During the first semester, writing meant stacks of homework to do every day. Before I entered KMLA, I had not written many essays; the assignment of Ms Choi’s class was about 80% of English essays that I have written. Even though I did not enjoy writing so much, I was glad that I improved at the end of the semester. I want to make more improvement during this semester, and hopefully enjoy writing.
Going through my essays, though few, I find some characteristics in common: I follow the basic structure of the 5 paragraph essay. As Ms. Choi taught fundamental structure of a paragraph and a 5 paragraph essay, I try to fit in the form. Of course, it is not a good way to write a dynamic, and creative essay. Nevertheless, I can’t run before I walk. I build the strong basic and then create my own style.
If I should answer the question, “what is your strength in writing?”, I would say, “I have plenty of room to improve.” I have sometimes felt inferior and even jealousy when I was reading a good piece: This might be why I could not enjoy writing during the first semester. During the vacation, I realized that comparing with others has no meaning but to stressing me up. No one can write a qualitative essay without any practice. Not having done much practice not only means I have put extra effort but also means I can create my own style of writing and experience a big improvement. Starting a new English class, I want to have a lot of chance to fill my blank sheet with creativity and advanced skills.
I have plenty things to improve about my writing, but the most serious problem is that my essays are often to plain and monotonous. I think there are two reasons for this problem: limited vocabulary, and difficulty with explanation. Though I memorized word smart during the whole semester, I forgot almost everything. The number of words that I can utilize in writing is even fewer. To make the matter worse, I sometimes discard ideas and thoughts just because I cannot explain them in appropriate way. It is painful to look at the essay which is too empty comparing with my brain.
My goal of writing is to fully expressing my thoughts, and to share my ideas with others. I want my essays to be useful method of communication with others.
The best essay I wrote is the term paper for Mr. Johnson’s English class. I had a lot of time to research and edit the writing. As we had no limit of the theme, I wrote about abandoned dogs, which I had interest in. I learned a lot about the welfare of abandoned dogs in Korea. It was a great opportunity to practice writing and research about my interest. Here is the link to my term paper:
I wish I have opportunities to exchange writings with peers, and be possible to ‘use’ new words in this class.
