English 105
28 February 2013
Though some may believe that good writers are naturally born, a writer is excavated; much like a paleontologist excavates an ancient fossil; through the careful process of rewriting and perseverance a writer is revealed through the rubble.

I began this course I suppose like many of my classmates…little to no college experience and no classroom interaction within the last decade. Again, like many in class this semester I come from a military background; I served in the Air Force for 14 years. Much like the Air Force, writing has rules; grammar, punctuation, syntax, clarity, purpose, the list goes on and on. You must follow these guidelines in order to produce an effective product. It is often said that good writers are not born but rather created. EN105 begins this process with students and has done so for me. It has broken the rigid walls of military style writing (cut and dry) and began the process of exhumation to reveal my hidden inner essayist.

My experience in EN105 began at a pinnacle time in my life of complete change. My transition from active duty back to the civilian world came at an unforeseen time and I had to change quickly. I had to learn to speak civilian English again and now I had to learn to write it. Through collaborative interaction with my peers via threaded discussion boards and insightful weekly reading assignments, I have gained a vast amount of knowledge; experienced different unique writing styles and seen dedication and passion go into works of writing. Though initially I feared sharing my work with anyone other than the professor for fear of harsh criticism and feeling naked to the world; the process of “peer review” became one of the most beneficial tools in the repository of writing tools that I have gathered over the last eight weeks. None of the critiques were harsh or insulting but