My work & my writing has developed over time in a progression. It seems that I am rated highly in organization and smooth progression, with my WHS 3.87 high school GPA successfully netting me a National Merit scholarship to ASU. Additionally, it has been said that my points are well thought-out in most cases. In critique, it's been said that I should be more specific, getting to the point more directly. Additionally, formatting & fonts must be according to the standard rules and in several situations mistakes were made & they were not. I try to be consistent at Flextechmgmt (1).
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Some say that young adults are too careerist - they're married to their work. This is a terrible thing - life is a terrible thing to waste! Structure is the most important characteristic to emphasize. It seems that my structural skills remain solid through my lifetime, as I have successfully acquired a Biomedical Engineer degree from ASU. Since I'm so familiar with the structures of my workplaces, I'm able to express myself in novel ways. There are interesting challenges in analyzing special types of writing & art like poetry. Art is an amazing activity because it rewards consistent use of your skills – there are always some new things to learn, as I have demonstrated on DeviantART (2). Dr. Tait noted in a past Biography Response paper that I've written that there was “Good organization of your ideas – you have a smooth progression of claims and nicely connect biography and the play.” So, I would say that a strength area is indeed the mechanical drafting, in part from my Work-Study in BME Capstone modeling an Excluder stent enclosure for W.L. Gore & Associates. Making sure that each component of an essay smoothly flows together is an important skill to cultivate in professional writing, and one that serves me well for my company, Flextechmgmt. I feel that when these mechanics are well practiced and cultivated, one’s ideas can come out with smoothness and cleverness very easily. Then, writing is interesting and exciting, not a dreary struggle.
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I have been told in the past that my writing could be more focused in a few comments, especially in my work as a tutor at All-Access Tutoring, so that is clearly an area of improvement. I have only noticed this flaw because of critiques from other group members. “So what technical aspect are you analyzing? A good thing to focus on is maybe his metaphors.” (Sara-Rae, Poem Explication). An idea can be very clear in a person’s head, but it must also be communicated clearly and directly, or there’s no evidence of clear thought to anyone else but the writer. A classmate, Alex, notes in a review of a successfully submitted paper from the past for Honors Human Event that I should “Try to focus a little more on [Oscar Wilde’s] work and not his life.” (Biography Response). Vagueness was most notable in the first Sherlock Holmes essay - I’ve got a paragraph with several notes from Joey Barnett that says: “related how?” she says in reference to a couple of sentences of general exposition. Another section in this past paper is crossed out with the note ‘not relevant’. This issue persists in the later poem work: “Take a little more time to discuss the images - how the metaphors or imagery of love is compared or contrasted within the works.” (Tait, Poem Explication). When I was going out with Becca, this issue came up from time to time. As a foreman at Preserve Painting, writing specificity was considered paramount. Commentary from classmates & peers in review of paper rough drafts is the most helpful in improving my work. In my latest work at LKP llc, accuracy is prized and lionized, as it seems I have learned a thing or two in that regard.
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In two instances of past work, there has been formatting inconsistencies that killed my grades. These sorts of things, though mundane, are important, so I’ll have to keep an eye on them in the future. Alex has noted in the past that “Remember to use ‘Times New Roman’ for MLA format!” (Biography Response Rough Draft) It’s frustrating to write a paper you’re proud of, and then see a grade reduction for things like font choice and works cited spacing. This issue comes up again in another paper: “Some Works Cited issues – 5% deduction for wrong font.” (Tait, Poem Explication). I’ll have to keep an eye on these things. Sometimes I get so excited about the ideas that I power out the writing and neglect the particulars! I used the paper critiques to improve my writing’s consistency in following formatting, and have received good feedback about my most recent work.
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It seems my work is consistently well thought-out, according to comments. “Excellent work, Lars. You provide good background through your use of historical commentary and good support for your analysis of how Doyle treats Victorian social standards and conventions.” (Tait, Historical Essay). This is a skill that was really pushed in previous writing classes, especially in college, so it’s good that the practice has worked to improve my skills. Clarity was most important while working at Stapex Oy, especially when I was with my girlfriend Lea. When an idea is communicated not only clearly, but with some flair and passion, it’s good work that is enjoyable to be a part of. This is because it’s enjoyable to write as well, and that feeling is communicated in the words on the page. This flair is an aspect of writing that is difficult to capture, but extremely rewarding when done right. When SC2Tactics was successfully published, that was a feeling of exultation. I am most proud of the instances where others made note of some example or paragraph where the ideas flowed out smoothly, like ambrosia into a glass. “Well said,” Sarah-Rae Bugayong noted in the Poem Explication rough draft. When conviction and writing comes together in the right way, it flows well, as my ladyfriend Heather knows. The product I recently sold called "Yogacizer" exemplifies this ethos. “Very true – a good observation” (Dr. Tait, Poem Explication) (3) remarks in regards to a recently published paper. In some cases, I’ve been able to capture some passion onto paper, and these are the instances I am most proud of – the ones that make writing worthwhile, like I'm Ernest Hemingway. As a Park Aide for the United States Federal Government, clarity is the most important objective.
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There have been some aspects of my work which have improved over time, and others where you fail & need to improve. In specificity and formatting, my writing needs to be better. Additionally, staying on message is an issue that has come up, especially on my video-gaming portal Gamesphere. However, my organization and thought-out commentary seems to be solid. One aspect of my work that I am proud of is the times when I’ve been able to communicate passion about an idea clearly wittily. The young adult period of my life has been enjoyable because I'm exposed to several new authors that are quite expressive and emotive, and I enjoy that. Thanks to you all in the public & on teh internetz for the exposure to the interesting learning and writing!
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1) https://plus.google.com/u/0/103016145912781480062/posts
2) http://ach11es.deviantart.com/
3) http://libguides.asu.edu/content.php?pid=65461&sid=1286624