reflectiveportolfioakz


 * __Reflective Portfolio__**



This is the first zero draft I had ever written. I put this on my portfolio because this is one of the most important things I am taking away from this class. The idea of starting my Memoir was so extremely daunting that I put it off for absolutely as long as possible. Until Dr. Hartman presented me with the idea of the zero draft I was planning on writing my Memoir the night before it was due. The assignment was to just write for as long as you can and about as much as you can. This draft ended up being my entire paper minus spelling checks and organization. This really helped me get my paper done and be a better paper in general. I was not worried about all of the technical things during my zero draft. I had a goal and that was to just get my story out on paper. Without worrying about spelling and punctuation I was able to complete most of my paper!

My Memoir was such an amazing experience to write. It was basically telling my story which I love doing! I think everyone has a story that shapes them into who they are and this is one of mine. Writing this paper helped me better understand who I am and what I had learned from that experience. This paper was an easy one to write since it was just drawing on experience from my past. I wrote it in chronological order in order to help my audience follow the story. I felt like I had so much to say so I left out details and things to make it visual to my audience. I learned after writing this paper that the story is important, but helping your audience picture the situation can be just as important. Creating a visual experience through writing is a difficult task and takes practice, but is vital in good writing.

This paper is in my portfolio to show my range in writing. This paper consists of poems, conversations, diary entries, and lists. I enjoyed writing this paper because it gives my audience a rounded view of the story I am telling. I had a hard time deciding what to write about because I did not know what I could write in 5 different genres about! I decided to write about my parents divorce because just like my Memoir, it is one of the stories that changed my life. These stories are the most fun to tell because you learn more about yourself when telling others what is important to you. This paper taught me that different genres can set the tone for a paper and different texts and pictures can help the reader understand what is going on. Writing is so powerful if used effectively.

This paper appears on my portfolio because this was the first paper I received an A on and I am so proud of it! This paper was the third paper we wrote and it proves that practice helps improve writing. I was very nervous to write this paper because we needed to provide facts, but at the same time give our point of view. I was so worried I would not be able to insert my voice into this paper by using facts instead of saying " I believe that...". The trick to writing this paper was providing facts and stating the things you believed while omitting the beginning words I believe. I also learned while writing this paper that an argument paper makes a stronger point if you have a paragraph explaining the points of the opposite view, but then directly after stating why those views can be wrong. I enjoyed this paper because I wrote about a topic I was interested in and had a strong view on.



My favorite paper by far! This paper was the one I had the strongest feelings towards and put the most emotion in. I had a hard time thinking of someone I was angry enough at to write an entire letter to, but later that day I was reminded while listening to my friend's iPod how much I despise Lil' Wayne's music. This paper taught me out to properly complain in a letter. I know that in the future I am going to have to write strongly worded letters in order to get the things I need in a professional manner. This paper was probably the most beneficial to learn how to write because I believe I will use these skills in the future the most often. I also enjoyed writing this paper because it was a great way to vent my anger towards this artist.

[|__Blog__]

Finally, I put my blog on my portfolio to have a little diversity in my portfolio. This is an online blog that I have written in since the beginning of the semester. All of the blog posts are diary-type entries that are related to whatever topic I felt was important to discuss at that moment. This is a more personal type of writing and was different for every person. I enjoyed this blog because it was a way of practicing my writing. I believe frequent writing is the only way to keep your writing skills top notch and that is what this blog did for me! With a place to write about anything I wanted at anytime I felt I had a perfect place to take advantage of my freedom of speech. I enjoyed this blog because it helped me learn how to use an online blog which is extremely beneficial in this day and age because the internet is the fastest, most effective way to reach people in my opinion.