To Whom this may Concern:
When I signed up to take the English Composition course, I had no idea how complicated writing well could be. I’d always thought my words were spelled correctly and I’d used grammar properly, and therefore, I wrote well. How wrong I was. It had never occurred to me how my words and story line were bouncing around like lottery balls waiting to drop down the chute. Focus, lack of detail, and summaries, were just a few of the things I learned to be aware of. I understood what I was writing, but did it flow and make sense to the person who was reading it? Thanks to Ms. Pappas, my English Professor, I am aware of many more ways to improve on my writing skills. After writing the first essay of our assignments, I was shocked to see the margins full of comments and suggestions! Don’t get me wrong – Ms. Pappas is also very generous with compliments and words of encouragement too. But she was right and my revisions were much better.
The bad part is, I think I’ve become overly cautious and critical of every word I write now. I find myself re-writing every sentence multiple times trying to make it better than the time before. That leads to my assignments taking three times as long as it probably should. I’m trying to be more confident with my writing, but I am aware that I am out of practice and need alot more. It’s been decades since I went to school and had to do homework. It took awhile to discipline myself and work out a reasonable schedule. I’m fortunate to have an understanding employer who allows me to study or write for at least an hour each day. This is a tremendous help, otherwise I would be up late every night, and I cannot function on only a few hours sleep like I did in my younger days. I sincerely hope the essays I am presenting to you will reflect the valuable lessons and advice I have received from Ms. Pappas and my determination to improve as a writer.
My first (#1) essay topic was taken from a personal experience that I derive pleasure from. I find it was so much easier to write about something I’m familiar with rather than trying to put someone else’s words into my own. It wasn’t a piece of cake either. I was constantly looking back to the assignment requirements to make sure I was using all the techniques and following the guidelines. It took some revising, but for a first try I shouldn’t be too disappointed.
When I realized that the rest of the essays this semester would be writing about robots I thought I’d never be able to do it. What did I know about robots? I had never given them a second thought and figured I wouldn’t be able to write anything intelligent and technically correct about robotics . Again I was wrong. It turned out to be very interesting and it wasn’t beyond my abilities after all. My second essay choice (#4) to present is the photo essay on drones. I had heard of Amazon testing them deliveries, but was amazed to find many other different types, shapes, and sizes were being testing in other countries. I quickly discovered drones aren’t just for fun or convenience, but are beneficial for our future in the medical and scientific areas. I hope there is a noticeable improvement in my writing. I was more comfortable with the research aspect and putting the information into my own words.
The third essay (#5) is about humans having relationships with robots. I am not in favor of this practice and didn’t find it difficult to obtain research sources and express my objections. The thoughts and words flew into my head so fast I had to take notes so I wouldn’t forget to use any. By this time in English Composition we are near the end of the course. It has gone by too quickly. I feel like I’ve only reached the tip of the iceberg. I surely hope I have absorbed what Ms. Pappas has taught us, and put it to use properly. I know I’m on my way to being a better writer thanks to Ms. Pappas great efforts and endless patience.