poetry, but I was writing it in a different way. Instead of making it rhyme I used repetition. I feel this helped me grow as a writer because it was yet another way of writing, one I hadn't experienced before.

Halcyon Days is about holding on to the wonder of childhood and not letting the stress of life take away the joy that your childhood gave you. I really like this piece and I feel that it shows a big difference in my writing. It is descriptive and visual and uses a lot of images that recall memories from my childhood. Over the semester I've written a lot about my childhood, and its because those memories are a great source of inspiration for me. It was the happiest time of my life, so I really enjoy writing about it.