Reflections on Open Letter Draft

In this post, I will reflect on the peer editing I received on my open letter draft.

Rostad, Bernt. "Reed Flute Cave-Reflecting Pool." 07/19/2009 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License. 

For the peer review, I reviewed Michael and Mira's drafts.

1. Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?

• I do feel that I demonstrated an ability to think about my writing, and myself as a writer. I feel that I've expanded my types-of-writing palette, as we wrote in genres I had never heard about before, so I got to explore new areas. My writing progressed, as well, because of all the process work that is required. I had never actually planned out my writing before, it usually stayed as a write-as-you-go draft. 

2. Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you've learned?

• I think I did, as I mentioned the many genres I had never written in before, and how much of the process work was completely new to me. I sufficiently explained how I've grown throughout the semester and that semi-served as an analysis. 

3. Did your provide concrete examples from your own writing?

• I did provide concrete examples from my own writing. I referenced a few of my blog posts, and explained how I've changed from the beginning of the year to now. I might add a lot of quotations from my own past work and final projects to help support some of the things I talk about.

4. Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?

• I did, and I can use my past explanations in blog posts to help build the argument behind my claims. I can touch a bit more on their effectiveness, though. The last project was definitely most difficult, not only to explain, but to achieve successfully. 

5. Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?

• I did use specific writing terms, and 'revision' was one of the most used because not only was it new to me, but it required the most work. I don't think I've ever put so much work into something. 

Draft of Open Letter

In this post, I will construct a draft of Project 4. Here is the link to it.

Wiertz, Sebastien. "Drafting." 03/04/2012 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License. 

So, this rough draft is very, very rough, and I would really appreciate any feedback you have. In fact, the more things you would like to edit, the better. I am planning on editing a lot before I actually write the final, but anything is super helpful. Please disregard the bad writing, and give me your hones thoughts. This is just to get my main ideas down. Thanks!

Reflecting More on my Writing Experiences

In this post, I will reflect on my writing experiences.

Downing, Jenny. "bubble." 05/17/2012 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License. 

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

• Firstly, I am very much a procrastinator, so I was worried that those traits would get in the way of my success. However, I think I managed to achieve a good amount of productivity within the semester with these habits and am quite pleased with myself. Also, having no background in the many types of writing was a difficulty. I was used to writing purely academic essays and learning the QRG genre was my favorite. 

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?

• My time management skills definitely need some work, because I always found myself in a rush to get many things done, and I reached maximum stress levels many times. My writing skills are pretty decent, I think, so I am happy with them. They probably grew a bit with the many contexts we wrote in. My editorial skills definitely grew, as I was looking to change individual things every time I edited, and that was a great skill to have. 

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

• Writing in many genres has taught me to be aware of many different styles and types of contexts. A genre is like a set form of writing, with specific characteristics and formats. It includes unique images uses, tone uses, rhetorical strategies, etc. This is absolutely essential to being an effective writer, and I will use the skills I learned in this class for future use. 

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

• I will use the skills I learned in this class for my future science writing. The research aspect of this class was very useful in helping me develop what kinds of resources are truly credible and which are not, as well as help me choose what information is crucial and will help my build my argument. I want this skill to grow, so I can better grades on my lab reports. 

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?

• My most effective moment(s) in this class were whenever I had to write my final drafts. My rough drafts were always pretty rough, but I did really try on the finals, and I was always pleased by the end of the project. I really enjoyed the different aspects of every project that I had to conform to, because it was challenging and helped me adapt my skills as a writer. 

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?

• My least effective moment in this class was the week that I published four posts a day late. It had been a pretty busy week and I was very tired, so I fell asleep the night before on my laptop, even though I was trying to finish the weeks blog posts in a few hours. It made me realize that I needed to pull myself together, and I haven't turned in anything late since. 

Revisiting my Writing Process

In this post, I will reflect on my writing process.

Brown, Elliot. "Minterne Gardens - sign - Thank you for visiting." 04/30/2012 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic License. 

In Blog Post 1.10, I was feeling hopeful about how the semester would go. I actually thought that I would get through the semester without resorting to my old ways and being a procrastinator, and I think that was good of me to hope for. Unfortunately, that did not occur and I am still a very bad procrastinator. It's a miracle how I've managed to complete all the deadlines (save for one) on time! It's a difficult thing to change a habit that you have spent years perfecting, and I didn't expect to do a complete 180, but I did expect to at least change a few aspects about my procrastination.

Looking back on blog post 1.12, I now realize how positive my outlook on the semester was. I didn't think about napping or wasting time that often, and for the first month of school, I stayed on track. Then, stress really began setting in, and the amount of time wasted had increased exponentially throughout the semester. I thought I had the strength to stay focused, and in some aspects, I am, but overall, my effort in school is decreasing and stress increases. I'm just holding on for the last two weeks.

My process and time management habits still reflect those of a procrastinator, and I feel that it will always be this way. I honestly do try to do homework ahead of time, but it never works out and I always tell myself that I still have time to do it later. I also signed up for a lot more stuff towards the end of semester, so that also impacted my level of productivity. I think I'll be fine in the next few years of college coursework, because I'll be taking science classes, and won't have to do a lot of analytical writing. Looking for employment in the science field does not usually require a heavy normal/analytical science background, and I don't think getting a job will either. I'll mostly be sticking to science writing.