Literacy Narrative Reflection

Dear Mr. Arnold,

I chose to tell the story of how I became literate in baseball because it has always been an activity

that is dear to my heart. Before college, baseball consumed roughly half of my time, which is why I am so

passionate about the game. For the most part, the core of the writing process felt as if it was occurring

very naturally. This is, in great part, due to the fact that I was speaking about a subject that I loved very

much. I began my process by brainstorming during class. In previous classes, my teachers would suggest

that record my ideas while brainstorming, but I had never given it much of a shot. In all honesty, the

brainstorming that I performed before writing was most certainly the unsung hero. While most of my

brainstorming consisted of listing, it was also comprised of freewriting and looping, all of which did an

amazing job of organizing and gathering my thoughts before I had to formulate them into logical

sentences. If I had not brainstormed and gathered my ideas before writing, writer’s block would have

most certainly occurred more frequently than it did. I know this because I have written many high school

papers in which I did not premeditate on my writing, and the effects of writer’s block were much more

evident. I also credit peer review and drafting for aiding in the writing process. I wrote my first draft in

accordance with the methods suggested by Anne Lamott. I enjoyed this process because it eliminated the

pressure of trying to successfully create a thoughtful paper in one draft. The Literacy Narrative taught me

that the best papers are comprised after multiple drafts and immense amounts of editing. I take much

more pride in my Literacy Narrative than I did in my high school papers, most of which I finished in one

draft of minimal editing. Peer review was helpful on multiple fronts. Most importantly, it allowed for me

to observe how a reader, who most likely had very little exposure to my subject of literacy, understood

my paper. It was critical for me to participate in peer review because my peer partners, who had little

previous exposure to baseball, wanted me to elaborate more on certain subjects. In response to my peers’

feedback, I formulated a paragraph in which my father and I bond over the Philadelphia Phillies’ World

Series Championship. This helped my story because it accurately conveyed the bondage my father and I

had over the Phillies and baseball, in general. I also elaborated more on my high school career. I

discussed the struggles and accomplishments I experienced as a high school baseball player. My peers

both suggested I do that because providing more current anecdotes and information helps deliver to the

reader a wide range scope of my progress into literacy. This is crucial because I did not want only

baseball players, or myself, to understand my writing, but instead, I want everyone to understand how I

became literate in baseball and take meaning from it. My goal was not to simply provide baseball

statistics, but rather to provide the reader with a story that may improve his or her lifestyle in some

fashion. There were, however, some instances in which the writing process was hindered. At times, it

seemed difficult when I asked myself, “How do I connect the story with someone who may not relate to

baseball?” To overcome this issue, I discussed my struggles during baseball, a topic all people may relate

to because everyone has failed at some point. I feel that the literacy narrative was one of my greater

works, largely in part to the brainstorming and peer review. I feel a significant amount of pride on my

narrative because it truly reflects my progress of becoming literate in baseball; I also believe that it

provides anecdotes that may be helpful to the reader. For example, it is my hope that the reader will

analyze my strategies for overcoming failure and use that to overcome his or her own failures. The

literacy narrative has enhanced my writing process by effectively displaying that premeditation,

brainstorming, and peer review is very efficient. It has also contributed to the development of my unique

writing style, with which I feel much more confident in after writing the literacy narrative. I feel my

writer’s diction truly sprouted while writing the literacy narrative. The literacy narrative proved to be very

beneficial as it proved to me the benefits of brainstorming and contributed to the development of my own,

unique writing style.

Sincerely,

Will Misenheimer

20 September 2015