Jayson Castillo

Writing 2

Allison Bocchino

June 8th, 2024

Metacognitive Reflection

Before coming into this class, my writing style had always been more simple since I was

always given a strong rubric to follow. I never received much flexibility in terms of being able to

write whatever I wanted. When I had to write about other’s work everything was centered on

what the author was saying when analyzing certain pieces or texts and it was never about why

they chose to write in the style. This being said it was a big adjustment coming into a Writing 2

course considering how different it is than what I was used to.

Since the beginning of the course, my thinking has become more critical considering the

large amount of questions being asked when doing my writing projects. These questions lead to

not only finding my thought process but also developing a new method and strategy when

analyzing other scholars’ work from now on. It allows me to see a different perspective and ask

myself questions I would have never thought of before this class! It has been nothing but a

growing moment for me when doing these projects as although writing is not my strongest asset

it is something I enjoy doing quite often! One of the biggest takeaways I've learned from this
course is the study of genres and “what exactly makes a genre?” since this definition of a genre

was quite new to me. It allowed me to gain new knowledge and overall just allowed me to

explore what genres I could discover and identify. This was a big help as I was able to

experiment and interact with classmates. This worked for me considering seeing everyone else's

styles and ideas allowed me to grow as a writer. Along with writing styles, you learn all about

writing styles and how we all have different processes as writers. I learned that not everyone

works the same way but for me, I appreciate that because I can learn from everyone. I learned

that I need to write a ton before being satisfied with my final piece while others don't think the

same. Regardless this was something that opened my eyes as a new writer.

Not only was learning from others a big help but also from the readings in class such as

Giles, Reflective Writing, and the Revision Process. Within this reading, it taught me how to

look at other perspectives and improve. This class was full of learning moments as before this

class I had no idea what I could define my writing style as. To be honest it was mostly free

writing with my personality and sayings incorporated into it but it never had structure or a

specific style to go with it. Now as I am wrapping up my time in this course it has allowed me to

explore and branch out to other writers and their styles to conclude what mine looks like.

For this portfolio, after having multiple drafts, feedback, and writer response workshops

one of the biggest challenges and pieces of feedback I was given was my writing lacked clarity.

Although it was evident I tried to answer all the questions and include everything, oftentimes the

main point of my writing would get lost because I would over-explain. I knew when revising this

was something I had to work on as I wanted to show my progress and hard work has paid off.
Most of the time the clarity would also get lost because my writing had no structure.

Acknowledging these two issues was difficult because in my opinion I felt there was no issue but

after a quarter in this class I started to realize what I could fix. Within the writing projects the

main focus was restructuring the paragraphs and being more straightforward when trying to

explain. This makes it easier for the audience when reading but also makes my essays stronger

from a writer's perspective. Similar to Bunn’s reading “How to Read Like a Writer” it introduced

me to a new perspective. Reading other people's writing and finding an appreciation for their

style. It also was a learning moment for me as well. It taught me to incorporate the feedback I

have gotten and apply that to make my projects the best version I can produce. In all honesty, I

do feel like I have improved on this, this is something I still want to work on because writing can

always be clearer and appear more put together. This is something I am working on as a writer

and will continue to do so!

Overall the writing that is presented in my portfolio reflects how I am as a writer as you

can see the amount of improvement and progress I have made from the first submission til the

final one. I took every piece of feedback and used it to create stronger and more thoughtful

writing pieces. It also reflects what I learned as a writer from this course because it displays the

amount of analysis and connections I create from my topic to the conventions used in this class.

As of now, my strongest feature has to be my analysis of other's writing considering that I had a

lot of progress so it allowed me to become specialized in that skill and apply it to future writing

projects. While I got to learn so much from this class, the concept of finding what certain

conventions in writing tell us about the disciplines was something very difficult to do. It was new

which is why it was a struggle but it also allowed me to grow as a writer. If I had learned any tips
from this class or helpful advice it would be to always ask for more feedback. Sometimes it is

easy for us to get caught up and not find the mistakes within our writing but having a second pair

of eyes can always help! This is also a good strategy for being able to expand your thoughts and

share with others. I believe you cannot produce a good piece of writing unless it's a team effort

and that is something I will continue to share as a writer! In conclusion, this course benefited me

so much not only as a writer but just as a person overall because it opened the door for shared

experiences, feedback, and challenging prompts to keep me engaged. If it wasn't for this course I

would have been able to find a passion for writing and for that, I am forever grateful!
 Work Cited

- Sandra L. Giles, Reflective Writing and the Revision Process, Page 197

- Mike Bunn, How to Read Like a Writer, Pages 71-73