Are Summaries a form of Plagiarism???

I personally do not have positive feelings for summaries. I feel I am plagiarizing because I am just restating the article without any of my views/opinions. Even though summaries are not my favorite I did put a lot of time and effort into it. I tried my best and in the end that is all I can do. I think I would give myself a B. I would do this because I made sure all main points were stated and the paper flows as the original article does. I also worked very hard on the format and wording of my paper. I also edited and reedited my paper many times along with having other eyes edit it as well. I could have done better if I was another person in every area of my paper, but I can guarantee my paper is my personal best. The summary its self was the most challenging, for this was my first summary written for an English class. I don’t have any questions for you because you answered them during our one-on-one sessions.

WRITING...AHHH! :0

My writing process is unique to me. I have to write from beginning to end, if I don’t my brain will freak out. I am not really sure why and it is super hard to explain.  I also hand write everything first, I think it is because that is my comfort zone. I really don’t like typing and I’m not good at it;  it always tells me that I fail at everything with all the red and green lines. I know I make mistakes, I just think it is rude to rub them in my face.

I love to research and learn about new things, but the library and data bases here scare me. I am so used to go in to my library at home and find what I need. But here most of the books needed are on reserve and stuff and it is weird and I still don’t understand it all even though I went through the library orientation.  When I do gather data I make sure I have more than is required for the paper because I just want to understand what I am writing about.

Brainstorming never clicked for me; not the lists, clouds or charts…none of it. Most of what I do goes from my notes (data gathered) to my paper.

My paper continually changes as I am writing it. I will have 3 or more versions of the same paragraph. Take this blog for example I will have rewritten a couple times before I post it and most likely I will not be confident about it.

I like papers that flow, so I put what information I think fits. I don’t always follow the drafting rules because I believe one can convey the same information in different ways.

I love revising papers. This is probably where the biggest chunk of my time goes when writing a paper. I like to make sure my points are strong and that my paper flows from beginning to end.

Editing is my enemy. I fail at all things grammar or spelling related. I am slightly dyslexic, so that might have something do with it. It is not horrible but it is annoying. I don’t mix up words in sentences. I mix up letters in words and sometimes I will omit letters from words or even put new ones in that are similar in shape. It is undiagnosed, but I don’t need someone to tell me what I already know. I just have to go slow, which is not bad.

I will turn everything in on time; it is up to me to plan the time needed for my papers.

Clearly words and I have never been on the same page, which is one reason I am majoring in the sciences. I do  believe I have valid points and ideas though. With that said I can never successfully put them from my mind to paper. I can explain them verbally; it is just when writing is involved my brain goes dead. If you have any tips or techniques that could help me I would be very grateful.

I hope in this class I will learn how to become a better writer.