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Emily Brubaker

Professor Jon Beadle

English 115

7 December 2017

Change is a Good Thing

Throughout life, communication with others is one thing we cannot avoid. Learning how

to send emails, letters, create resumes using engaging words, and writing essays, are all tasks that

everyone must perform in their lifetime. Throughout the semester, my confidence in my writing

has increased proficiently. While my writing skills can always improve, I have taken the first

crucial steps in becoming an excellent writer. I have gained knowledge in writing by using

educational words, expressing analysis using my own words, and creating intriguing thesis

statements that encourage my reader to keep reading. These skills that I have obtained while

being in this class are what is going to push me through the rest of my years at Cal State

Northridge in my Journalism career.

When I used write my papers, I only turned in my first draft. Making this mistake cost me

the chance to use more well informed words, and have more credibility towards my audience.

Using interesting words in an essay is one reason a reader keeps reading. If I had used boring

words in my essays, my audience would not have enjoyed reading it. In my Project Text and

Project Space essay, words I used were excellent. I used to often write words that could have

easily been changed to sound better. I now know to look through each essay I write, and have

multiple drafts to consistently fix my essays. Even during my final draft of these essays, I always

tried to find better words for each word I used. Changing simple words into intriguing words is

what assisted me in writing better analysis.

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Another issue I have struggled with in my writing is not writing enough analysis. I tend

to summarize someone else's words from a quote I had mentioned, and not write using my own

thoughts. In my Project Space essay, I failed to write analysis about a part of my thesis regarding

values and fears. My analysis should always connect back to my thesis in every paragraph.

However, while revising my Project Space essay, I have now learned to try and find points in

each paragraph that connect to my thesis. In my Project Text essay, we had to watch two movies

about Godzilla. This pushed me to summarize both movies in my essay, and ignore that I had to

include my own thoughts and opinion as well. I revised my Project Text essay by including

analysis about significance, and why I think Godzillas changes are important. While connecting

back to a thesis statement is essential in an essay, writing one is the first step.

Writing a thesis is one of the most important parts in an essay. Without a thesis, there is

no essay. While writing a good thesis is a great start, every thesis should be flawless. I have

always struggled with writing thesis statements that do not make a lot of sense, or do not really

connect with the essay prompt. In my Project Space essay, we were assigned to discuss our

values and fears about ourselves. I mentioned all of this in my thesis, but could have always

written even more. I used to only write about certain parts in the prompt. In my Project Text

essay, my thesis was very clear. I answered every part of the prompt clearly, and said the facts

that I thought were true. Writing a thesis is about putting your opinion forward in an

argumentative way.

Some who have read my essays may say that I can write more analysis, and make my

thesis statements more clear. This is a statement that can be made against any college student

who is learning about writing. Unless I have a professional revising all of my essays, I will make

some mistakes. As previously stated, writing analysis in my essays has always been something I
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have struggled with. My Project Space and Project Text essays have showed me that I am

allowed to have my own unbiased opinion. It is important for me to get my points across while

writing, which is what an essay is about. I have also had issues with turning my good thesis into

a great one. Trying to fix every little detail into one or two sentences regarding a prompt is not

always an easy task. In my Project Text essay, the prompt we were given helped the class write a

lot of information in their essay. However, squeezing all of the information into a thesis was

difficult for me, but I did it. Overall, my analysis has improved because I know that my opinion

in an essay should be heard. My thesis statements are as clear as I want them to be, and I am

confident that I have included everything from both prompts.

This writing class is one of the best writing classes I have taken. I truly feel like I have

learned so much about writing, and how to get my argument across. I am now prepared for the

rest of my Journalism classes at Cal State Northridge because I know I have what it takes to

succeed. Using knowledgable words has turned me into a credible, college-level writer. Writing

my own analysis is the main reason my writing has improved. Analysis is the first thing your

audience looks for, because I am including why I think my points connect back to the thesis. My

thesis statements are what have made my Project Space and Project Text essays stand out

because I am clear and answer all of the questions in the prompt. Many websites teach a student's

thesis to be simple and boring. I have turned my thesis into one that makes my audience curious

about what I am arguing about. Many do not realize that they will be writing for the rest of their

life. Whether it is mailing a letter or writing an email to a boss, my writing skills I have learned

are going to assist me in everyday life.