Reflective Course Essay

Reflective Essay

Throughout this course, I had to write a number of essays using an array of styles and techniques. The course lessons helped me comprehend the many steps that make up the writing process from gathering ideas to making a final copy. It has become clear to me that a section of writing is not perfect; something can always be reworded or restructured to make for a more understandable presentation. In order to create a concise paper you need to organize your ideas and use credible sources. However, I found connecting those ideas to be tedious at times; yet, I want my paper to be cohesive and organized.

One of the biggest improvements which I noticed this semester is the ability to write a strong introduction essay with an interesting catch to it, along with a good topic. In the narrative essay, “Going Home”, I wrote a good descriptive introduction. In that introduction, I was able to set a visual picture for my audience about a soldier’s life in Iraq from my own experience. To help with the difficulties of writing an introduction I sometimes write it last, so that I am able to craft a good introduction that appeals to my readers. Other times I have a friend read over my introduction and have them give me feedback on what they expect the paper to discuss.

The second point in which I improved on is using examples in my writing and having good credible sources. Most of the information which I used came from .com sites and when I tried to present my essay, I had very little to support it with. A new way I do searching now involves searching for information in databases. When searching in a database, the sources are credible and are useful in writing. By taking this course, I learned that examples are only helpful if they prove the point I try to argue. In the argumentative essay, “The Global Warming Hoax”, the example I use is not made up at the top of my head, but something that had been used as a documentary of scientific truths. The...