Throughout this long and painful process, I made many realizations about my revising skills. I found that in past experiences, it was primarily focused on grammar, sentence structure, and credibility. I feel like we were given the grade we were given solely based on those criteria. What I have now discovered is that revision is very much content based as much as it is grammar based. I found myself constructing and molding these vivid scenes throughout my paper and then consistently moving them around to form a cohesive idea that supported my overall thesis. I found that I paid more attention to phrasing and being clear through my writing then I did on spelling. That being said, I did also focus a lot on the grammar aspects of things with many proofreads near the end of this process. If I were to change anything, I’d likely try to encompass my thesis more throughout my many body paragraphs. Although I feel like I was able to communicate my emotions effectively in the essay, I feel like a weak point would be my thesis. I’d also love to go back and take more time to look at transitions between paragraphs. This narrative is very much telling a story and I’m not sure if my story was smooth enough as it traveled from paragraph to paragraph. I approached this essay tentatively. I was very much afraid of what college-level English was going to bring to the table. I feel as if I’ve been pulled many different directions when it comes to telling me how to write. I worried that college English was going to add to the list of contradicting opinions on the best way to write academically. Although that is very much what happened, I find myself becoming more and more comfortable with writing and feel myself moving in my own personal writing style. This essay was challenging and something that was not expected, but I am very proud of myself for tackling this process with open arms. There were very few times throughout my writing career where I enjoyed writing an academic essay and rather was proud of writing an academic essay, but all in all this essay was not only enjoyable for me, but it was something I can be proud of no matter what grade I receive.
