Ana Miranda                                                                                       WC: 860

ENGL 21002

Prof. Anna Steegmann

 

Finding my Voice as a Writer

 

As I entered my second English class ever at the beginning of this semester, I dreaded the thought of writing based on the process I went through the semester earlier. Dry, cold and analytical. Endless rules are supposed to make me a great writer but that only made me second guess my creativity and the authenticity of my voice. This class though lit the fire of my enjoyment for writing with my own voice in an academic setting – something I thought to be impossible prior.

 

The course objectives were all challenging but in a great way. I enjoyed “Acknowledge yours and others’ range of linguistic differences as resources”. It opened my mind as to how my first language affected my writing in English, something I had never considered, or no professor had ever pointed out to me. In general, it brought more awareness to my writing from its roots and I eventually applied this awareness in my autobiography and memoir class by identifying linguistic differences in other texts. Another course objective “Practice field research strategies, such as observing, writing field notes, and interviewing” was useful for my personal side projects as well as for my major (psychology). I plan on starting a podcast next year and this part of the course helped me develop my skills as a good interviewer. Now I understand in an organized manner the process that takes to be well prepared for an interview of a topic (in this case a subculture) you may not be too familiar with. Overall the course has built my confidence and skills as a writer and interviewer.

 

Since my past experiences in writing classes were not pleasant, it took me two or three classes to understand this course was different. The course pack is rich with texts that inspired me to take chances with my writing. “The elements of style” and “100 ways to improve your writing” were the most impactful to me. To open Word and start a new document with a blank page staring at me is terrifying. So much that I get waves of anxiety while trying to come up with something to write, but the assignments for this course paired with the tools in the course pack helped me get through with minimal anxiety episodes. And to me that alone is a huge personal transformation. Again, it affected me in such a positive manner in my autobiography and memoir class where my professor mentioned he enjoyed reading my paper because it was straight to the point. As I let go of my inner self-critic, I felt more freedom and autonomy in my writing. I did not feel that I had to fit in while still maintaining an academic stance.

 

As the course advanced, I understood how every class exercise prepared us for the next assignment in order to create a full report on the subculture I chose. The peer interview, the artifact exercise and observing a CCNY class and taking double-entry notes were a few of my favorites. All of these came in handy once I had to prepare for the interviews with the people I contacted through research on my subculture of choice. I also benefited from our class on research on the school online database. The background research allowed me to feel prepared and confident to conduct my interviews. Lastly, the exercises on strengthening our source use practices were crucial, once I had to take all the material I collected and put it down in writing. It allowed me to create synergy between my own thoughts and perspectives and my data.

 

However, once we got to the Research/ Proposal Grant Application, I struggled a bit. It felt too serious again, but the writing examples we had from past students helped me. The “good example” versus “bad example” of the assignment execution gave a sense of how to go about it. The assignment required data and research in order to be properly presented. Since research is a forte of mine, I had no issues with it. After I finished writing the proposal, I noticed that part of my struggle with past papers or essays had to do with the confidence in my voice to defend or present my point of view. I now realize that it affected the quality and flow of my papers. The research portion of anything I had to write about was never the problem. The problem resided in putting my knowledge down on paper. In the end, even though I felt the most uncomfortable with this assignment, it was also the one that taught me the most about important issues I had with my writing process.

 

Putting my portfolio together was a satisfying experience. I got to see the progress of my writing skills and even better, my progress as an interviewer. This course allowed me to identify my voice as a writer with clarity and a newfound interest in interviewing. I plan on incorporating both in my life and launch a podcast this upcoming year and eventually get to apply those skills towards my practice as a psychotherapist.