Friday, February 11, 2011
Your Greatest Strength as a Writer
By Wednesday, 2-16-10, write a paragraph describing your greatest strength as a writer and blog it here. Use the classic "upside-down triangle" paragraph move: State the strength as a topic sentence. Develop the strength in a sentence or two or three. Then give examples and details from your writing to demonstrate your claims in the paragraph above.
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My greatest strength as a writer would have to be my precision for grammar. When I am writing, I always pay close attention to the little details in my sentences: capitalization, commas, and other punctuation. In addition, I constantly check to see if there is anything missing in the structure of my sentences. I usually do not have to edit my writing as much for grammar as I do for organization. In my high school English classes, grammar was my favorite topic, and I found grammar easy to evaluate because it was either right or wrong. As a result of my strength in grammar, many of my friends ask me to edit their papers in college because I catch many of the little mistakes that others tend to overlook.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my ability to write descriptive paragraphs. By engaging multiple senses, the writer can dictate what the environment that the reader is in. By entering into the environment, it is easier for the writer to elicit the reaction he/she is looking for. In the descriptive paragraph that we wrote, I was able to engage the reader’s sense of sight and sound by writing “…I heard the distinctive clunk of the ball hitting the back of the cage.” I was able to accurately describe the sound that changed the outcome of the field hockey game and the sound that gave me extreme happiness. My reader was able to understand the feelings that both my team and I experienced.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my topic sentence. My topic sentence varies depending on the format of the argument that I am making. However, all of my topic sentences are simple. They state exactly what the paragraph is going to be about in order to develop the concept with details and examples in the subsequent sentences. In a paragraph I wrote about a problem on Ohio Wesleyan University’s campus for example, I began with the sentence, “Ohio Wesleyan University currently has a drug abuse problem on campus” which clearly addressed the argument that I was about to make.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my organization. I am one of the most organized people you will ever meet, both at home and at school. I find it easy to transfer my organizational skills from real life to paper, which makes it easier to get through a tough essay. It was not until high school, however, that I mastered this ability. In a five page long essay required for a history class that I was taking during my junior year of high school, I was worried when I first saw the essay assignment. But upon further investigation, I realized that if I sat down and organized a complete outline, that this essay would basically write itself. From this moment on, I used this routine every time I was assigned a lengthy essay. It guarantees that my essay will turn out organized and not confusing every time.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is how I develop the argument through organization. I cannot start to write a paper without making an outline of the argument and the specific way I want to break the paragraphs up. Starting with the introduction and all the way to the conclusion, I map out what I want each paragraph to be about. I learned this organization in high school for my AP history class. For each essay I had to have three specific body paragraphs relating to my thesis. I became used to this set-up and it has transferred into all of my writing.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer would probably be my knack for using synonyms. I enjoy finding different ways to explain my point without being too repetitive, yet still giving my reader a better understanding of what I am trying to portray. Therefore, a thesaurus is my best friend while writing. Although I often use this reference, I only use words that I know the meaning of and surely with proper usage. I avoid using uncommon, extravagant words that hardly appear in modern writing for fear of my point of view being misunderstood. For example, rather than something eccentric like “aberrant,” I would use “peculiar,” but not go as nonchalant as “weird.” I use a variety of just enough words to give my writing a kick, but not be too superfluous or dull. Such as this excerpt from my cause and effect paragraph, “Fulfilling his passion while being a success in his profession harmonizes what OWU strives to represent.” To me, this sentence flows while reading because it contains words that appear to be on the same level of comprehension. As a result of my ability to correlate stimulating variations of words, it captures the attention of my reader while not causing confusion.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my ability to incorporate a sufficient amount of detail to my writing. Detail allows the writer to express themselves by creating a vision, which can be lifted off the page. It can bring the piece to life, such as using an assortment of adjectives can illuminate an object or individual item. As a poet you use a fair amount of detail to either help define the work or find the hidden meaning. I am constantly writing and rewriting different pieces to help my understanding of how detail can be used. I am proud of my usage of detail that I am capable of using. Detail can help remove the “fluff” within our work. The concept of “fluff” is the unnecessary detail that drags on. This is a common mistake that can drown out the important stuff. With this basic understanding I am able to create flawless work of imagination.
ReplyDeleteIncorporating detail and emotion into my writing is the greatest quality that I possess as a writer. Simply stating a fact of information sentence after sentence makes for a very cut-and-dry paper. On the other hand, adopting descriptive language in an uncomplicated fashion transforms bland words into entertaining discourse. Adjectives formulate uniqueness. In a paragraph where I describe the hands of elderly men and women, I write "two leathery hands" instead of simply calling them "hands." Not only do specifics present readers with an image that they can visualize, but they also allow a piece of writing to achieve individuality.
ReplyDeleteTransitions are the greatest strength that I posses when it comes to my ability to write out my thoughts. When reading through a paper transitions are important to allowing for smooth flowing ideas to be expressed to the reader. I am able to clearly express my ideas, whether they be right or wrong, through my use of transitions into examples. Examples can be better understood if a proper transition is used to present such examples. In my writing, examples have been reached this way, such as in, “Money doesn’t increase ability to motivate, the students own desire to pass the class and master the material allows for their motivation.” The stated sentence was used to transition from the talk of money as motivation to the use of a student’s own desire to motivate themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my organization. Before I begin to write I always outline my main points and make sure I have evidence to support them. I do not always need to write out this outline but having a basic structure in my head helps to guide my writing. Outlining is my key to staying focused. I then am able to formulate a clear and comprehensive thesis from the outline. This thesis then is the map for the rest of my essay. From the thesis I developed topic sentences for each paragraph. I then use the topic sentence to guide paragraph. Organizing my writing this way is important for me because otherwise, I tend to go off topic. My emphasis on organization is part of the reason I am good at downshifting. I may have grammatical errors or a weak point, but I will always downshift and follow my organizational map.
ReplyDeleteGoing through the writing process is a challenge, especially when a solid topic sentence will not come to mind, but, I rarely run into this problem because my greatest strength as a writer are my topic sentences. As I begin a paper, my brain races with the best way to introduce the topic in which I am discussing, and I believe that I can usually find the best way. Within my topic sentences a reader can see the emotion that I wish to express and the side in which I take as well as being presented with the correct information. My topic sentences also have a keen ability to draw the reader in. A paragraph that wrote began, “Walking around campus during the months of September, October, and November is beautiful; the leaves are changing colors and the squirrels are running around getting fat for winter…and then the smell hits you.” Doesn’t that sentence just beg to be explained?
ReplyDeleteEssays are easiest to read and understand when the argument the writer is trying to convey is clearly stated in the thesis or topic sentence. My greatest strength as a writer is the clarity of my topic sentences. My topic sentences often give my paragraphs a sure direction making my arguments clear. My topic sentences only seem ambiguous when I have not taken the time to rearrange my supporting ideas to properly support my argument. In my refutation paragraph, I begin my topic sentence by stating the idea I wish to argue and then refute it by claiming that it “would have no effect on parenting strategies.” In doing so, the reader is introduced to an idea and then told that the following paragraph is refuting this idea. In my critique paragraph’s topic sentence, I named the performance and then stated how the play made me view its characters. As a result, the reader knows the subject being critiqued as well as the direction of the critique after reading only the first sentence.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer I develop my essays and paragraphs with descriptive details that add to the development of the topic. In many of the paragraphs that I drafted in Freshman English, I used expressive sentences to further persuade the validity of my point and claims to the reader. For instance, to further justify the problems of snow removal at Ohio Wesleyan University, I wrote using imagery, allowing for the reader to imagine and better understand the aggravating experiences of students at OWU. When describing the pathways at Ohio Wesleyan, I stated, “The old snow is now packed into a hard, slick layer of ice infused with holes made from past footprints. The fear of slipping down the jay-walk permeates through my mind as a strong gust of wind hits me like a cold brick wall and unsteadies by balance.” The phrasing of theses sentences allows for the reader to fully follow my dangerous encounters with the walkways around campus and hopefully encourage readers to remember similar past incidents that will further help to reinforce the point I am discussing.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my attention to detail. When I write I pay attention to grammar, punctuation and capitalization in order to be taken seriously as a writer. When I read a paragraph or essay, written by a writer that fails to meet the basic standards of the English language, I instantly lose respect for the person and whatever opinion they are attempting to express. My meticulous attention to diction and tone is also seen in my writing. I wait for the perfect word to appear and express my thoughts onto a page in a tangible argument. An example of my need for perfection in writing can be seen in my simple text messages to friends. I correct their grammar in usage to the point at which they would rather call me. Examples of my diction and tone can be seen in any creative piece, such as a descriptive paragraph or my poetry, as well as my academic essays. Words are my instrument. I play very well.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is that I'm good with details. I love using descriptive words to create images in my creative writing. I don't use big intense words, but small relatable words that give the reader a clear image of what I see in my mind. In high school I wrote a story describing something that really impacted who I am, I wrote about my mom getting extremely sick and being in and out of the hospital and what I saw through a nine year old's eyes. One of the descriptive parts of the story was seeing my mom laying on the couch too sick to even move, I described it as "The bright winter sun was coming in through the shear cream curtains onto her pale face and into my eyes." my ability to create details and images is my biggest strength as a writer.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strenth as a writer is my knowledge of basic fundamentals. For instance, I know that when you want to add something from outside of a quote into one you have to put it in brackets. Another example would be transitions. I'm good at getting my writing to flow smoothly with the help of transitions. There aspects are especially important since I'm not creative in my writing (that's what I'll be talking about in our next paragraph assignment). Because my high school english teacher knew that not all students were creative writers, myself included, she wanted us to be able to have a solid knowledge of how to structure our writing in order to make it read as smooth as possible.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my topic sentence. I’m good at coming up with a single sentence that clearly explains what my topic is supposed to be. The rest of my paragraph then stays on the concise topic that I wrote my first sentence on. When I wrote my paragraph on the difficulties music students go through to double major, my topic sentence was, “Double majoring in both music and another discipline is difficult at Ohio Wesleyan.” This sentence demonstrated exactly what the rest of my paragraph was going to be about.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough I view myself as a very poor writer, I guess my greatest strength would have to be my creativity. Unlike the majority of essays that I have written (were school-assigned and not on a topic of my choosing), the essays that are on a topic of my own choosing have been written far better than essays on a topic that was not of my choosing. Usually when I find a topic of my choosing (usually one that is a high interest of mine), I tend to take the idea and run with it; I feel that I do a much better job this way instead of having one given to me by a teacher. With an idea that’s of my own choosing, I tend to get creative and free-lance the words that I use for the paper. For example, in the essay about the poorly-planned fire drill I told about how the students were “forced to stand outside in the snow and shiver to maintain their body temperature”, and I also shared how “the suffering students were a bit frustrated that a late-night drill took place during a crucial studying time.” Another example would be the paragraph from the personal experience where I talked the very first time I went parasailing, and how “I gazed at the waves that appeared to be so small, and the boat that appeared to be a little white smudge amidst the vast deep blue of the Atlantic.” During high school, we were assigned to write a poem using several different elements of writing. I chose to write about the United States Marine Corps, and one of my teachers who read it for editing, loved it so much she said she wanted to cry.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength in writing is having good content in my papers. As the content is a major component in writing, being able to present the main topics is a great asset. I have good information and facts about the topic I am writing about and the papers make decent points. I can find the important themes and write about them. In the critique paragraph, I wrote “The performance also left the audience wanting to know more about Rickey’s interaction with Jackie Robinson and his time at Ohio Wesleyan.” This sentence captured the feeling of the audience and was prevalent in many people’s thoughts about the performance. By finding the main points, the writings have the sustenance that they need to accomplish their purpose.
ReplyDeletePoetic abstract writing and regurgitating those bizarre details is my greatest strength as a writer. My creative writing style is more poetic and I really like to use my imagination to illustrate my points and personify objects. As a result, I am able to allow readers to paint pictures of my perception through my writing- giving them the tools for vivid imagery. An example from a previously written paragraph. You see she comes to torture all with her frostbites and shivers, bestowing unto man, a wrath that makes me quiver” this was a part of a paragraph inspired by my first winter experience.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer, interestingly enough, is not in any way how I write but how much I enjoy reading. I read a good deal of books in my free time and this has greatly helped me as a writer. Reading more expands your vocabulary, makes sure that you know how to actually spell and use those words correctly and in general just shows you the techniques good writers use. Reading more books has given me more ideas for papers and makes it considerably easier to write papers because I always have another book I can compare and bring up to support my claim. For instance in the class Myth Legend and Folklore I had to write a paper comparing a myth I read in class to any myth I’d read outside of class and this was no problem because I have read extensively in Greek and Roman mythology.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to write descriptive sentences is my greatest strength as a writer. I am able to make the reader visualize what a thing or event is like. For this purpose, I typically use analogies as a tool. The reader must understand the analogue and target in my sentences and make the connection. For example, I once wrote that “rage swelled up like a pyrocumulus in my till now dormant soul”. The sentence is characteristic of the analogy style sentences I make. One has to know what a pyrocumulus is and that the soul is being compared to a volcano. Although it makes a sentence complex, I enjoy constructing the in-sentence analogies. It makes my sentences original and forces the reader to think.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is developing creative, attention-grabbing topic sentences. My topic sentences incorporate witty word play and distinct ideas that captures the readers’ interest. When I start writing, I always contribute significant time into developing a strong innovative topic sentence because I believe it helps me set up the rest of the paragraph. Examples from my writing can be seen in multiple paragraph assignments this semester. My first paragraph assignment I talked about the problem of overpricing at Thompson, I started off the paragraph with “The on-campus convenience store for Ohio Wesleyan students, Thompson, isn’t too convenient for student wallets.” This sentence incorporates the argument that I want to display while including word play on “convenience” and “convenient.” All these elements collaborate to provide topic sentences that state arguments in a way that’s not mundane and boring to the reader.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is my ability to take an everyday life experience and describe it through flamboyant imagery or off the wall metaphors. Although flamboyant imagery is not necessary in most papers, and is usually frowned upon, I find it gives the readers something to latch onto when reading. In most cases it summarizes the point I'm trying to make in an easily remembered and pleasing way. An example of this can be found in my first paragraph for this class where I was writing about how cold showers are a problem at Ohio Wesleyan. "For a non-morning person, there is nothing worse than freezing grenades of cold water exploding on droopy eyelids," I believe my imagery correctly summarized the point I was making.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading a persuasive piece of literature a reader looks to see that the writer has validated their claim by including appropriate and meaningful evidence. I believe that as a writer my greatest strength is devolving arguments by supporting my claims with sound support. When trying to show support for my arguments I look to first clear out the obvious evidence that could be used to support an argument. For example, if I were writing a piece on the teenage pregnancy epidemic in America, I may point out that in 2000 eighty four out of every 1,000 pregnancies was that of a teenage girl and how that is the highest in the western world. Next, I look to provide information that will convince or at least make a doubter of my position question his or her stance on an issue. For example, in an paragraph I recently wrote to critique Ohio Wesleyan Athletic Director Roger Ingles on claiming World War II was partially caused by Nazi racial oppression, I pointed out how “according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ‘the U.S. did not pursue an organized and specific rescue policy for Jewish victims of Nazi Germany until early 1944.’ Even through the 1950’s there were still many restrictions on letting in Jewish refugees who wanted to become American Citizens.” I believe that this piece of information coming from as credible of a source as the National Holocaust Museum would help persuade anyone from believing that one of the causes of World War II was Nazi treatment of the Jews in Europe.
ReplyDeleteMy best strength as a writer is that I am able to come up with good ideas to write about and then can elaborate on that information really thoroughly. The writing itself often comes easily to me and I don't have to do a lot of thinking about what I need to come up with, my brain is well equipped to do that automatically. From a very young age, I have enjoyed writing stories, poems, journals, and essays alike and mastered the skill of formulating the idea for a piece in my head. For this reason, I am sometimes laxidasical when it comes to rewriting drafts for formal pieces of writing or seeing my errors, but I often am more happy with the original piece simply because it was my original idea and best communicates my initial point. However, I am often praised for the originality of my ideas when I write and I wouldn't want to beat out my optimistic voice through so many cycles of revising it.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest strength as a writer is being able to come up with descriptive language and give relevant examples. I really enjoy writing short stories, which is where my writing shines. I am able to write abstractly and incorporate new ideas. Downshifting is easier when it is a story because it follows a timeline. I am able to incorporate my ability of descriptive language into my writing. I wrote, “Millions of stars are shining as bright as the sun and the dome shape of the sky is in clear view.” This is a descriptive sentence that adds a lot to the feel of the paragraph. I think my ability to do this increase my writing quality tremendously.
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