Building Your Writing Portfolio

A helpful way to organize your writing is in a portfolio. Photographers, designers, architects, painters and other creative people keep samples of their work in portfolios. When they go to interview for jobs, for example, they can show prospective employers where their talents and abilities lie. Both beginning and expert writers do the same thing with a writing portfolio. A writing portfolio is an organized container, such as a folder, binder, or a box that holds your writing. This portfolio can hold final, polished drafts of your writing that you can show to parents, teachers, students or other people you want to impress. In addition to your final drafts, you may also want to use your portfolio to store rough drafts, peer review notes, and ideas for future writing projects. Finally, the portfolio is a good place to put your reflections and assessments of your writing.