Ellie Thiemann

Professor Vaughn
Intermediate Comp 2089
10 December 2015
I will never look at a blank page the same way again. In Stephen Kings, What Writing
Is; he warns us not to come lightly to the blank page. Even though I have been writing for as
long as I can remember, I have never quite thought of writing like this. I have always seen the
pen as a tool, with which I could build stories, poems, or essays. While I love to write; before
this class, it had been a while since I really thought about why I was writing, I was only writing
for myself as a way to either clear my head or complete a homework assignment. Writing was
either very personal, or fulfilling an assignment that was given to me. Through engagement in
this class I have seen first-hand how personal experience and writing with purpose achieves a
piece that is both informative and filled with perspective. I had not really thought about all the
things writing could do, or who it could be affecting previous to this. In my experience at UC
and in this class, I have been able to better understand the ways literacy has influenced by life.
Literacy on many platforms, not only reading and writing.
Writing my first essay on literacy in leadership was very much a learning experience. It
was the first time that I really sat down and thought about the effects my role as a leader have
had on my personality. I was forced to think critically about how these roles effected my literacy
in leadership and how this literacy could be compared to literacy in reading and writing. There
are obvious connections, like books on leadership and leadership theories, but there was another
connection I realized, and that was the inspiration I received from my favorite characters
growing up. Reading led me to believe that anything was possible, that plot twists happen, like

ending your time at a job you love, but you learn from it and you move on. When I described my
path as a leader, both good and bad I realized how much I really have grown as a leader. It was
not overnight, but an ongoing process that allowed me to mess up and learn from my mistakes.
Also in this essay, I realize how privileged I am to be have access to all the information that I do.
I realize how lucky I was to be able to say I have been writing since I was in the fourth grade,
poems, short stories, funny lists, jokes, etc. I am extremely grateful to have grown up with this
exposure and realize now how much it has shaped who I am. Like the authors of the short stories
we read on literacy, I find a sort of freedom in writing. I state in this essay Like writing a good
novel, great leadership is not done on accident or in one attempt. I think this sums up well both
my experience as a leader and in life, that living without intention leads to a lack of purpose or
realization of goals. This essay encouraged me to take a more structured approach to the way I
write my assignments, it really did become easier with each draft to fine tune my essay. It also
shed light on common grammatical mistakes that I was making without even realizing it. While
this is still a work in progress, writing these essays has made me more aware of grammar than I
have been in a long time. Overall, it was a great way to start the course because I was forced to
think critically about the purpose, structure, and grammatical accuracy of my paper.
The next essay was a bit more of a challenge for me, as I have been trying to figure out
my major for two years now and needed to identify what I was really passionate about before I
could even begin. This essay became an opportunity to examine what was important to me and
reflect on my experience in the semester and life thus far. I chose to analyze sustainability
through the eyes of urban planners, a unique perspective and one that paired two of my passions.
I really enjoyed doing the research for this paper. I had not previously had much experience
reading and analyzing scholarly articles. Though these resources seemed daunting at first, they

were eye opening tools that helped me better understand the idea of sustainability in modern
cities. The way these articles are written invites the reader to be critical and inquisitive about the
issues discussed, these articles made me realize that part of the experience of being in college is
not just studying texts and theories, but creating them. It helped me greatly in future projects in
the semester, as I was able to dissect scholarly articles on a higher level than I was previously.
This essay was also eye opening in the fact that I was finally writing about something I was
truly passionate about. Again, my grammar and structure are put to the test and are slightly better
than before but I still struggle with some basic things like comma splices and correct citations.
The last article was also a tremendous learning opportunity, the chance to study a
discourse community made me feel more like an integral and informed part of this community. It
has helped me to branch out in this organization and to be able to say with confidence the parts
of the Programs and Activities Council (PAC) that I think are strengths or weaknesses. It was
also the first time in forever that I conducted interviews with people I knew personally, it was an
interesting and valuable experience. I think it added a great deal of credibility to the paper.
However, because this article used a lot of information from others and was based on my
personal experience I struggled not to go too much into story mode. I do not think I achieved it
as well as I could have but I made several edits to try and re-focus the paper towards the
definition and explanation of what a discourse community is and how PAC is one. This essay
most of all, challenged my ability as a writer to refine my writing and construct a more specific
thesis. Once I finally defined my thesis the rest of the paper unfolded more easily. It taught me
the importance of pre-writing and having a strong thesis.
As Stephen King proclaims, Let me say it again, you must not come lightly to the blank
page. This class has taught me that in more ways than one. First, in a literal sense I realized the

importance of a strong thesis, structure, peer review, and grammatical accuracy. While I tend to
have a go with the flow attempt at life, this class and the experiences I reflect on in my essays
have taught me the importance of planning and living life with more specific intentions.