Before you read on..

My writing skills this semester have been challenged beyond my wildest imagination. I’ve never been one who had a need for a research paper, or knowing how to cite properly. Most of my writing has been of my own creation, giving me complete freedom. But not this time around. Finding useful information was on of my biggest challenges because there is a fountain of information pertaining to so many topics that narrowing the search wasn’t always the easiest. By taking the time to listen to not only my lovely instructor, but my classmates as well, I was able to find some great sources for my works. I think one of the main things I will take away from this is to listen and ask for help when you think you need it. I’ve chosen to show case my writing from the ones I think are the best to the ones I’m least proud of. Many of the topics I chose to write about center around the medical field, which is something that has had a great impact on my life. My main goal was to bring awareness to certain issues which most people have never had to deal with and have little knowledge of. Personal experiences have played a huge role in the writing for the semester, and helped me on a personal level as well.

The reason I feel my narrative is my best piece of writing is that it was my story. All the information was lived first hand, and I didn’t have to hunt down someone who did. Epilepsy has become something of a passion for me in the last four years and I feel my essay shows that. I was able to convey more emotion in that one piece than any other, and I feel that enhances the message. This semester I was brought out of my comfort zone by being asked to share and read aloud my works. I didn’t really see what benefit could come from read to my peers until I got to my causal, in that one I write about mental illness and how society views those afflicted. Being born and raised in the U.S, I never thought that using what I thought were common abbreviations, such as ADHD or PTSD, would be a challenge for someone who’s first language wasn’t English. After I read those one of my classmate asked me to explain what they meant, and that showed that to get a great audience, I needed to make some changes to the way I viewed what I was writing.