Journal Entry #1

Writing has never been an enjoyable task for me because it has always been challenging. I always have trouble starting my essays and getting my point across of what I am trying to say. This makes it frustrating to start writing. That being said, I usually am able to get good grades on a writing assignment if it is for school, and after I organize my ideas or make and outline my writing usually starts to flow. I know writing is important in school and outside of school because it is a way to express yourself and make a statement. I find writing easier if I am writing for fun rather than for a school assignment because in school assignments you have to pressure of your work being graded. The strengths of my writing are my organization and my focus. The organization of my writing usually helps the audience understand rather than hinder them from understanding. I also rarely stray from the prompt and my writing stays to the point. I also have weaknesses to my writing. Grammar and conventions always seem to be one of my weakest points when I am writing. Proofreading more thoroughly and examining my grammar more closely should help with my conventions. I also have a very safe style of writing. My sentence structure tends to be the same and I don't use a variety of vocabulary. I am bad at transitioning from point to point and my work tends to sound choppy. I am hoping that English 15 will help my style or writing. It should help me use better transitions so my writing flows and has better style.

Mystery books inspire me to write because they are so compelling and keep you enhanced in the storyline. James Patterson is my favorite author because he has written so many books and all of them are fascinating to read. He inspires me to become a writer that can keep the attention of an audience. He impresses me because all of his many books are different and he never seems to run out of ideas. One of my favorite books of his is Kiss the Girls, but I love almost all of his novels. Poems and song lyrics inspire me because they make a point with such a small amount of words. Lyrics to songs inspire me to write because they are written by the singer from the heart. Rascal Flatts is one of my favorite bands because their lyrics always come from the heart. My favorite song of their's is God Bless The Broken Road. The lyrics inspire me to become a better writer and rhetor because they produce such a strong message. Lyrics of a song can convey such a universal message for people with different backgrounds and they inspire me to become a better writer because they show how powerful words can be.