Final OCA Reflective Comentary

With this final reflective commentary, I’m not quite sure where to start. The last eleven
months have been one hell of a ride. Mentally exhausting is the expression that springs to
mind, but, in a good way. I’ve been challenged, that’s for sure.

When I first started the course I had had little experience of writing, apart from an attempt
at Nanowrimo in October 2010. I hadn’t studied English (grammar and punctuation)
for many years and didn’t know the different between an adverb and a noun.

This course has taught me so much it’s incredible. I’ve learnt about so many things I
would never have been able to tackle in my writing and I feel that my writing has greatly improved due to the course. I am now more confident in what I write. Although I still
have my bad habits and faults, I can see a future in my writing, I can see that I can
improve those things and will strive to do so in the future.

I’ve enjoyed doing a Learning Log; I just wish I had decided to use my Blog for it earlier.
It’s a great resource, being able to look back on things and see where your strengths and
weaknesses are, how you felt about particular aspects of the course.
I now know where my strengths (characterisation) and weaknesses (poetry) are and
my notebook collection is expanding, I have 10 full up ones now, full of ideas, short
stories and characterisations.

I have been using writing prompts every day which has been brilliant. It makes me write
every day, and I have now built up a large body of work (all of which needs editing,
expanding and possibly rewriting) which I can use in the future.

I have decided not to continue my studies with the OCA, not because I haven’t enjoyed
the course, but because I think I have learnt enough to give me a good grounding in
basic writing skills. I feel that it would be more beneficial to me to put my
energies into concentrating on my short stories, which is where my interest lies.