My Long and Prosperous Journey as a Writer

When I take a look back at my first semester here at Mount Ida College, I cannot help but wonder if my time has been well spent. Am I in the right place? If so, am I making the best of a great, and also expensive, learning experience? I still am unaware of the profession that I want to pursue in life after college, but am taking it step by step in hopes to find what I truly desire in life. Professor Cosmos has made me realize my love for English and my passion for writing. Through the assignments that she has given, I have figured out my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. First and foremost, people who can write are those who know how to view a topic and how to present a situation. And this is enough to show that they have eyes.

My most excellent strength as a writer is writing about personal experiences or fond family memories. It is also my favorite part of writing. I can sit at a computer for hours on end, typing away, as my emotions effortlessly pour out of my mind, body and soul. When I write about something that I enjoy, I become more confident, independent and capable of producing clear, powerful essays with integrity.

My personal goals during the course have been to strengthen my weaknesses as a writer. My weakness comes from lack of motivation. When I am required to write a lengthy paper on a subject that is boring or unimportant to me as a person, the writing process is often tedious and mind numbing. Professor Cosmos allowed us to cut through all of that by giving us articles with interesting subject matters and topics that we could

actually relate to. She provided a fun learning experience for her students, something that all college professors don't necessarily have to do.

Another weakness of mine that I wanted greatly to strengthen was my inability, or lack there of, to free-write. During my high school days, if I ever needed help on a paper, my mom would sit at the computer and assist me. I won't lie, she has done a paper or two for me in the past, but then again, who hasn't had a parent of theirs write a paper? As I sat back and watched her work, I remember being amazed at how she could write an entire page in the course of a half-hour. She would say, "There, I did the best that I could do. Now read over it and fine-tune it if need be." I really do think her style of writing has rubbed off on me in some way or another.

Over the semester, I feel as though my writing has improved greatly. Every time I write a paper, I e-mail it to my brother, who graduated from college last year. I appreciate his experience and wisdom, and when I need advice, most times he is able to provide it for me. I have also learned to use a wider array of vocabulary - nothing too fancy, though, as I feel it can suffocate a writing of yours if you abuse it.

I have always been a good student. In high school, I got so many remarks from my peers as being "the most organized kid they have ever seen." I would even get the occasional "overachiever" remark, but I knew I wasn't. It only arose from the people who were lazy and often came to class unprepared. I never failed in completing an assignment. There were a lot of days that I would come home from school and sit on the computer for five hours straight, plugging