Skills to be Learned

Writing has never been my strong suite. I'm familiar with most of the guidelines on this list, but that shouldn't imply I always understand how to use them. As I read this list, I can see a number of things I could use improvement on. However, for the sake of this assignment, I am only going to list the five I think are the most worth improving.

First: the ability to follow an up-to-date MLA format. I've always had somewhat of a fetish for order and cleanliness in life, so I can appreciate the need for a set format for a classroom of papers. Headers, page numbers, and spacing, I can do all day. When it comes to citations, quotes, and the like, I tend to get lost in the rules.

Second: finding a voice for each paper. It's nice to write in the first person, but I understand that it isn't always appropriate. The same goes for using contractions. They have their place in informal writing, such as this text, but I will often toss them in where they don't belong. And that is a big no no.

Third: outlining a paper in a logical manner. When I outline a paper, it usually becomes a sea of sentence fragments, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors. I will often forgo the outline unless it is required as a grade.

Fourth: giving constructive criticism. I come from a long line of "nice guys", or "pushovers", if you prefer. It's difficult for me to tell someone what I think is wrong with their work. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But to be fair, rarely do I "not like" someone's work. There are times when I may not enjoy it, but I can never figure out how to tell them without feeling... evil.

Fifth: writing a paper that is long enough to satisfy requirements. Finding enough meaningful words to place in a paper has always been my biggest weakness when writing a lengthy assignment. I can add loads of filler, but it's never anything important. Sometimes, I'll go back and add cheap descriptive words such as, very and really. But my papers will end up looking like a very young child wrote it using a really small dictionary... See what I did there?

 I've tried for some time to correct these things, but it is a slow process that I hope will gain momentum throughout this semester.

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