Reflective Essay
I attack my writing like James Bond attacks the bad guys. James Bond faces many challenges in his movies: Live and Let Die, Octopussy, and The Spy Who Loved me. He seeks out and destroys villains, discovers plots to overthrow governments, and always gets the girls. I face many challenges in my essays: “Pec-fection,” “Lights Out,” “Technolgy,” “Shades of Cat,” and Graduation…..What Next.” I seek out improvements concerning grammatical conventions, style, and the documentation of outside sources. In James Bond movies, the Head of Secret Intelligence Service is “M” and she helps Bond succeed with missions. Mrs. Manugo’s, is my “M” and guides me with expertise through the writing process so I can conquer the world of writing.
James Bond does not work alone,”Q” is the mastermind of all gadgets and is an essential part of each mission. Peer editors are an essential part of the writing process ensuring all mistakes are identified and eliminated. My peer editors insure my success by pointing out problems with grammatical conventions. “To be” or not “to be” the over use of be verbs plaque my writing. Looking through the essays, my over use of the words is, are, was, were, and am, riddle my writing and makes it awkward to read. In one of my first essays, “Lights Out” I counted 25 be verbs. I improved in my essay “Pec-fection,” concerning the over use of too many be verbs. Reviewing it again I found one that should have been eliminated. For example when I wrote, “There is only one true exercise that will develop a define chest and that is the bench press.” The over use of be verbs produces imprecise sentences and hampers the flow of the sentence. Rewritten, “The one true exercise, the bench press, best develops a define chest.” Mission one complete, the elimination of grammatical convention.
When one thinks of Bond, style comes to mind. His clothes, fast cars, and beautiful women all stylish and help his movies become blockbusters. Style is an important part of the writing process and brings the essays and stories to life. My essay “Lights Out,” I struggled slightly with the style because I was trying to go from a past dream-like state to present. I continued this pattern throughout the piece and I am not sure if it helped or hurt concerning the fog-like state I was trying to convey. I believe my best writing to date is, “Shades of Cat” which was a descriptive essay. The following line describes my cat Mama Sween. “Her hot breath radiates warmth on my cool skin. My large hands gently stroke her soft back and she arches in appreciation. With soft strokes, she gently kneads my stomach careful not to nick me with her sword-like nails. These lines can almost describe one of the beautiful Bond girls, well maybe.
The documentation of outside sources is an area of great improvement. In my pre-assessment essay “Technology,” I did not cite my source in the correct format. I only included the web address because I ran out of time. However, when I wrote my research paper comparing gastroenterology and plumbing I learned the importance of using credible sources and the proper citing format
I have grown as a writer this semester and look forward to continuing my journey. I am becoming more confident concerning the areas of grammatical conventions, style, and the documentation of outside sources. I am waiting for my next assignment just like the world is waiting for the next great Bond movie.
James Bond does not work alone,”Q” is the mastermind of all gadgets and is an essential part of each mission. Peer editors are an essential part of the writing process ensuring all mistakes are identified and eliminated. My peer editors insure my success by pointing out problems with grammatical conventions. “To be” or not “to be” the over use of be verbs plaque my writing. Looking through the essays, my over use of the words is, are, was, were, and am, riddle my writing and makes it awkward to read. In one of my first essays, “Lights Out” I counted 25 be verbs. I improved in my essay “Pec-fection,” concerning the over use of too many be verbs. Reviewing it again I found one that should have been eliminated. For example when I wrote, “There is only one true exercise that will develop a define chest and that is the bench press.” The over use of be verbs produces imprecise sentences and hampers the flow of the sentence. Rewritten, “The one true exercise, the bench press, best develops a define chest.” Mission one complete, the elimination of grammatical convention.
When one thinks of Bond, style comes to mind. His clothes, fast cars, and beautiful women all stylish and help his movies become blockbusters. Style is an important part of the writing process and brings the essays and stories to life. My essay “Lights Out,” I struggled slightly with the style because I was trying to go from a past dream-like state to present. I continued this pattern throughout the piece and I am not sure if it helped or hurt concerning the fog-like state I was trying to convey. I believe my best writing to date is, “Shades of Cat” which was a descriptive essay. The following line describes my cat Mama Sween. “Her hot breath radiates warmth on my cool skin. My large hands gently stroke her soft back and she arches in appreciation. With soft strokes, she gently kneads my stomach careful not to nick me with her sword-like nails. These lines can almost describe one of the beautiful Bond girls, well maybe.
The documentation of outside sources is an area of great improvement. In my pre-assessment essay “Technology,” I did not cite my source in the correct format. I only included the web address because I ran out of time. However, when I wrote my research paper comparing gastroenterology and plumbing I learned the importance of using credible sources and the proper citing format
I have grown as a writer this semester and look forward to continuing my journey. I am becoming more confident concerning the areas of grammatical conventions, style, and the documentation of outside sources. I am waiting for my next assignment just like the world is waiting for the next great Bond movie.