When starting my journey in English 21001 G, I was not confident in my skills as a writer. I knew the fundamental basics of writing structure, MLA formatting, grammar, all the usual aspects. Where I struggled, or at least where I think I struggled, was in my capability to properly articulate my thoughts in a concise fashion. Every time I would write a sentence, I would constantly rethink if what I am writing is correct and start from scratch, something that I still have a hard time with to this day. 

This roadblock seemed slightly less daunting thanks to Professor Tyson Ward’s insightful exercises in class. With each passing day, I realized that I was challenging myself to not go for the easy choice. I also saw drastic improvements in my writing, particularly in the way that I was able to convey my ideas. The scheduling of the three major assignments also allowed for me to be more creative along the way. 

I believe that by first exercising my skills in writing a paper based on research and evidence followed by using those skills on analyzing a creative piece of work were necessary steps for me to feel comfortable to take a creative leap myself. It felt like I was going through a natural progression rather than throwing myself into a task that would overwhelm me, something that I had a history of doing in the past. 

Looking back on the three major assignments throughout the course of the semester, I was finally able to feel proud of my work for the first time in a while. I worked harder on improving my skills in writing in the past few months than I have in a long time and I believe that hard work shows in these three pieces. I was able to inject a portion of who I am into each work, causing me to not only see the growth in my writing but the growth in myself as an individual.