Journal Entry - Lesson 5

What do you do when you get a brain cramp?

Taking English 111 has been a real eye opener to me. I have done very little academic writing in the past. I am learning so much, but it is time consuming. I enjoy learning new techniques and the mechanics of writing. I feel like I am an okay writer, but would like to improve.

The pre-writing takes a lot of time, but actually helps me to think of new ideas. My favorite ones are freewriting, idea mapping, and Pro and Con Because-clauses. Sometimes I have completed a few pre-writing strategies just to get ideas flowing. I did this in lesson 1 for my first assignment.

I do not like formal outlines and don’t think I would use this strategy unless required by my professor. I do not think in such an organized way. My thoughts are more jumbled so I need to get them down on paper first and then try to organize them.

So far the textbooks have been very helpful. It is nice to have a couple of sources to go to when I don't understand something.

I like my professor because she returns my papers within a few days of turning them in. The comments she makes are insightful and let me know where I can improve or where I did well. I try to use the comments and corrections when checking over my next assignment before turning it in.