In a 1-2 page paper (typed, double-spaced), describe your "writing self." What kind of a person are you when you write? Or, to put it differently, what kind of person is the writer inside of you? Try to find a metaphor that captures the salient qualities of your writing self--is it like an elephant? A corkscrew? the Vietnam War? a bowl of gumbo?
You can use your metaphor to explain your strengths and weaknesses and fears as a writer; however, the most important thing is to reflect on your experiences as a writer--if the metaphor stops working for you, drop or change it. ("My writing self is like an angry elephant: it's bold and defiant but sometimes it tramples all over grammar and logical organization. But it isn't as oblivious as an angry elephant; I like to experiment and change the order of things a lot, kind of like a game of Scrabble.") Then you need to explain a little more how/why your writing self is bold & defiant & experimental. The strengths & weaknesses should take ~2 paragraphs (4-8 sentences each).
Next, discuss anything you have learned or found particularly valuable over the course of your writerly life. I'm particularly interested in any difficulties that you may have overcome. Did anyone ever give you particularly useful advice about writing? I'd also like to hear about unresolved issues in your writing life; what has frustrated you? What about writing (in general or in a particular genre) do you not like, and why? And finally, what would be useful for you to learn, in your opinion, in this class? How will you use writing in the future? What do you need to know that you don't know? Something about grammar? Some more specific rules for writing in particular situations? How to think about your audience? How to say what you mean in a genre that seems to be forcing you to say what you don't mean? Other???