My confidence as an academic writer has grown tremendously over the course of the program. I began uncertain of how to organize and develop a long paper, and was intimidated by the hefty word counts required of seminar papers. My experiences as a graduate student, particularly in my intro to graduate studies course, helped me understand how to weave criticism and theory into my argument. While in my undergraduate career I sometimes struggled to integrate and apply theory to the text with my own close reading, I feel like I have developed a much stronger grasp of how to balance critical voices amidst my own. I have also gained a lot of confidence in my ability to contribute meaningfully to the larger critical conversation surrounding a text. While I have always enjoyed writing academic essays, my time in the program has pushed me to trust myself as a writer and scholar.
I have developed research and writing processes that work for me, particularly time spent in the pre-writing phase. Brainstorming topics, possible sources to include and support my argument, and different possibilities for organizing and developing my argument has helped me to begin drafting papers more easily.
Developing a strong thesis remains the most challenging part of the writing process for me. Though I have felt good about the essays I have written throughout my graduate career, I always struggle to stake out a claim and succinctly verbalize my argument. Typically, my thesis is one of the last things I truly finalize in a paper. I have had to become comfortable working through an argument with an idea of where I want to end up, but trust that the writing process itself will allow me to fully explore my ideas.
I think I have improved the most as a professional and academic writer in my voice. Writing seminar papers, discussion posts, and short form essays at the graduate level has increased my confidence in my own voice as an academic writer. By taking myself seriously in conversation with other critics, I have been able to develop a more confident and concise style, and handle more complicated ideas than I was capable of developing as an undergraduate.
No comments yet.