Improving Writing Through Reflection
A good way to improve your writing is to reflect on your writing process and develop strategies that address the discrete skills that you want to develop. If you are dissatisfied with a final written product, for example, you might want to consider whether you allowed yourself enough time to do the project or you misunderstood some substantive part of the writing assignment. Perhaps you did not begin with a realistic writing plan at the outset and thus were not able to devote sufficient time to editing and proofreading. The following self-evaluation questions were designed to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.
Questions for Self-evaluation
Did you start with a writing plan with realistic deadlines?
Did you read and reread the assignment carefully?
Did you have a clear understanding of your audience and purpose in writing the paper?
Did you spend enough time reading your cases?
Did you annotate your cases in the margins?
Did you develop a chart or grid of the cases?
Did you spend enough time brainstorming an answer to the question posed by the assignment?
Did you postpone writing because of writer's block?
Were you able to develop counter-arguments to the analysis you presented?
Did you use an outline or other organizational tool?
Did you write multiple drafts?
Did you allow enough time for proofreading?
Are you unsure about rules of grammar or punctuation?
Did you use an editing checklist at the latter stages of writing your paper?
Resources
Once you have identified discrete areas in need of improvement, learn how to use available resources effectively.
 | This website has useful information about reading cases, revision, editing, and grammar. |
| Just Writing by Anne Enquist and Laurel Currie Oates also covers in more detail many of the same subjects. The discussion of "The Psychology of Writing," pp. 7-9, provides some guidance on effective strategies to avoid writer's block. In addition, the first chapter has an excellent discussion of strategies for organizing your work. |
| Your professor's written comments can guide you toward other resources you can use to address discrete skills. |
| Don't forget that the writing specialist is always available to help you with your writing. |