I am a writer - Reflection and improved version

After reflecting on our first writing task, which consisted basically on writing about 300 words on the topic "I am a writer", taking into account the writing model discussed in class and with other classmates, some things should be mentioned.

The writing model describes different steps in the writing process:

• Pre-writing
• Writing
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing

Many things need to be taken into account as we advance through these steps. The pre-writing process is necessary to determine the genre of our text, plan how the ideas will be presented and organize the information accordingly. Some notes may be written down in order to help the writer as s/he advances in the process.

I did not take any notes before writing this text. I did not even write an outline. Still, the genre was clear to me since the beginning, as well as the topic and the outcome. Y planned some basic things in my head and started writing, deciding where to put a final stop as the words and ideas flowed.

Although the result was quite pleasing to me, I am aware this is not the correct way to proceed. The way I worked may not cause great problems in short pieces like this but may become a problem when writing longer and more complex pieces in which many ideas overlap.

The writing was done at once, with very little revision afterwards. There was not much editing and the last step, that is to say the moment of publishing and the audience to whom the text would be presented, was never taken into account. Thus, the result is a text in a weird, expositive genre, suitable only for academic contexts like a language class in a teacher's trainig college or a translators course.

I am a Writer

What is it that defines if a person is or is not a writer? What is the difference between a normal person and a writer? Who deserves to be called that way? A couple of weeks ago I started reading a book that discussed precisely these questions. This reading created mixed feelings in me. As the author said, and I have been able to see for myself, many avid readers have, at least at one point in their lives, the desire to write. And it is not only a wish for fame and recognition, but an actual need to create and give life to the thoughts that flood their minds most of the time. Some, in the form of fictional stories, others with more academic contents. But the end is the same: sharing everything they have with others.

The question the author asked, what most of us who have gone through one or more of these phases have asked ourselves, is: when does one person stop being a "wannabe" and becomes a writer? There are many answers to that question. Some say you become a writer when you have published something (that is to say, once you have written something worth publishing). I disagree. I believe the moment you become a writer is when you write that final stop in whatever it is you wanted to create, whether it is a novel, an essay, or a short story, and you share it with someone else. Exposing yourself to others and showing them what is really inside you is one of the bravest things a person could do. It is a great risk, as our creation might be greatly critizised, and surviving it is sometimes a hard task in itself. But I have done it. I have taken the risk. I have survived, and I am still willing to create. That is why I truly believe I am a writer.