Dr. Jon D. Lee
Whenever I write, at home or school, I always ensure that I am focused. Not only do I focus on the topic or theme of my essay, but by first making an outline of it. For me, an outline is the framework where I put brief yet coherent ideas into place – and it works wonder! It is like making my work done in no time. Whenever I use an outline, the next step that I do is to proceed writing freely. Everything that pops up in my mind can simply be inserted in the outline while I do the prewriting.
After I am done with the outline and prewriting, I redraft my essay. I do this by rereading my first draft, extracting additional ingenious ideas, adding more details, rewriting some portions, and proofreading or checking my spelling. I then leave my redraft for some time so that when I look at again into it with fresh eyes, there is a greater likelihood of spotting a few mistakes in my grammar, punctuations, word choice, and so on – and correcting them. Depending on the type of composition that I am doing, such as if there is a need for facts or information from other authors, I properly cite the sources of the articles that I quote or paraphrase.
I write the way in which I comprehend the materials because that is precisely where I will get my ideas. For example, in my article entitled ‘The Last Steamed Egg Custard,’ I tried to be as vivid as possible so that even ordinary readers can relate to my story. I crafted my essay as simple yet inspiring as possible as I reminisced my past experiences with my family when I was just a child until such time that I have to go to study in college abroad. In another instance, during our midterm, I compared the articles of two different authors concerning homelessness in the United States. I presented a summary and analysis of their ideas until such time that I chose between the two (that is, the better author). I realized that a ‘more competent’ writer expresses his/her more proficiently yet logically. In my research paper about the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender, I cited authorities on the issue. I made a balanced presentation of diverse views from various sides as much as I could. In the end, it is still up to my readers to weigh the evidences of both sides of the issue given the arguments and counterarguments that I offered.
Based on the preceding statements, I express my ideas, opinions, feelings, etc. about an article, essay, issue, and so on based on my own analysis or understanding of them. Because there is no better person who can express all of what I am going to express in writing, I still see the composing process as a daunting yet self-satisfying task. Moreover, I consider it as a regular challenge to improve myself as an excellent writer someday by wholeheartedly learning from experience. As much as I could, I follow English rules in grammar, process analysis (prewriting), and other writing techniques (e.g., use of exemplification, comparison-contrast). I also keep on reading additional informative materials, journal articles, and so on related to this course that I am taking. I cannot simply overestimate the contributions other people who share with others what they already mastered as expert writers.
As a self-evaluation of the effectiveness of my composing process, it is effective for the simple reason that I can express myself the best that I could possibly would and could. I meet my objectives as a young writer. I strongly believe that my readers understand what I am saying and can even interact with my message. They can see in themselves whether what I said made sense. Further, readers can follow my line of reasoning and feelings. This is because, whenever necessary, I make my composition plain and simple. I do not want to make things complicated for myself or other people. If simple words are enough to express myself, I do so. Why should I make it difficult for others who simply want to know what I am writing about?
