English 1020

Assignment Sheet:

Autobiographical Paper: Writing Autobiography

Write an essay in which you reflect on yourself as a reader and writer. Think about the people and experiences that have influenced you in this part of your life. Think about what has helped you get to the level that you are at today. Think about what you still want to accomplish.

Required length: At least two pages, double-spaced, with 12-point type and 1" margins. Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs or do anything else to make your paper appear longer.

Read the following questions go get some ideas about your essay. You do not have to answer all of them-their purpose is to help you understand the kind of things you can include:

• What do you remember about learning to read as a child? How old were you?

• What do you remember about learning to write as a child?

• Do you write in more than one language? If so, what do you remember about learning to write in a second language?

• What kinds of writing have you done in school up to now? Which types of writing have been most interesting to you? Which have been least interesting? Why?

• How have teachers helped or frustrated your reading and writing progress?

• Did your family have any involvement in helping you learn? Did your friends?

• Do you write letters, poems, stories, or do other kinds of writing for pleasure? What type of writing do you enjoy the most? Why?

• What type of writing do you enjoy reading the most? Why? What is your favorite book? Who is your favorite author?

• What is the easiest part of writing for you? What is the hardest? How do you feel about writing? Are these answers the same in all the languages you know? If not, how do you explain the differences?

• What would you like to change about your writing habits or writing ability?

• What do you hope to learn from this course about writing?

As you write, keep your audience in mind. Try to make your writing interesting to your readers. Include an introductory paragraph telling who you are and what the focus of your essay will be. Each additional paragraph should build on that introduction and lead to a conclusion that ties together the main ideas of the essay.

Required Writing Center visit: For this paper, you are required to visit the Writing Center for a tutorial. Your paper will not be accepted until you have visited the Writing Center, and it will be counted late if you miss the deadline because you have not visited the Writing Center. Therefore, be sure to make an appointment right away. You can do so by calling extension 4939