Writer's Journal #3

So far, I have really enjoyed working on the writer’s journal assignments. It has been a lot like blogging which I have previous experience with. The fact that I can use the writer’s journals to basically jot my ideas down into paragraphs makes it very helpful for when I am starting to write large papers. The writer’s journal is being used for reflection just as we have recently learned. I am constantly thinking about my thoughts and write them down so that when the times comes to write the writing projects, my brain has already thought about every step. It will be helpful when I start the first project. I love writing down my thoughts. It seems like a lot of work at first but as I am writing them down, I learn more about myself and what I want to write about. Working on many of these journals also teaches me to be as detailed as possible. When I wrote the first journal, I felt like I had rushed and not put in as much effort. After, that the second journal was a lot more thoughtful and I stopped caring about word count. I became more worried about being specific and providing examples and when I do that, then I end up writing even more than I originally planned on writing. I think as I keep working on them, I will become a more developed writer. Doing tis journal involves that metacognition that I just learned about. Just by recollecting is not enough. I need to recollect and reflect so that each time I write, it gets better and more well thought out.

Writing has made me more aware of words and how I can use them to express myself. When I was a kid, I went through a lot of trauma. Writing has always been an outlet for me. I have kept journals since I was a young girl. When I look back at those journals, I never judge myself. I know that my grammar was horrible, and my sentences did not flow well but that is all part of learning. I appreciate myself for where I was at that time. I used journaling to write about my pain at the time and about my family who I missed. I am a believer of letting things be out in the open. It is not healthy to hide things from yourself and those around you. Writing all those ideas, thoughts, and pains is important! That’s how everyone, myself including, grow. We write down those thoughts and think about them and then move on. When new thoughts come, we can look back and try to handle them based off what we know. The same goes for writing. We write down our thoughts and when new thoughts come, our writing grows from there. I used to write down about my abuse as a child. When I wrote those down, it became easier to manage them. It did not feel like I was just hiding them somewhere in my brain. I made it come out and be in the open. That is when the healing began.

Writing assignments have always been helpful because sometimes we all experience something called writer’s block. That means that no matter what, we cannot come up with things to write about. When teachers and professors give us assignments, we can think on specific details and start to form outlines of those ideas. After we form outlines, we are able to put those outlines into paragraphs and then essays. Constantly having to do this in school builds good habits of how to form ideas. It goes beyond writing. If someone asks you a question for example such as, why do you like America? Then having that writing background, you can start listing off some reasons and form a basic outline in your head. When we are thinking, it is another form of writing but without it being written down. Writing comes from language. As soon as we write our thoughts down on paper or type them out, it becomes the typical writing.

Writing can structure our thinking, but I believe that the more you write, the less structured your thinking will be depending on the writing you do. Poets for example will think completely differently than scientific article authors. Why is this? Poets have a lot more free-range when it comes to rules, grammar, and punctuation. On the other hand, scientific article authors must stick with proper grammar, punctuation, and terminology. The more writing either of those people do of that kind, the more their brain Is getting wired to think like that. That is why I believe people should always be doing a variety of writing and not merely stick to one thing. By only writing in one way, you are limiting your writing style and your communication capabilities. What happens when you are sending an email to the IRS because you got behind on your taxes but all you ever do is write poetry? Most likely, your letter will lack professionalism. That is why it’s very important to write about a variety of subjects and learn how to write.

This idea of writing structuring our thinking does concern me a little. I think it is important to be able to communicate with anybody. When people are narrowing their communication abilities by not writing on a variety of subjects it makes the world a less friendly place. With all the Coronavirus and the Black Live Matter issues in the world, we need more communication and more ways to communicate. I think therefore classes such as ENG 101 are important and very much needed. There are upsides to the idea of writing structuring our thinking because that means that writing can help us learn more and develop our brains more. I can start off as a blogger with a decent vocabulary to an excellent communicator with an assortment of writing knowledge and styles.