Elouise Miny

ENGL 2116
Draft 1
Final Reflection Memo
Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If
you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit
yourself.-Truman Capote
For whatever reason I was placed in Professor Arnolds class, whether it be
because I needed the writing intensive course or because I am a Communication major, I
have a reason of my own. This semester in Introduction to Technical Communication has
helped me find myself as a writer. I always knew I liked writing. For me, the underlying
reason I took this class was not that of requirement but one for the purpose of enriching
my communication. I ultimately needed this course in order to discover and understand
my writing, though I may not have realized it.
Throughout all my previous writing, while I am flexible to different categories of
writing, I never strayed from my personal style of writing. I was stubborn and obstinate,
but looking back I may just have been comfortable with the way I wrote for so long and
did not want to challenge myself by taking on a new style. This class forced me out of my
comfort zone. I was not used to writing drafts or peer editing. Looking back, maybe the
confidence I had in my writing was my downfall. Writing downdrafts, second drafts, final
drafts and doing peer reviews opened my eyes to the writing process and I gained an
appreciation for the final product yielded by revision. I chose the Truman Capote quote
above to represent the way I look back on what I have learned this semester. No piece of
writing is one-dimensional. Writing has layers and each component of that layer is
essential to the creative process and the overall product.

Though it was our first module, I find my Writing for Employment work to be the
most polished. Each section is reader-centered and I was even able to use the documents I
created to get a job! Writing for employment was not a foreign challenge for me when we
began. Thus, I used the writing and revision processes to which I was becoming
accustomed in order to refine each piece of writing. I was less familiar with the tasks of
the three following modules but Writing for Employment was a good way to kick start
my semester of technical writing. I found that the modules increased in difficulty and task
complexity. Surely the writing process did not change much from one module to another,
but it did need to be adjusted in order to be topic sensitive. This forced me to focus on
how I was using the process to come to a final product. Writing for Instruction was
almost a completely different process because it was a group module, but when I focus on
the work we completed it was not any different from the other modules. The writing
process stayed intact though modified to suit a group activity.
I was not born knowing the mechanics of a good writing process. I have allowed
myself to step out of my comfort zone and learn the laws of perspective, light and shade
that writing entails. This quote suggests a theme for my experience in Introduction to
Technical Communication. Being reader-centered in writing is important, just as it was to
me when completing all of my modules. But just as important for me was taking the
writing process and making it writer-centered. Writing is not a one size fits all and the
process is not equifinal. I dabbled with peer reviews and draft writing in the beginning of
the semester because I had to. By the time I sat down to write my first reflection memo, I
understood how the process of writing worked and the role of each step in completing a
piece. In completing the first Writing for Employment Module, I had first drafts, peer

reviews, final drafts and successful examples of technical writing I have never done
before. This was a key moment for me. I often mentioned in my reflection memo at the
end of a module the specific moment of ahh I felt during my writing. Reflecting a final
time on my e-Portfolio, my ahh moment did not come when I realized that I managed
to learn how to be reader-center and communicate successful to the technical masses, that
moment was when I realized that I had developed my own writing process to suit my
writing.
One aspect of this course stood out to me and I feel that it really is what helped
me grow so much. I appreciate the hands on application the class offers. Peer reviews and
group activities offer new insight and force you as a writer to work with your material.
Peer reviews were beneficial and enjoyable for me in each module. You may say that I
developed gratitude for the thoughts of others to help me improve my writing or simply
that I actually acknowledged peer editing as an essential tool of writing. I did not come to
my final products alone. One of my peers, Chelsea, offered wonderful help in peer editing
my work. It became a habitual part of my writing process that I would have a peer review
my work and help me see the things I could not see alone. This ties back into the idea that
writing is multi-dimensional. With regards to peer editing, I would like to dispel the idea
that having a peer review your work is so that they can point out your mistakes. You
simply cannot see all the dimensions of a piece of writing the first time you write it or
even in your following drafts! Let someone else take a look and help guide you to a new
dimension. This was something that I had to learn in order to get comfortable with the
process itself.

Replaying the semester, I am happy it happened. I almost wish more classes could
be like this! We took everything step by step, helping each other along the way. I love
writing and I appreciate how different and thorough each module was. Early in the
semester I read something in our textbook that stayed with me. Technical writing is a
process that yields a product. Revision is an unlimited tool to help a writer yield the best
product of their work. The may have been the beginning of my path to figuring myself
out as a writer. I am writer, but I am not alone in my writing. The writer, the process, the
tools, his or her peers, and the final product are all essential dimensions to technical
writing!