One thing that has always been drilled into my head about my writing is to keep my opinion out of it. This is something that has always been hard for me because I believe that writing is a form of self-expression. If I can't state my own opinion, then how can I express myself? I am also a very opinionated person, so someone is going to know what I think in one way or another. I understand that writing a summary is just reiterating the text, but if I am asked to write a critique or an analysis, I feel I should use my own opinion about the text. Keeping opinion out of writing hinders a student's ability to write. If a student isn't interested in what he or she is writing, it is likely that the quality of the writing will not be up to standard if they are not allowed to use their opinion. A good piece of academic writing can and should include the writer's opinion. .
I personally have not been very heavily influenced in my writing. Writing has never been one of my favorite things to do, because I am more of a reader. I have always found "good writing" in my favorite novels, which are mostly fiction. In each case, the author has been able to write freely without being tied down to a certain criteria or so-called rubric. Each novel came from their own imaginations and ideas, and I have always found that intriguing. My conception of good writing is not too limited, I think anything can be considered as good writing. I also believe that an opinionated piece of writing can very well be considered good writing. But of course that is just my opinion so I thought I should get someone else's thoughts on the matter at hand. .
My high-school librarian Teresa Inman, a former English teacher, has always been my go-to person when it comes to writing my essays. She is a well-respected faculty member of the school. She's helped me write numerous things including my scholarship essay for the University of Arkansas, for which I was awarded a scholarship.