Reviving the Hemingway in Me
Writing is regarded as one of the fundamental learning skills that every student should learn. When we were in our early years, we are taught of how to write the alphabet. I could still remember the tedious experience of filling the pages of my notebook with the letters. Everyday, different letter is documented in the pages of my notebook. This activity aims to attain the perfection of writing characters adhering on the blue and red lines of my writing notebook. I could also remember when I started practicing the cursive form of writing, involving loops and sloppy curves.
At first, my handwriting was illegible, that even I had a hard time reading the papers I wrote. After attaining perfection in recognizing and writing the timeless characters of the alphabet, the time of constructing sentences and simple paragraphs was the next in the line of my learning in my English class. The construction of my sentences includes grammar and syntax. My childhood experience in this aspect includes wrong choice of words and wrong subject-verb agreement, but these things were forgivable as I was a beginner back then.
The words I used widen my ever-growing vocabulary and add up to the increasing body of knowledge I hold. As the sadistic education process progresses, the integrated requirements in the curriculum took a notch to the higher level. Subjects became harder and professors require loads of work. Essays have become a common and everyday work in English classes and other subjects. Almost every aspect of school suddenly required writing. My calloused fingers never stops working as I tediously finished all the necessary requirements for my classes.
Through this activities that were often unnoticed by the students honed our essential craft in writing. The assignments that our mentors give out serve as practice in developing further what we already know. Determining one’s level of writing has become difficult. Because there are no agreed determinants for the quality of writing. Moreover, writing have different aspects and criteria could never be generalized. Literary writers are very proficient in utilizing adjectives and idiomatic expressions, and have very good writing skills.
But they could not be as competent in technical writing or writing research papers and business related texts. In my personal view, my writing skill is average, for there are certain aspects of writing that I ought to learn. I am able to accomplish assigned writing tasks though I am not confident that it would satisfy every person’s taste. For writing is subjective or relative, it may be good for one but not to all. I am able to write compositions of different kinds, like literary, formal and technical writing based on the requirements for the text. I can easily adjust my writing style on the needed criteria for the writing assignment.
My strong points include the fact that I am well-versed and able to utilize the English language appropriately. I am able to play with words, especially in literary writing which requires the use of adjectives and style. Modesty aside, I could regard myself well in developing a certain topic and including relevant information needed in written work. I am also a wide reader that I think is very essential in writing for reading enables you to include all kinds of relevant information you obtain through research. I am also knowledgeable in the different citation style, like MLA and APA.
Though I am not very familiar with the other citation styles, I am very willing to learn this for it will be useful in my study. I am also open to constructive criticisms for the improvement of my writing style. My weaknesses would be on grammar, though this is only minimal errors. But sometimes, I tend to overlook some of my sentences and if I already committed errors in the written work. There are times that my mood affects my writing. Sometimes I tend to manifest my emotion through writing. The way I feel sometimes had an effect on my writing and my desired outcome on my manuscript.
Instances like when I suffer melancholic situations, I tend to write about lonely stuffs or even not to write at all. But the positive side of me is I am eager to learn of the things I know nothing or little about. I am very open to criticisms especially when it comes to improving my writing capabilities. I am excited to take on challenges and this includes writing about topics I am not familiar with, for this is regarded as a new experience for me. Taking on subjects on unknown field gives me a wonderful feeling of discovering and learning new things.
I am expecting that I will further improve and grow as a writer and I will be able to utilize my talents and skills for great outcomes. I am also expecting to learn new things like techniques that I am able to use in creating wonderful works on my craft. After taking this course, I expected to have that wonderful feeling that I am capable to write like my favorite novelist and develop stories that I could eventually share not only in the class but to others. This is the time that I could proudly say that I finally found the Hemingway in me.
