35 Reflecting on Your Writing

Reflecting on experiences—looking back on them to understand and learn from them—is an important part of our work, school, and personal lives. Employees reflect on their job performance as they develop goals for the future. Students reflect on their coursework and extracurricular activities as they prepare applications for scholarships or internships. Lots of people reflect on their daily lives in diaries or journals. And writers reflect on their writing—they look back on their work and consider what they’ve learned, what they’ve accomplished, and how they can use their new knowledge and experience in future writing situations. But reflection isn’t just an activity that writers engage in after they’ve finished writing. It’s also a powerful tool for thinking and learning throughout the writing process. This chapter gives advice for making the most of that tool.