Portfolio Reflection Letter Rough Draft 1

When I first walked into Writing 101, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that it would be more difficult than any other writing class I had previously taken. Like any normal person, I have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to writing but I’ve always been able to overcome the weaknesses. In Writing 101, however, it seemed like all my weaknesses were being amplified and my strengths weren’t really that strong anymore. In my portfolio is the first and second essay I wrote in Writing 101. In this reflection I will explain how these essays show what my strengths and weaknesses are, how my writing has grown between both of them, and what I still need to improve on.

I feel that these two essays best show what my strengths and weaknesses, as a writer, are. In the first essay I felt that it showed one of my greatest strengths: attention to information and detail. I like to focus on everything when I write to make sure that I don’t miss anything. This is also one of my weaknesses. In the first essay I covered too much detail and strayed away from the topic. In the second essay I was able to cut down the information to what was most essential, as a result the paper was much more clear and concise. One of my weaknesses in the first essay was the hook because it didn’t capture the reader’s attention. In the second essay the hook was amazing and immediately captured the reader’s attention, as I was told. A common weakness in both essays was my transition sentences. I try to transition as smoothly as I can to the next paragraph but I can never do it well enough or clearly enough so that the reader knows that’s what it’s there for. I need to work on, and am working on, transitioning and the length of my papers. As you will see in my portfolio these two weaknesses have drastically improved from the first essay to the second.

Although I know there is still much to improve on so that I can become a better writer, I’m happy with how I write. It’s good but I know that it has the potential to be great. My strengths are the ones that are essential to being a good writer and my weaknesses are things that can be worked on over a long period of time. Writing 101 has made me a better writer. The lessons I have learned here I will take and use the rest of my life.