This blog is an unprompted reflection about a specific process I experienced in my English Composition I class. The topic I have chosen is free-writing and how it has helped me in my writing process.
When I first started English Composition I, I had no idea what free-writing was. Free-writing is a way to get all your thoughts down on paper at the beginning of your writing process. Sometimes, people get stuck on what to write about or do not know where to start. The idea is to write in complete sentences (handwritten or typed) without stopping no matter what over a certain amount of time. If you do not know what to write, you can just start writing random words until something comes to your mind. For our Life-Choice Memoir, we did an in-class free-writing session to practice writing down our thoughts for thirty minutes. We were told by our professor to set a goal of how many words we wanted to achieve in that half hour. My goal was 600 words and I surpassed it during that time period, totaling to 1042 words. I never ended up using what I wrote during that session in my memoir, but it was an amazing feeling to be able to write over 1000 words in such a short amount of time. After that class, I knew I wanted to use this method as part of my process. I wanted to replicate it because I felt so productive and accomplished knowing that I could produce quality writing in just a half-hour. When I finally decided on the life-choice I wanted to write about, I used free-writing to write my opening scene. By the end, I had at least 350 words I wanted to use in my paper. I thought my writing was much more descriptive and created a good scene because I just let the words flow without stopping. I did not pause to check to make sure my spelling or grammar was right, knowing that I could go back later and polish it. Using this method, helped me focus on the five senses rather than just telling the audience everything I was experience. I was able to show the readers using descriptive language that I wrote during my free-writing session. Going forward, I will continue to use this method whether it is for another English class or for my own personal writing. I am trying to get back in the habit of working on creative writing because it was one of my favorite hobbies in high school. My friends and I used to write short stories for each other and it was one of my fondest memories. I will use free-writing to pick up this hobby again and hopefully create work that I am proud of in the future. To assist me in this process, I purchased a writing journal called Prompt Me which I mentioned in a previous blog. To gain more insight into this journal, please click on the link here. I encourage everyone to include free-writing in their processes because it is a very empowering and worthwhile form of writing.
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This blog features my reflection about my Research Paper that I am currently writing. Included below is my process of writing and how it has helped or inhibited me over the last few weeks. The video Reflective Writing helped me realize that by reflecting on my writing, I will become a better writer and make good revisions to my paper.
Who did you work with to compose your research paper? Was this a good approach? At first, I wanted to write about having reduced homework in America, but I could not find relevant research material on the topic. I talked to some of my family members about what topic I should write about and what would make a better argument. My mom suggested writing about standardized tests because I have experienced the struggles that come with it. I changed my topic to eliminating standardized tests in America and I was able to find a lot of credible sources while I was working on my annotated bibliography. My classmate, Candace Stoltzfus, was also doing the same topic as me and we decided to collaborate on the paper. This was a good approach because we had a similar focus for our paper. We both brought interesting points to the table and I think our final draft will be a very strong argument against standardized tests. What rhetorical mode and genre are you using? The rhetorical mode of this paper is argumentation and the genre is MLA Research Paper. When did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote the first draft of this project within three days. I set a goal for myself to write 500 words each day so that I would have 1,500 words by the next class. By the time class approached I only had 1000 words, but I still felt very accomplished with my work. This was a good approach because I set my goals high and was able to achieve a lot in three days. Also, I did not write my whole paper in one sitting so I think my writing turned out better when I stepped away from the project for a short amount of time. Where did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote most of this paper either in my bedroom or the cafe at DCCC. This was a good approach for me because I am less distracted in these areas and I am very productive. I like to work in areas where there is a little bit of noise, but not too much that it will distract me. Sometimes, I would write at the kitchen table, but I was not as productive because my family spends a lot of their time downstairs. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? I chose my topic because I struggled with standardized tests in high school. I never scored high on the SATs and had hours of tutoring in Math which did very little to improve my score. My grades were very good in high school and I had a 4.0 GPA. However, my low SAT scores kept me from getting scholarships that I worked really hard for when I was applying for college. It was very frustrating and when I heard that Finland does not use standardized tests, I wondered why America still uses it even though it is ineffective. I made a good choice in choosing this topic because I have had personal experience with standardized tests which has allowed me to develop a better argument for my paper. How did it feel to write this argument ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? While I was writing my paper, I was a bit overwhelmed because there were so many facts I could put in my paper and argue several different claims. However, Candace and I decided to narrow it down to two claims: standardized tests affect critical thinking and the quality of teaching. After we combined our material together, I felt like our argument was much more organized in the structure. Since finishing our first draft, I know that we need to make substantial revisions. Because we combined two papers, it does not flow in the most effective way. An “if only” moment I have had is that we need to add more counter-arguments and refute them in our paper. We only have one counter-argument and we should definitely include more to make our paper stronger. How will you revise your argument? As I said in the previous question, Candace and I will work together to make our paper flow in a more effective way. We need to work on our transitions and may need to move paragraphs around. For our second draft, we plan on using more counter-arguments to refute in order to make our claims stronger. This blog is an overall reflection about how my English Composition I class is going at this point in the semester. Below, I have provided insight about the progress I have made these past eight weeks and what I look forward to in the future. Please also refer to Blog #7: Life-Choice Memoir Process Reflection to learn more about my progress with my Life-Choice Memoir and the Reflective Writing video. In addition, I have also composed a brief video reflection summarizing the text written below. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of the video! How did you feel about English Composition before the semester started? How do you feel now? Going into English Composition I, I was very excited. I had recently decided to major in English and I had been looking forward to gaining more knowledge about how to improve my writing. Now, I am ecstatic about the amount I have learned in just a few short weeks. The class is so engaging and the blogs really help me to create my formal assignments. I especially enjoy the writing sessions and how much work I am able to produce with free-writing. The first time we did this activity, I felt so accomplished and embraced the messiness of my unfinished work. In this class, how do we define composition? In class, we define composition as “combining two or more communicative elements to make meaning.” In this class, we write so we can [fill in the blank with a substantial answer]. In this class, we write so we can get our thoughts down on paper and eventually develop an incredible piece of work. The first step of the writing process is formulating ideas and writing as much as you can down. Then, you take the parts you want to include in your draft and revise them. After a lot of revision and getting feedback from others, your writing will improve dramatically since you first started. What have you learned thus far about yourself as a writer? As a writer, I have learned that my writing does not have to be perfect initially. In high school, I used to think that everything had to be structured and completed. Now, I know that writing is supposed to be messy and it’s okay if it is unfinished. I have learned that I am not limited by how I write as long as I take the time to revise and work hard to improve. As a writer in this class, do you feel as if you are improving? How so? Since the start of the semester, I definitely feel like my writing has improved. Before, it took me so long to develop one page of quality work. It was like pulling teeth out because I felt like everything had to perfect like I said before. Now, with free-writing, I can easily get 500 words out in fifteen minutes. Even though it’s not my best work, I go back and add more description. My ability to “show” has also improved. Before, it was very hard for me to develop a scene for the audience. While I was writing my life-choice memoir, I think I used more description than I have ever used before on a formal assignment. This is a really good feeling because I know that in future, it will only get better. What are your three primary English Composition I goals for the rest of this semester? My three primary English Composition I goals for the rest of this semester are: 1. Revise my life-choice memoir a little bit each day 2. Read more of my classmates’ work and comment on their blogs 3. Have more people read my work and ask them how I can improve This blog features my reflection about my Life-Choice Memoir that I am currently writing. Included below is my process of writing and how it has helped or inhibited me over the last few weeks. The video Reflective Writing helped me realize that by reflecting on my writing, I will become a better writer and make good revisions to my memoir.
Who did you work with to compose your life-choice memoir? Was this a good approach? To compose my life-choice memoir, I did not really work with anyone. For some reason, I am very private about personal writing and do not like to share it unless it is really good work. I did discuss some ideas with my boyfriend about what to write. He came up with some life-choices that I made, but they weren’t choices I was very passionate about and that I felt I could write about. While I do not like people reading my unrevised work, I think I should allow more people to read what I have. They can give me good feedback and tell me where I can improve in my writing. What rhetorical mode and genre are you using? For this formal assignment, the rhetorical mode is narration and genre is creative non-fiction. I am writing a true story about myself and incorporating description so that the audience can visualize what I experienced. When did you write this project? Good approach? I usually write in the morning or in the early afternoon on weekends. For the most part, my head is clearer and more focused at this time. Also, during my lunch break in between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays I find time to write. I think this is a good approach because my writing is better during these time periods and I am more efficient compared to doing it late at night. Where did you write this project? Good approach? The first draft I wrote was in various places throughout my house such as my kitchen or bedroom. However, since I am one of eight children this might not have been the best approach because it was hard to concentrate in my busy household. However, I did not really like the topic of my first draft and ended up changing it. My second draft I wrote at my boyfriend’s house while he was cooking dinner. I think this was a better approach because it was quieter and my writing flowed better in this environment. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? Choosing my topic was very difficult because I felt like I had a lot of potential options. Originally, I was expanding on my personal narrative from my fifth blog, “Life-Choice: Should I Stay or Should I Go?”. It was about a friendship I decided to break off because it was toxic and causing me a lot of pain emotionally. There were some high stakes since we were both part of a large friend group and I knew that if I ended things with her, I’d have to leave the whole group to not make things awkward. I wrote 1000 words for it and I did not like it at all. I thought it was kind of boring and I could not get a decent amount of description from it. Therefore, I began brainstorming for new ideas and decided to write about the time where I decided I did not want to go to nursing school. There were high stakes involved because I had already applied to many colleges and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was a very stressful time and there was a lot of pressure when I made that decision. I remember the day I made my decision very distinctly and when I started to write it, the story turned out so much better and more descriptive compared to my first draft. How did it feel to write this narrative ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? While writing the new version of my narrative, I felt really good about the work I was producing. My writing seemed much more descriptive and the words came easily to me which was an amazing feeling. I’m not quite done yet since I had to start over, but I definitely need to work on how I want to incorporate my “telling” moments and what kind of background I want to give to the story. How will you revise your narrative? As stated in my previous answer, I’m not done with my draft yet because I changed my topic. However, from what I have, I would like to add more description and start writing my “telling” moments. I want to make the reader be able to picture what I was seeing through my scenes and understand the choice that I made by not going to nursing school. This blog post focuses on three quotes from each of the following passages provided below. I picked each particular quote because they stood out to me while I read them. In addition, I connected with them through my current writing process for various assignments I have had in the past.
Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) Quote #1: “Instead of teaching finished writing, we should teach unfinished writing, and glory in its unfinishedness. We work with language in action. We share with our students the continual excitement of choosing one word instead of another, of searching for the one true word” (Murray 2) Quote #2: “We have to respect the student, not for his product, not for the paper we call literature by giving it a grade, but for the search for truth in which he is engaged. We must listen carefully for those words that may reveal a truth, that may reveal a voice. We must respect our student for his potential truth and for his potential voice” (Murray 3). Quote #3: “Implication No. 7. There must be time for the writing process to take place and time for it to end. The writer must work within the stimulating tension of unpressured time to think and dream and stare out windows, and pressured time—the deadline—to which the writer must deliver” (Murray 5) The Daily Routines of Great Writers (Maria Popova) Quote #1: “In consequence, the members of my household never pay the slightest attention to my being a writing man — they make all the noise and fuss they want to. If I get sick of it, I have places I can go. A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper” (E.B. White). Quote #2: “So another ‘ritual’ as you call it, is to pray to Jesus to preserve my sanity and my energy so I can help my family…” (Jack Kerouac). Quote #3: “But, generally, just sitting down and really trying is enough to get it started. I break for lunch, come back, and do it some more. And then, usually, a nap. Naps are essential to my process. Not dreams, but that state adjacent to sleep, the mind on waking” (William Gibson). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) Quote #1: “Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong. It is no wonder if we sometimes tend to take ourselves perhaps a bit too seriously” (Anne Lamott 4). Quote #2: “We all often feel like we are pulling teeth, even those writers whose prose ends up being the most natural and fluid. The right words and sentences just do not come pouring out like ticker tape most of the time” (Anne Lamott 5). Quote #3: “But I am suggesting that there may be someone out there in the world- maybe a spouse, maybe a close friend- who will read your finished drafts and give you an honest critique, let you know what does and doesn’t work, give you” (Anne Lamott 9). My Process “Find an environment where you can fully concentrate on your writing. If the noise level in the house is too much, get some fresh air and go to a quieter place to work.” “If you are having trouble with a particular sentence or paragraph, try writing a different part of your paper. If this is still too difficult, focus on other work you need to accomplish, but still keep your ideas in the back of your mind.” “Ask someone to read your paper and critique it. They can help you determine if you need more detail or if a certain aspect of the paper does not make sense.” |
Molly ZahnerI will use this blog to post my informal writing assignments for my English Composition I class. Archives
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