ENGL200 – Advanced Composition

Reflecting on One’s Writing

What is reflective writing?

At the end of the semester, students are often asked to reflect on their writing. Reflection is the process of stepping back to examine one’s decisions, preferences, strengths, and challenges as a writer. It helps students recognize their growth as writers.

Reflective writing allows students to do the following:

• Show that they can identify the strengths and weaknesses of their writing
• Comment on the progress they have made in the course
• Understand their own writing process
• Demonstrate that they have made good writing decisions
• Comment on how they might use the skills developed in their writing course in other courses where writing papers is assigned

What elements should a reflective essay include?

A reflective essay includes the following elements:

• An introduction that has a clear and focused reflective statement.
• A body that includes descriptive (for instance, what did you have to write during the course and what was the process you followed) and analytical (how you evaluate your decisions and your writing) paragraphs, and
• A conclusion that explains your realization, insight or judgment.

How to write a reflective essay?

To write a reflective essay, you could try to generate ideas by brainstorming answers to questions such as the following:

• What does your writing tell/show about you as a writer or student?
• What is it that you found most difficult in the writing process of your paper(s)? And why?
• What do you learn about your development when you compare your early drafts with your final drafts?
• What do your drafts reveal about your revision process?
• How will you use the skills and experiences from your writing course in future courses?

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