Dear Professor Shamoon,

 

            As I look towards this semester, I have to set some sort of agenda for myself. I’m a freshmen and I wasn’t has happy with myself in regards to my GPA last semester. I’m also looking into transferring, and because of this my GPA this semester is very important to my future. So my main agenda for this class and all of my others is to do well in regard to that. However, this being a writing class, I see an opportunity to improve skills, which will affect me for my entire life. Also, with better writing skills a student has an opportunity to do better in school, as many classes require some sort of writing component whether in the form of long term research papers or in the form of one night homework assignments. Another benefit of better writing skills can be seen the marketplace for employment. Chances are that the majority of jobs include some aspect of writing, and as we move forward into the 21st century, that writing is more and more likely to be inside the electronic environment.

 

My process of writing would probably bother some of my elementary school teachers who were the first people who tried to teach me to write. I don’t really do much prewriting; no outlines, no brainstorming, and no webs. Because I write on a computer, I usually just sit there, and let my mind just flow, typing as I think, and then afterwards going back and looking how things turned out. This flowing nature changes the writing process greatly, as it takes it from an ordered process into a more natural thing. I enjoy this style of writing, because of the natural feel. It makes it more as if I was talking to whoever is writing my work.

 

I currently use the computer to do all of my writing. I find it a greatly valuable asset to me in my attempts to write. I don’t really write that much, but whenever I do, I find it much easier to do so if I am sitting in front of a computer, instead of if I am forced to hand write something. The only situation in which I would write something out would be in some sort of exam. I enjoy using it because it speeds up the process dramatically. I am also able to put forth a better-finished project because I’m able to go back and switch things around more easily. Another helpful aspect of computer writing is that it allows for you to be more reflective and critical of your writing. You can reopen the file, and play around with it, to see what would happen if you changed various aspects of your work in attempt to put forth the best work possible. Another major thing that the computer helps with is clarity. My handwriting isn’t the best, and sometimes other people have difficulty reading it. My ability to type things allows me to share my message more easily with those people who do have trouble reading what I have written. Many people have this issue; as for some people writing is more difficult for various reasons.

 

Writing in the computer environment though does have some drawbacks though. For things such as brainstorming or a basic initial outline, writing something out on a sheet of notebook paper works much better than writing in a computer environment. This doesn’t affect me to a point where I would need to change do something about it however; as I have noted that I don’t do much brainstorming, outlining, etc. Computers are also not the ideal environment for note taking; it is much easier to show connections or to quickly sketch a graph or table. While not difficult to do on a computer, those processes are more time consuming then you really can afford when you are sitting in class trying to keep up with a professor giving a lecture. Because of this, for the most ideal writing process, you must use a combination of both handwriting and computer work.

 

I believe the computer allows me to operate as a more advanced writer then I would be able to if I was forced to handwrite everything. It allows me to more clearly say what I want to say. I’m able to reflect and react to something just as I am writing. In handwriting something, you can look back and think about what you have written, but you cannot react immediately, because it is more difficult to do that when you aren’t able to just click somewhere on a screen and type whatever you think.

 

Overall, the computer is the most important tool for writing that has been developed in recent years. It gives the opportunity to offer a better-finished product in terms of clarity, focus, and allows you to be a more reflective writer. It also changes the nature of a person’s writing, as it goes from more pure writing form, as you are just putting out what is in your mind.

 

 

 

 Sincerely,

 

 Joseph Pasquale