Reflecting on Open Letter Draft

In this blog post I will be discussing my final draft of my Open Letter and the questions posed on pg. 78-79 of Student's Guide for Writing.

The drafts I peer reviewed for this assignment were Sam's and Mira's.

Did you demonstrate the ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?
I did demonstrate the ability to think about my writing and myself as a writer. I described myself as heavy planner and the strengths and weaknesses that go along with this definition. I was able to accurately describe my writing process and what I thought was effective and what was not effective. I tried to discuss what went into my writing process and how I managed my time.

Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?
I analyzed several different projects and the steps I took to completing them and things I could have differently to improve on them. I heavily reflected on the way I completed assignments and major projects and which ones I thought were good and not so good.

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing?
I provided several examples from previous blog posts and projects.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?
I explained different choices I made when completing certain assignments. I think I could have been more specific about why I made certain choices instead of some others  however.

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?
Yes, I tried to use as many different terms that we learned over the course of the semester and incorporated them into my essay. Some of them were "genre" and "rhetorical strategies" - both things that I learned more about this past semester.

Zereshk. "Evening comes to Tucson." 12/31/07 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.

Draft of Open Letter

In this blog post I have linked to my Draft of Open Letter. You can access it by clicking here.

I think this draft sums up all my thoughts I have had and currently have about this past semester in ENGL109H. I tried to write in a formal writing style but not too formal that it sounded stiff. I would love feedback on different and new content ideas that I could add in to strengthen my letter. Also I am curious to know if I should add more links to my works. I'm not sure if I really need to include secondary sources but I would be interested to see if someone disagrees.

Durand, Chloe. "Italy beach." 07/11/15. Creative Commons License.

Reflecting More on My Writing Process

In this post I will be answering the questions below.

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
This semester I think the biggest challenge was time management. It was important to really force yourself to set aside a time and just finish the homework assigned for this week. I remember some of the more lengthy blog posts, like this one, required a lot of work and I if I didn't set out enough time aside to do it I don't think I would have been able to accomplish it.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?
I learned that I can work through assignments pretty fast if I just really focus on what I'm doing. Although it does require a lot of energy, if I just use all my energy into finishing the assignment I am able to write blog posts more concisely and efficiently.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.
I was kind of aware of what genre was before starting this course. However, I really had more time to explore different genres in this course like the Quick Reference Guide which helped me become a better write because I have more awareness about the topic now. I think writing in different styles definitely strengthened my writing skills as well because it forced me to think in different ways and reform my main arguments.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?
Some more skills I might develop later on in college is more editing skills to help during my revision process. I think the revision process is important to be efficient in both the revision and writing process in order to be truly successful.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H? 
I think the most effective moment from this semester was writing my Project 3. I think I clearly outlined my project and how I wanted to say it and then got feedback on it. I planned my time wisely and was efficient in my writing process. I especially liked the guidelines for this project and I chose a topic that I was interested in so that helped make it more interesting.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H? 
I think my least effective moment was a combination of busy weeks and less time to finish my assignments. It was particularly stressful trying to finish homework by the deadline especially when I was supposed to be somewhere at a certain time. However as the semester went on I was more efficient with planning my time and getting the job done.

Young, Robert. "Palm trees, cook islands." 02/14/08 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.

Revising My Writing Process

In this blog post I will be reflecting on my first two blog posts on my blog, titled "My Writing Process" and "Calendar Reflection."

In my first blog post I said I was a heavy planner and a procrastinator. I think that is still technically true now. Although I have been able to outline more of my essays and works based upon the different deadlines each week. I would still say I tend to think about what I'm going to write ahead of time before even writing anything. I also still spend way less time revising than I do if I tried to outline everything and then write multiple rough drafts.

In my second blog post I also think I have stayed the same. I wrote in mine how I would most likely space out my homework time into large chunks and try to finish one thing at a time. I think especially for this class I usually take a day out of the week and just sit down and write out everything at once. I don't usually spread out my work throughout the week.

Mingboaugdea. "Christmas trees in Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Hong  Kong."
11/2/13 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.

Reflection on Project 3

In this blog post I will be answering some questions found in Writing Public Lives.

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

In my peer reviews they specifically mentioned that I didn't really establish an argument in my article. So, I really took it upon myself in my revision process to identify it as a con argument and provide reasons as to why I preferred printed books to audiobooks. I tried to take pro arguments for audiobooks and deconstruct them. I thought I did a pretty good job.

2. Point to global changes: how did you rethink your thesis or organization?

I thought the way I organized it in my draft was pretty good but I needed to provide more information in order to really support my argument. I also realized I needed to make my argument more clear and so my thesis changed into more of a pro-printed book and con-audiobooks.

3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

The changes I made mainly derived from the feedback I received during the peer review process. I rethought my purpose which both of my peer reviewers said I needed to focus on in order to improve my article.

4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

I thought these improvements in my article made me seem more credible because I added more detail to my argument in terms of supporting printed books compared to audiobooks. Before it seemed like I was just evaluating the two but in my revision process I really tried to take a stance to make it more of an opinion piece.

5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue? 

I think the argument is more clear so the audience will have a better idea in the beginning of what the article about which will prompt them to think about their own opinion about the matter sooner. I think these changes will heavily benefit the reader.

6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

I tried to make my piece personal but at the same time professional to make myself seem credible. I tried to keep my sentences and paragraphs short in order to mimic the journalism genre I was attempting. I thought this was a perfect genre for the argument I was trying to make.

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

I think because I revised many of my sentences to become more coherent the overarching argument will become more apparent which will enable the reader to become more knowledgeable about the topic in general.

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

I didn't have to revise much in terms of this because I was already pretty knowledgeable about journalistic writing because I worked on the newspaper in high school. I reread some New York Times articles in order to become familiar with how they write.

9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

I think it's important to reflect because it really helps you evaluate how you write and why you wrote the way you did. I had outlined in a couple of my previous blog posts how I was going to write this piece which was helpful but the actual writing process relies on one's own thinking at the moment. Looking back at what I just wrote I am glad I wrote it the way I did and spent some time revising it and making sure everything flowed together so it could really benefit the reader. I hope my argument is clear to the reader and I convinced them of my stance.

Submiter, Kinjeng. "pug-puppies." 12/26/09 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.

Publishing Public Argument

Here is a link to my final draft or Project 3! 

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------X--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←-----------------------------X-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument establishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         ___X____ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument proposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

When I was doing research on the topic of audiobooks for previous projects, I was generally running across the same ideology. I was a little bit tired to seeing such repetitive things so I was trying to brainstorm ways that I would be able to make mine more original. I thought the best way to do this would be to actually test out an audiobook myself and then write about my experience. I thought this was a really great way to share insight and opinion with the reader while seeming credible since I performed the task myself. I do use other sources' information but only in order to support the overarching idea of audiobooks. 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    ___X__ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    __X___ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    __X___ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    __X___ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    ___X__ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    _____ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    ___X__ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    __X___ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    ___X__ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    __X___ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

                    ___X__ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    ___X__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    ___X__ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    _____ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    ___X__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    ___X__ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X__ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    ___X__ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    __X___ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    ____X_ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    __X___ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    ___X__ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    ___X__ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platformand should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

sheilapic76. "Atlantic Spotted Dolphin." 03/04/06 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

For the peer review process, I reviewed Chelsea's and Samantha's Drafts.

Who reviewed your Project 3 rough draft?
Issac reviewed my rough draft. You can access it by clicking here.

What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? Be explicit and clear. Tell me what helped or what confused you about the feedback you got.
I was a little surprised by the feedback I got but I think over all it will only help me to strengthen my draft and turn it into a final draft. I liked how the peer review document was split into four different sections which made it easier to understand instead of just random comments on a document. I'm glad someone read over it because they brought up stuff I didn't realize while I was writing it, like the type of argument I am using and whether that is actually the best one to use.

What aspects of Project 3 need to most work going forward [Audience, Purpose, Argumentation, or Genre]? How do you plan on addressing these areas?
I think the one that needs the most work is purpose. I essentially describe me listening to an audiobook and what I liked and disliked about it. I think I could relate that back to a broader argument about why I like printed books better and what are the pros of that and some of the cons of audiobooks. I think I could be a little more specific by adding some more information.

How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?
I'm feeling a lot better because I actually have some feedback to go off of that will help me greatly in improving my rough draft in order to turn it into a final draft. I think there's a good amount of work I still need to do but I do think it's manageable.

BrokenSphere. "Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts." 1/30/10 via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License.