Merry Wilcox Wilcox I
Professor Stocklos
English Composition 122
5 July 2015

WRITING When this course began, I didn’t consider myself a writer at all. It was difficult to organize my thoughts and ideas. My note taking was helpful but not enough. After submitting the first draft of my narrative essay in Module Three, I learned a couple things about writing. First, I could phrase a thesis statement and place it in the introductory paragraph without giving away the whole gist of my narrative right off. Professor Stocklos very eloquently guided me to rephrase what I had written about playing with my mom’s shoes as a child and use that as a metaphor for stepping into her role as an adult after her death. (Module Three Rough Draft Feedback, Professor Stocklos) I also learned that too much is not necessarily a good thing. My first draft was over ten pages long but was only to be two to four pages. I had included too many family details and stories concerning my dad. Professor Stocklos suggested that these details caused too many tangents and that the reader could become confused as to the point of my story. She further suggested that I concentrate on writing either about my mom or my dad. (Module Three First Draft Feedback, Professor Stocklos) Since my thesis statement related closely to my mom I wrote about her. When revising my narrative essay I was able to take that feedback and streamline my writing into something I am very proud of. Professor Stocklos wrote, “You did a superior job of applying my feedback and making some significant changes to your draft. I especially appreciate that you focused specifically upon your mom and

Wilcox II

used the metaphor of her closet to show your feelings toward her death. You have a strong creative writing talent, and I hope you will continue to explore it.” (Module Six Final Narrative Draft Feedback, Professor Stocklos) I thought the first draft of the persuasive essay would be much easier for me than the narrative essay had been. It proved to be more challenging. I found it daunting because I was now dealing with information from many sources and taking a lot of notes. I had trouble organizing my thoughts and ideas. In Module Five learning material we learned about visual organizers. The hierarchy style organizer clicked with me right away and I was able to start getting my thoughts and ideas down on paper. I submitted my first draft late, but I was able to get it done because I had found a visual organizer that worked for my learning style. Professor Stocklos feedback included helpful advice on combining paragraphs, separating other paragraphs and correcting some grammar. (Module Five First Draft Persuasive Essay Feedback, Professor