Reflecting on Writing Technically for the First Time

Before I took this class, upperclassmen had warned me about how many hours I would have to put into it. Having now completed Mod 1, I see where they're coming from. However, what they failed to mention was how rewarding it is to gain technical writing skills. Mod 1 took me out of my comfort zone. Every assignment, especially the first figure, left me wondering what on earth was required of me. However, I really enjoyed that the assignments were given to us piece-by-piece. Constantly receiving feedback that I could then use towards the next assignment was satisfying, and my technical writing ability has grown over the past few weeks. I appreciate that there was a constant emphasis to zoom out and appreciate the bigger picture.

At the beginning of the semester, my writing skills were purely confined to literary, analytical writing as well as some historical writing. These skills do not apply themselves to technical writing; I found it difficult to restrict myself to passive voice as well as to remain concise. When writing methods, I found it challenging to choose my words wisely. Details that I thought were important for experiment replication turned out to be common-sense knowledge that any experienced scientist would have. I still struggle to write introductory sentences after figure titles. While I can explain assays verbally and make schematics for them, I am not good at describing them in words. I am also not the best with excel; the first graph I made, I spent an hour trying to format it correctly. I have since learned, and I think that Mod 1's trial-by-fire style is responsible for that.

As the semester moves on and we begin Mod 2, I look forward to expanding my skills. Though it's terrifying to do an assignment that I have no experience with, I appreciate the fact that I am learning so quickly.