Throughout my journey in this FIQWS class, I have grown through several ups and downs. I learned to develop a clear voice that is unique to me, yet still appeals to the readers, depending on the genre of my writing. I learned skills to analyze sources to validate how credible they are and criticize the arguments they present. I developed skills to credit these authors and become a trustworthy and compelling writer like them. These accomplishments, however, are easier stated than expressed in a few sentences here. So throughout this essay, I will tell you some ways anyone can become a professional academic writer to address any type of audience. 

In the first phase of my journey, I walked into class, unaware of what to expect, and anticipating a rigid structure to follow, as I did throughout most of my literary experiences. I was astonished by how much freedom we were given to express ourselves in our own writing. Through the path of developing the Literacy Narrative, I “Examine[d] how attitudes towards linguistic standards, empower and oppress language users.” Our class started off by reminiscing and brainstorming about significant events that proved to be meaningful in developing our voices as readers. In my case, I received a great deal of confidence and professionalism in my writing from my job. After acknowledging one special moment of our literacy journey, we further took inspiration from people who had a unique expression of the English language, more specifically “Black English.” Such expressions of English taught me that I shouldn’t fear the lack of limitations in writing, because it can help the readers assess the person behind the paper. The better I express my voice through writing the better I connect with the audience. This notion of liberated writing was further strengthened as I witnessed my classmates present in class. I understood how I could use my background and experience to “empower” my writing instead of “oppress[ing]” it with English standards set by traditional rules. This also helped me “Understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.” I used several techniques I recalled learning from school and life to present my confident self in my writing. I also used the expected audience to convey the main message of my story through the entertaining use of my language. Through peer review, I improved on emphasizing details to help the audience comprehend the situation being discussed in my writing. This phase truly inspired me to reflect on the unique experiences that helped me become an interesting writer who can appeal to a wide range of audiences.

After establishing a distinguished voice as a writer, I had to figure out how to shape it into a well-formatted scholarly writing piece. Phase 2 is the process that gave me the tools to back up my voice with critical facts and analysis. However, I was wondering where I could find such valuable resources and properly credit the authors in my writing. The class visit to the library is where we learned to “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine, and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.” The librarian showed us how to narrow down the sources we need to defend our argument using keywords on the website and properly cite the sources using the library’s citation guidelines in MLA and other formats. In class, we discussed the ethics and severity of plagiarism and paywalls. We further talked about how each author deserves credit for their work and how readers can best support these authors without illegally accessing their content. These morals helped me better understand the perspective of writers and the importance of our visit to the library. Reading all these valuable sources from accessible databases helped me gain various perspectives and techniques to assess any form of writing to attract readers through ethos, logos, and pathos. Through such methods, I forged my powerful voice into a strong argument 

Though I now have the basic structures of my writing it still needs to be refined through several trials of peer review. Phase 3 is where I found the real perspective of my audience and received feedback from people to organize my writing to suit their tastes. I learned how I used a lot of wordy sentences that drove away from the main point of my argument. Also, this Critical Analysis essay helped give me insight into how I can narrow down a huge topic into a complex and valuable argument using professional journal articles. My journal articles gave me insight into how science can validate the psychological development and reaction of people to a topic. This information greatly understands both people and writing as a whole. This phase assignment helped me “compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, analysis, synthesis, and argumentation.” In class, we discussed how to decompose sources to strengthen our reasoning while giving context about the author to show their professional experience on our topic. We further debated how clearly we established our arguments in our essays during peer review. Also, I used elements from the fairy tale part to annotate my sources through the lens of the audience, who appreciates the beauty of such stories. I criticized the articles through the expectations of the readers and it helped me better meet the expectations of the readers. This helped shape my voice to cater to the reader’s appeal. I utilized several transition phrases to smoothly guide the reader through the topics that will intrigue them. I first started with a hook about my topic on siblings to make them relate to the essay. I then provided them with context on the development of relationships and how fairytales helped portray and teach people today about them. I further used pathos to get my readers emotionally involved to appreciate their siblings and appreciate the lesson fairy tales teach people.

Therefore, the FIQWS class helped me gain a lot of experience as a writer through several trials of reflecting on my past, gaining the perspectives of others, and easily accessing valuable resources. Through such trials, anyone can become a better writer. By researching from valuable sources from libraries and databases while crediting them you can support your argument properly. By reflecting on your past experience you can establish a voice unique to you. Using the help of others by taking inspiration from their work or getting feedback from them can also help refine your writing better. Anyone who wishes to gain the respect of their audience through such tactics can easily do it through dedication and practice.