Victory Lap

Here's Looking At You, Kid!

Reflection on Open Letter Draft

When You Feel Like a Badass

Jones, Donnie Ray "Whooooaa Dada!" (10/3/2014) via Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

I reviewed Ann Emilie's Draft, and she reviewed mine. Her comments were very helpful and constructive, and I will make good use of them. I will also answer some questions that will help in my revision process. Overall, I received a lot of support and seem to be heading in the right direction!

Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?
Yes, I did, but I needed more examples to really give my audience some context.

Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?
Sort of, I had left out a lot of actual experiences and assignments as references, but I had a good description  of the concepts I have learned.

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process)?
Nope, I need to go back and do that.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?
Yes, and no. I need to include more evidence to make it clear.

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?
Yes, I used quite a few writing terms, but I may need to include more concepts.

Draft of Open Letter

The Terrifying Draft

Hamburg, Monica "Black Magic Curse Letter" (5/4/2011) via Flickr. Atribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License

Hello  peer reviewers! Please feel free to tear this thing apart grammatically, structurally, and thematically. I would love feedback about organization, specific sentence structure, flow, and the overall status of my draft. Thank you!

Here is my draft.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experience

Thinking More about My Writing

Uguen, Gwendal "People who don't use their heads... don't need them..." (2/28/2011)
via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

In this post, I will be thinking more about my writing experience by answering the following questions.


1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
I mainly had issues managing my time this semester, which negatively impacted my writing process. I would end up not doing anything until the day of the deadline, and cramming every step into one 12 hour stretch where I was fueled by sleepless delirium and caffeine. One other huge challenge was family illness. Over the course of the semester, my boyfriend, father, and grandmother were all in the hospital or needed multiple surgeries. I definitely threw schoolwork by the wayside a lot so that I could be there for my family.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time managment, writing and editorial skills?
This semester has really made me suck it up and organize how I use my time instead of procrastination. It's not easy, but it pays off in the long run. In a similar vein, I realized that writing is made easier if I spread out the steps of creating a final product. I now have a pretty set order of processes that I go through when I write, and that system has given me more control over my writing. Previously, I would barely edit between rough and final drafts, and even then global revisions never came across my mind. Now I realize that rough drafts are meant to be torn apart in order to make them the best they can be.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.
Exploring different groups of writing styles has been extremely beneficial to my writing. Looking at different styles and formats of writing has opened up my perception of how I can convey information. Analyzing genres has shown me a world of potential platforms and audiences to access and appeal to. For each genre that we've explored, I have had to take into consideration its specific rhetorical context and conventions. I have had to learn conventions on my own. This has prepared me to be a flexible and diverse writer. I have become comfortable with conveying ideas in many formats, and this will serve me well in the future.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?
I have honed and discovered many skills throughout this course, but there are some skills that will really benefit me for years to come.

• Learning genre conventions
• Thinking about writing process
• Time management
• Analyzing ideology
• Thinking about how a text is rhetorically situated
• Responding to peer work
• Understanding rhetorical strategies
• Planning / outlining a project
• Analyzing audience
• Research strategies
• Using technology

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?
My most effective moment was when I was working on Project 3. For these deadlines, everything this class has taught me really came together beautifully. I got most of my blog posts done early because I scheduled them. I went to office hours and made multiple revisions to my project. I was done with my project early, and was able to give extra peer review to someone. Getting all of this done really made me realize that what I've learned has really helped me, and will continue to do so. I also had a huge feeling of accomplishment. I have succeeded in fighting of my procrastinating ways!

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?
For my first project, I got just about everything done late. For the final deadline, I stayed up late into the night the day before, and the day of. I barely got everything done in time. I was physically, and ideologically confused. I had no clue what I was doing even while I was doing it, and I really just pulled it out of my ass. As soon as I submitted it, I collapsed onto my bed and passed out. That feeling of helplessness, confusion, and exhaustion was definitely my lowest point this semester.