Reflection

When I enrolled in this class, I was a bit skeptical of whether I would enjoy it or not. I had already taken another writing course the year before, so I said to myself, “I just took a writing class and I barely made it out alive… Why would I want to do that to myself again?” In the other writing course that I took I didn’t feel like what I wrote mattered. With the constant encouragement and nudges from Professor Fucaloro, I found myself finally able to begin the journey of finding my voice as a writer. I couldn’t have imagined how much I was going to enjoy this class. The first time we had to do a free-write I was amazed that we actually got to write about something that I found interesting. I could be mistaken but I believe it was the letter to someone we had a problem with. Putting my thoughts down on paper proved to be so therapeutic.  

Of all of the assignments that I completed, I found the open letter to be the most impactful. I have never truly had the opportunity to write about a topic that I am so passionate about, mental health awareness. Not only was my excitement fueled by all of the research I got to do but also by thinking of how I would be able to put my plethora of thoughts into words, that could actually impact a reader. It was difficult to write because I felt like no matter what, my emotions could not be translated onto paper But because of the free writes that we had in class, I felt as if I had a safe space where I could write whatever I was thinking without having to worry about whether it was perfect. So, I ended up breaking it up into multiple work sessions and not forcing anything. I have found that this class has made me truly want to write from the heart, rather than writing what I think someone else may want to read.

In high school I had to do several rhetorical analyses. And I hated them. I didn’t personally connect with what the author was trying to convey. This was mostly because we were analyzing writings from the 1800s, which I had no interest in. Fast forward to this semester, I got to rhetorically analyze Tim Urbans TED talk on procrastination. This one his very close to home. It actually really opened my eyes to how much anxiety procrastination has brought to my life. Every day since then, I have been making an active effort to be aware of how I spend my time. Because life is short and I don’t want to look back and think well “maybe if I wouldn’t have procrastinated so much, I would be happier.” In fact, this speech got me to apply to and follow through with committing to another university. That is how powerful, Urbans rhetoric was. I didn’t just watch the video and think *cool* I’ll just go on with what I normally do. Nope. It rocked my world a little bit and invoked such a strong feeling of determination in me. The talk taught me that rush from procrastination isn’t worth it, if it’s hurting me so much and holding me back from pursuing new interests or learning more about Psychology, or Finance (two of my primary interests that I always put off). I don’t think to myself anymore, “I’ll do it tomorrow” because tomorrow is simply not guaranteed. I ultimately learned the power of rhetoric and how when it’s used appropriately, it can change lives!

I genuinely think that my writing has improved. I used to struggle with writing articles that were far too formal. I would read my own writing and it just didn’t sound like me at all! Because of this, I  wasn’t getting the inspiration that I was so desperately needing. I feel that my writing has improved because I feel supported by my peers. With all of the positive feedback I have received, I finally feel like I have a unique interpretation to offer. I still have a hard time with being creative since I am not a very artistic person, but being in this class had made me realize that creating a quality piece of work is something that we can all work towards regardless of where we started.

Throughout my journey in this class I have learned that I have a lot of wisdom to offer and I want to use my understanding to impact others. I am still a long way away from where I want to be as a writer, but I’m okay with that. I’ve acknowledged that improving comes with growing pains. There are going to be times when I’m stuck, or times when I fee like giving up. But, I’m not afraid of failing as a writer anymore. I am really excited to start my own personal blog this summer and share a little bit of what I have experienced, with others. Most, importantly I have learned that writing brings me peace. Whether it is writing in my journal or drafting up a blog post, there is nothing quite like putting my thoughts onto paper. My fear, my excitement, my hopefulness all find a place in my writing, and they give me a greater awareness of what makes me who I am. I am so thankful for this class and can happily say, that it changed my life.