Non-Generic First Journal Entry

Unlike most college students at this point, this will be the first college 'paper' that I'll have written. The previous semester consisted of two computer science courses, two math classes, and a basic physics; none of these classes required or even suggested at the idea of writing so I am more than likely quite a bit rusty at this since I haven't written anything since High School. Lucky for me, however, I became a fairly proficient writer during my last English class in high school where writing papers was a massive foundation for the class. Generally speaking, my fortes in writing are probably my writing style along with the subjective content. I would put down grammar as another forte, but honestly word processors do a darned good job at that so I wouldn't feel right saying that. Conversely speaking, my writings are, obviously, far from perfect and I can't say I'll honestly ever be able to say that they would be. I lack quite a bit of organizational skills, both in writing and outside of it. The best I can hope to do is make outlines of things and try and follow that to stay on due course. Procrastination has a lot to do with it, but all I can say that does is keep me up until six in the morning working on a paper. Going beyond that I'd have to point out another flaw is a certain inability to withhold information and not just 'cloud' write. For all of my imperfections I do enjoy a certain pride in being able to overcome them. No particular means or ideas help me more with this than just writing and editing my works to see what would make my writings a touch better. That being said this class should help me improve greatly, seeing as the basis is, in fact, writing. Overall I see vast improvement as long I really try to improve (of which I will).

Being the son of an English teacher, I can't start to express the obviousness that is my fundamental inspirations. Books of all sorts were showered upon my since I was born and so it wasn't hard to say that I've had many experiences that belay my connection to the writings and works of many great authors. Though, I'm not saying this in retaliation against my mother who wanted me to read and learn how to write well. This wasn't intended to be a discrete section of hate, more of just a description to better know where I come from. I easily can say that I have always read for pleasure, although I can't say that I often write for pleasure. It seems I enjoy to get sucked up into another author's world as opposed to my own. I've read countless numbers of grand works, but there are only a few that manage to inspire me as great as the four great European Epics. Paradise Lost, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/, is easily my favorite among them and I would have to admit my favorite book ever. The subtleties of diction will always inspire me to continue to become a better write so that I can, perhaps, write papers with as much power as Milton wrote with. That being said, the subtleties in poetry also tend to inspire me to write without bounds. Edgar Allen Poe's works tend to be my favorite, but I can't put off others such as Frost or Byron as having grand numbers of verse written to perfection. However, "Hollow Men, " (http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/784/) by T.S. Eliot is easily my favorite poem ever that inspires me, more than any other, to write with meaning.