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My writing was never perfect, and it's still not perfect. Before I could write, I had to learn

English when I came to the United States at a young age. My family did not speak English, and I

was the only one in my household considered a bilingual "speaker and writer." Even though I

was considered proficient in my native language and English, I was aware coming to Berkeley

that I was not at a college-ready level. To me, that meant being able to write an elegant paper

with advanced vocabulary. However, I learned in College Writing R1A that writing was more

about talking about valuable ideas.

In high school, I took two advanced placement English/writing courses. I learned how to

construct a basic five-paragraph essay structure with an introduction, thesis statement, three body

paragraphs, and a conclusion. I followed this structure every time I was given a writing

assignment, and it was enough to get me through high school writing classes with A's.

However, I experienced otherwise in College Writing R1A. I followed the same

techniques I had learned in high school for my first college essay in College Writing R1A. I

primarily focused on writing a five-paragraph essay, rather than creating an outline that

expressed valuable ideas.

I reflected on the feedback I received on my first essay in-office hours. I was not

surprised when I received a failing grade for my first essay. I noticed the structure I learned in

high school did not work. To understand why I started taking advantage of office hours. This

allowed me to improve my writing. I also began to revise my work multiple times. Revising my

work constantly allowed me to strengthen important ideas in my writing. Additionally, I learned

that talking out my ideas for each paragraph with a friend allowed me to organize my thoughts.

Since English is my second language, it has been tough for me to express my ideas. However, I
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found that talking about my ideas helps me to lay out my ideas and make deep connections

within each paragraph. Now, before any writing assignment, I lay out a piece of paper to express

and structure my ideas. Lastly, I talk about my ideas out loud. Overall, my terrible first grade in

College Writing R1A allowed me to reflect on my writing by making constant edits to my work,

and by taking advantage of office hours and the several strategies I have learned for

improvement.

One reading that has been helpful in my writing process is "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne

Lamott. In the article, Lamott talks about how even the most talented composers have to write

and rewrite their papers because "no one writes elegant first drafts." I can relate to Lamott

because, in college, I learned that my "final" submitted essay was really just my shitty first draft.

I have been able to prepare for my writing portfolio by editing my essays several times. I

learned I need to improve on formatting, cohesion and reporting verbs. I also focus on ensuring

my sentences are concise. Now, every time I write, I have gotten myself into the habit of revising

my work. Although my writing is not at a "college-level" yet, I am proud of myself because this

past semester I have worked hard on improving my revision techniques.

Additionally, as I am improving my writing abilities, I am also enhancing my reading

skills. Another reading I found interesting that allowed me to make connections with other

sources was "We Interrupt This Newscast (WITN): How to Improve Local News and Win

Ratings, Too" by Tom Rosenstiel, Marion Just, Todd L. Belt, Atiba Pertilla, Walter Dean (2007).

WITN has changed the way I interact with texts. I am thinking about parallel outside connections

as I read now. I also started to take notes differently, I group ideas together and quotes together.

This has allowed me to organize quotes for essays. Lastly, I used WITN and the film
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Nightcrawler to highlight patterns about newscasts stations. I connected both of the sources in

essay three, where I discuss how the novel and film share similarities about crime reports. A tool

that allowed me to make connections between both sources was an in-class activity. The

assignment was to fill in the left column with key ideas of WITN, and on the right column, I had

to use the notes I took while I watched Nightcrawler. This is helpful because, as I mentioned, I

struggle with expressing my ideas. However, making a column for both sources allowed me to

focus on each source one at a time.

In essence, my journey to becoming a better writer has been challenging. Deviating from

the five-paragraph structure to making a valuable outline with important ideas has allowed me to

concentrate on the content of my writing.

Additionally, an important lesson I learned was even good writers write shitty first drafts.

Lamott’s reading stood out because I have been patient with myself. I am slowly improving after

revising my shitty first drafts. The most rewarding feeling is seeing my writing improve after

each essay.