Metacognitive Essay

I once heard that to write well I had to write what I know. I know this: I enjoy writing. This joy I have learned from others and I have taught myself all that I know. My strengths in writing included voice, opinion and ideals. However, like all things, there is always room for improvement. Looking back on my writing I see that I could improve on my spelling, sentence fluency and the enthusiasm of my work. To improve I will need to set and see through these stages.

I believe that my strengths are my ideals, opinion and voice. These strengths have originated from my own beliefs and experiences through out my short existence. I came to these conclusions as a child observing the world through innocent eyes and they have stayed with my through out the years. Although they have developed from their own innocence just as I have, there will always be the simplicity of times gone by. This is unconsciously applied to my writing. Because of the unconsciousness involved in my writing, it receives my utmost involvement, however unwittingly. My strengths are seen in my writing.

To know your strengths, you must also know your weaknesses. I would say that my weaknesses lay in my spelling, transitions, sentence fluency and the enthusiasm. To be truthful, anyone can write if they put their mind to it. However, it takes a person who knows both sides of their writing to be a writer. I have said that my once innocent beliefs and experiences is my strength but it is also my weakness. When these strengths are shown they cause my transitions to become choppy, sentence fluency turns into pieces and spelling becomes crappy. Ironic that my so-called strengths contributes to my weaknesses.

To improve upon these weaknesses I must simply apply myself. One way would be to have others read my work. They would then remark upon it and I would change as I see fit. Another way would be to personally revise the work I do. Instead of leaving imperfection as it is, I would merely have to work on the writing over long periods of time. However I would say that the best way to improve my writing would be to write more. After a time of nothing but writing and reading, my work will gradually become better. The process will be long and arduous but the rewards at the end will accommodate the effort.

A Native American Literature teacher once told me that it is better to write a lot about a little then to write a little about a lot. I found that she is correct. I have written about many things over the times. All things written by me have had the same strengths; voice, ideals, opinions, and the same weaknesses; spelling, sentence fluency and transitions. I was repeatedly asked what I could do to change and each time I answer the same; revisions and writing more. Reflecting on this, I see the possibility that I do not want to change. That my imperfections are my own and I rival in them. It would seem that I have the nature that is in all humans. The nature in which these errors make me what I am. I believe that is something to embrace, not change.