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This is the 101 portfolio of the student mentor for our ENG 101 class!
Citation preview
FEAR OF WRITING
Minglu Guo
Fall 2013
ENG 101 PORTFOLIO
FEAR“Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional
danger”
- (Paranoia, n.d.)
This portfolio includes 15 writing prompts, an interview
report, a non-fiction writing assignment with drafts, an
annotated bibliography, and also an inquiry essay with
drafts. Those assignments are all about fear, how others
think about fear, what their greatest fears are, and how to
overcome it.
WRITING PROMPTS
Overview: Daily
creative exercises
Includes: 15
Writing Prompts
WRITING PROMPTSTake-aways:
• In the beginning, I had no idea what a writing prompt was.
• When comparing my first and last assignments, my writing skills have significantly improved and progressed with more cohesiveness overall.
• Now, I am able to quickly and concisely pinpoint my thoughts and write them on paper.
• Through these exercises, I’ve learned that writing prompts can help give my essay purpose and direction.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Overview: Research for the inquiry paper
Includes:• 1 Annotated Bibliography with 7
sources
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Take-away:• I found it hard to find useful sources that related
to my research paper topic.• But there is always a way to find the sources that I
want. (Library, Google academic, New York Times etc.)
• I learned the importance of having reliable sources.
• It helped provide structure for my inquiry paper.• I learned how to cite in APA format.
NON-FICTION WRITING
Overview: Exploring our personal
experience through writing
Includes:• Interview• States of Mind Personal Essay• Proposal• Inquiry
INTERVIEW
Overall: • I interviewed three individuals for my
research paper: my aunt, my friend Vicky, and an expert psychologist.
• I composed five different questions for each of them.
• I interviewed them face to face individually and obtained my answers.
STATES OF MIND
Overall:• I chose to use my family and my childhood
issues as the topic to express my fears.• After I read the sample essay from Anne-
Laure, it gave me inspiration and I suddenly had courage to write about myself.
• It is hard to write at the beginning.• I changed my drafts 3 times and went for a
tutor’s help at writing center.
PROPOSAL
Overall: • The initial proposal I created was not
creative or interesting enough, so I changed it a few times.
• My final proposal became: “Possible or not: Fear of failing brings positive effects in both school and life”.
INQUIRY PAPER
Overall:• I did the research first (see the
bibliography part) for my inquiry paper and I found many good sources.
• I chose 7 of them at the end for my paper.
• I wrote total of 8 pages for my paper (include cover page, abstract and references).
COMPARISON I edited and fixed each part of my research
paper at least 3 times before I handed in.
I did my best and put as much thought and
insight as I could into each draft.
By comparing my final draft with the previous
ones, I have noticed the improvement of my
writing and the development within each version.
NON-FICTION WRITING
Take-aways:• In the beginning, I was afraid of non-fiction
writing.• I was worried about doing the interview
because the interviewee was a complete stranger to me.
• I was embarrassed to share my fear with others and expose my childhood and family issues in front of everyone. It was the HARDEST assignment for me!
• I was frustrated when I started writing the inquiry paper because I had some trouble with the beginning and conclusion.
NON-FICTION WRITING
• As I kept writing, I felt my writing skills gradually improving and now it is no longer difficult for me to come up with ideas.
• Now, I am confident in my writing and am comfortable sharing my personal experiences with others.
• Through the interview process, I learned the importance of phrasing and how to best elicit responses from interviewees.
• Through writing the inquiry paper, I learned how to search for and determine the best resources online and in print.
THE COURAGE TO WRITEHOW WRITERS TRANSCEND
FEAR
Overview:• The book “ The Courage to Write”
wrote by Ralph Keys talks about how writers do when they facing fears.
• This book treats fear as a normal, inevitable part of the writing process.
THE COURAGE TO WRITEHOW WRITERS TRANSCEND
FEAR
Overall:• ”Anxiety is not just an inevitable part
of the writing process, but a necessary part” (p. 13).
• Even famous writers are afraid of writing some times, so it is totally normal for us to feel anxiety and stressful when we are writing.
THE END
This semester is coming to an end. I
learned valuable knowledge, overcame
fears, and gained confidence in writing.
Just like my inquiry paper said, fear has
double sides, it all depends on how you
treat it. For me, I think I will use it as a
motive that pushes me forward.
THE END
I want to thank Professor Sara Whitestone for
having such an easygoing classroom
environment and leading us on the right track
every step of the way. You made us more
confident in ourselves by always encouraging us
to do better. I am glad I met you this semester!
You are a GREAT teacher!
REFERENCES
Keys, R (1995). The courage to write: How
writers transcend fear. New York: Henry Holt
and Company, Inc.
Paranoia (n.d.). Fear. Phycology today.
Retrieved December 5, 2013, from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear.