Dear Mrs.

Duke,
I will need the most help in formal writing, especially research writing. I find that I can

verbally have a good thesis and ideas to support it, but writing it in a coherent way that others

can understand it takes me a few drafts. I think if I were to improve on the aspect of creating a

detailed outline with completed thoughts then writing formally would become easier. One

element of formally I have improved on is the process of revision. I have taken Mrs. Pritchards

advice in reading my papers out loud so I can hear grammatical errors and funky structure and

allowing other students to revise my papers so another eye can find the mistakes I did not find.

Also, while writing I try to find the errors Grammarly consistently tells me I have such as

redundant words and no commas before introductory phrases. Grammarly also tells me I often

use passive voice but I do not know how to change the sentence to be constructed without the

use of passive voice. I have learned how to revise my writing for redundant words, such as

writing the phrase my own, own is redundant because my shows possession without using

own.

I am the best at writing poetry. I love that it can be as abstract or direct as the speaker

wants to make it and there are no restrictions. As a member of the poetry team, whenever we

had to write a poem in class multiple people would ask me to revise a poem, which is almost

impossible. Specifically, I was asked, How do you write a good poem?, and that was one of

the greatest questions I think has ever been asked, because it does not have one definite

answer. I told the person who asked me this, Just write what comes to your head without a

filter. Poetry i just a persons mind on paper with a few uses of figurative language if the poet

adds it.

I look forward to see my progress as a junior and throughout my high school career as a

poet and formal writer.

Sincerely,
Lauren A. Reed