The current page contains links to some of my writing samples. There are essays of an analytical, creative, and technical nature.

The following is a self reflection on my writing abilities.

I wrote the following just after my freshmen year:

My main fault as a writer is not including enough detail to effectively convey my ideas to the reader. This probably comes from my inclination towards math and science. I tend to think that if I understand my ideas well enough, then the reader must also. My seminar class has helped me to develop this skill through the critiquing of art. Art is an abstract subject matter, and I was forced to explain my ideas as well as possible in order to have the reader understand exactly what I was thinking. Using this level of detail has also forced me to work on my organization skills. I believe that I have improved my transitions, as well as my introductions and conclusions.

Now, as senior, I have some additional reflections to add:

I belive that I have begun to see writing as a thinking process. If I can form a clear opinion of a topic, then I can always write an effecive paper. I have also found that the quality of my writing depends heavily on my excitement about a particular topic. Recently, I wrote a paper called "There is No Spoon: Buddhism in the Matrix". The paper was a joy to write because I had time to mentally compose my thoughts before I sat down to type. When I write a paper on an idea that excites me, I think about the idea for at least several days before I start writing and then when it's time to start writing, the paper almost writes itself. I won a creative essay contest based on my paper about Buddhism in The Matrix and I know that I couldn't have written a good creative essay about just any topic in Buddhism.