Dear Malcolm,

Welcome to my ePortfolio. I spent a fair amount of time putting it all together and while I

was unhappy at first, I came to realize that I did a lot of work this semester and that is a great

thing. I really amazed myself with the amount of writing I did considering that I was not a big

fan of writing. I still am not but I no longer fear it as much after this course. I’ve always

struggling with meeting page requirements and dreaded anything over four pages. But through

the techniques taught during the course, I have seen that anything is possible. I chose the theme

of a forest because to me, it seems to be more of a solo journey to discover new things about

yourself and about the world around you. Whatever you learn in the forest comes from taking the

initiative to do it yourself. As my professor, you provided me with concrete techniques to

improve my writing; it was up to me to actually use them. Through that, I have learned about

what works for my writing and what doesn’t. One example would be the use of “shitty first

drafts,” I never bothered with drafts because ultimately I was too lazy to go back over them and

would rather take a long time to make sure what I wrote was what I intended and needed little

revision. After trying it a few times, I’m not entirely sure if I could keep on doing that for all my

writing assignments but I certainly understand the practicality of it.

I have progressed throughout the class as a questioner because of the many times we

discussed what is the purpose of an article in class. I have learned to read works for myself and

really think about why they wrote what they wrote and through that, I have become a more

effective writer because I want to be sure that what I wrote is interpreted the way I intend for it to

be. It was also difficult at times to write discussion posts in the Lit Lounges because at times, I

struggled to understand just exactly what the overall message of the TedTalks were and if I
struggled to understand, then how can I write an effective discussion? To me, it was more of a

“the more you do it, the better you get at it” sort of deal. I was able to evaluate sources a lot more

efficiently as a result though it was very challenging. I chose to include the discussions from the

Lit Lounges that I could relate to more because I was able to write a more comprehensive

response to the TedTalks.

In a way I almost enjoyed the Topic Proposal because I normally don’t organize what

exactly I am trying to write. Having a topic proposal to refer back to whenever I felt that I was

getting lost was very useful and ensured that I stayed on track. I believe that all the questions I

proposed in the Topic Proposal were discussed in my Extended Inquiry Project which kept me

from getting overwhelmed in what exactly I wanted to discuss in my EIP. I felt like I also

enjoyed writing the Annotated Bibliography because of how much easier it made writing my

EIP. I was able to essentially group together what research I wanted as efficiently as I could

because I was able to reference the Annotated Bibliography. The fact that it was so extensive

ensured that I was using strong research to back up my essay. My first EIP draft was a little

harder to get started on but I feel that the feedback I received on it was what really taught me a

lot about my writing. I was able to reflect on why I received the feedback I did and from there,

improve on making my writing more concise. My final EIP essay made me a little proud to be

honest. It’s not quite as impressive as a 15-page essay but for someone who dreads writing

longer essays, I think I really challenged myself and succeeded as a result.

I would say that my final EIP essay is my most important work in the class because I was

able to effectively research a topic that I really enjoyed and wanted to learn more about. The fact

that I am able to share it with other people is an even better plus, and I hope that it might even
sway people to consider at least trying a cricket. As a writer, I have grown more confident in

writing research-based essays and as a student, I know that I am very likely to have to write even

longer essays so this is a start.

I enjoyed freewriting a lot because I viewed it in a sort of “shitty first draft” light. My

Daybook work was a chance to word vomit whatever I may be thinking at the time or to just get

my mind ready for class that day. In writing whatever came to mind, I was able to reflect upon

them at a later time and thus, generate new ideas from them. Doing peer editing in groups was

useful because having at least two other people to critique your work means that someone might

catch something that the other person might not have so I was able to evaluate my peer’s writing

in a critical way and help them better their writing while also receiving the same. When someone

else reviews what I wrote, I find that it is very useful because if what I want to write is intended

for an audience, then it would make sense to have an “audience” read it to be sure they

understand what I am writing. The readings were the concrete techniques I mentioned earlier;

they contained tips on how to make your writing flow better, how to catch the reader’s attention,

and other topics. The one about making an engaging title was most useful especially when I was

brainstorming what to title my EIP.

Moving forward, I have really grown to not fear writing as much because I was able to

explore what works for me and what doesn’t. I have gained a higher ability to evaluate readings

and to reflect on what I write. Though my writing is far from perfect, I think I have gotten a little

closer to reaching it because of your class. I hope to take more courses that have challenged me

in the way your class has and to take another course with you someday. You have made my first

semester here at UNCC very enjoyable.

Thank you,

Helen Tran