Blog 9 & 10

i don't really have a writing style. Sadly, I am big on procrastination. I try not to do that, but every time i have to write a paper, i tell myself I'll do it tomorrow, then tomorrow comes and I say the same thing until it's the very last minute when I really have to write it. If, however, I don't wait until the last minute, I do brain storm and write down my ideas most of the time, and when I am done with that I usually draw up an out line. my outline isn't always of what I want to write about but it's more the structure or style of the paper. I like to eat and listen to music when I am writing. the music inspires me and the food keeps me from being bored. i am easily distracted, so many times i end up singing along with the song instead of writing. overall, I love writing but when rules comes into play, I tend to fail. Personally, I don't have a problem with obeying rules, but when it comes to English, it's quite different. I hope that after this, I get my bad habits under control.

Blog 9 & 10

This class has been a great experience for me I have learned so much about writing. I am still having a little trouble with the the computer part though. I am very computer illiterate but I am so grateful I made it through this class. I am good at writing I believe so, it has always been one of my favorite things to do. I am a passionate writer, and I like for people to learn from what I'm writing about.Such as racism, ignorance, gay marriage, Michael Jackson, there is a certain truth in writing, and I want people to find the truth, or at least look at things from a different point of view. I am not the greatest in the technique of writing, I try very hard and that's one of the best things about the class is you learn the proper technique. My favorite paper was the position paper, I learned so much about Gay Marriage, and I learned a lot of facts that I wouldn't have if I had not chosen that topic. My main issue is punctuation and following a certain format since I love to write, I could just go on and on, but when writing a paper you have to be grammatically correct as I have learned. I always choose topics that are important to me or mean something to me. This was my favorite class this semester, I felt like I could be me and express myself and my views there are not many classes like that.
Happy Holidays, Bethany

Portfolio Preface

I am terrible at writing papers! I really have a hard time putting my thoughts onto paper clearly and concisely. I am a straight to the point person, so I have a hard time elaborating and expanding on topics. Maybe if it came easier to me, I would like to write papers. Even this is hard to write. One of the best ways for me to get my writing going is by drinking beer while writing.
I liked writing the argument paper and the position papers the most. The argument that I chose was on the social significance of Barack Obama. I argued against the view of Joe Feagin. Feagin stated that Barack Obama would not be elected because he is black. Feagin tried to support his claim that white people are racist. It was with pleasure that I was able to argue against such a despicable person and it was satisfying to know that I was right. People like Feagin are responsible for keeping racism alive and well. I am convinced that Feagin and those like him use allegations of racism for their own personal benefit.
The position paper was an interesting one to research. I wrote it about the dollar and how it should be backed by gold again. It was still hard to write though, because there was a lot of information and determining where to set the threshold for my target audience proved challenging. I wanted my target audience to have at least a slight bit of knowledge about money besides just knowing how to spend someone else’s. Another point that I liked is that I had to identify and rebut objections to my point. Identifying these objections helped to reaffirm my own belief too.
The rhetorical analysis paper was difficult. I was not easy to dissect another piece of work and describe how it was set up and identify the moves of the author. To me it was like trying to understand poetry, which is a lost art form on me.
The last paper I was going to do on the Federal Reserve because I found out a lot of information about it whilst researching gold backed currency for my position paper. Writing it became impossible because I was not sure about which direction to take and it just stalled. I then decided to do my research paper on what are the political beliefs of conservatives. In Comparative Politics class, we discussed the differences between liberals and conservatives. Several of the people in the class found out that they had more in common with conservative views than they had thought and a couple of people were vice versa. I thought the topic was interesting, so I wrote my paper on what beliefs make up a conservative.
I am no more affectionate of writing papers now than I was at the beginning of the semester. I did learn a few things in this class, which I am grateful for because I can apply these skills later in my academic career and beyond. I do feel confident that I will do well in the next level of writing class.

Portfolio Preface

Writing never has been something I look forward to. I believe that my strengths are in oratory. For me to be able to put down a thought onto paper without initial feedback has always been absolutely terrifying. I am not always sure if my audience understands me, and as soon as it is in black and white, there is no changing it.

This course has helped me get over that fear to a degree. When I am required to write about a topic that I don’t know too much about, I go blank. If I have the freedom to pick my own topic to write about, I never feel secure about my topic decision. As a writer I am very insecure. This course has brought me out of my comfort zone, and put me into one where I can learn. I have become a more confident writer starting with my position paper.

I am not a very opinionated person. For me to take a position on anything and put it into writing commits me to that opinion. When thinking about what I should write about in regards to the position paper, I took a subject that impacts me directly, and thought about my position on that subject. I know my opinions, but finding research to support them proved to be a difficult task. It really stretched my research abilities, but in the end I was satisfied with how it ended up.

The research paper proved to be even more difficult. The requirements for the sources were in my opinion a little unreasonable, but I insisted on meeting them. This helped me find quality sources that really support what I was researching. I’d say this was the most important thing I learned from this course; how to research, and find credible sources. People’s opinions are great, but solid concrete facts are so much better.

I have progressed as a writer, and as I go forward in my education, I will have more confidence in reading, understand, researching and writing about specific topics. I feel that I am now much more capable of writing in a variety of styles, using various rhetorical strategies, and expressing myself so that my audience knows what I am trying to say. I look forward to my next assignment.

What a Long Strange Trip it’s Been

I would not call myself a writer by any stretch of the imagination. Writing has always been one of my weaker skill sets. The process to just get started writing in general is a very long and difficult one for me. The first thing that I do when faced with a writing assignment is figure out a timeline for milestones that need to be accomplished. Usually there are only three milestones that have major significance. The first milestone is research. This milestone usually takes the longest and is the most difficult. During this time I will evaluate all of my options for the assignment and conduct whatever research and reading is required to write the paper. The second milestone is the draft of my paper. This is always the shortest time commitment. When I draft a paper it is usually in one sitting and I just spew forth all of my ideas in whatever organization that I have formed in my head. The final milestone is revision. After completing my draft I will “walk away” from the assignment for a day or two. Forgetting about the paper for a short period of time allows me to come back to the paper at a later date with a fresh prospective and catch things that I may have not noticed initially. This process has worked well for me because it forces me to spread out the work associated with an assignment instead of waiting till the last minute.

When I have a final draft product I try and get as much feedback from others as possible. My wife Cassie has been immensely helpful during this class. I will read her the assignment prompt and then the paper that I have written. While I read, she will listen and ask me questions if anything I have written is unclear. Beyond that she will ensure that I have completed the assignment that I was tasked. I tend to skew off on a tangent when writing and she has the amazing capability to pull me back in to where I need to be. After my wife has given me the thumbs up I will submit my paper. I am a big proponent of writing as a continual process and was glad to see that even after turning in an assignment to my instructor, Amy Bolaski, we were still able to revise and make improvements. No matter what we are doing it can always be improved upon and having that capability in this class was vital in my learning process.

In the past I have dreaded the idea of having to write an essay because it has not been something that I have enjoyed. When enrolling in the Fall 2009 semester I did not want to take an English class. I had been away from organized education for almost 10 years and I was afraid that I would do very poorly. This class however was not scary at all and I feel that I have learned a great deal about the writing process. As each of my papers were reviewed and commented on by fellow students and Amy, I saw a gradual improvement in my writing style and ability. The past two days I have been constantly in the Writing Center here at Mira Costa and it was an amazing feeling when the staff reviewed my papers and remarked at how well they were written. This feedback has definitely invigorated an interest in writing for fun.

The first paper that I wrote for this class was a rhetorical analysis of “How Twitter will change the way we live” written by Steven Johnson. I had never been exposed to the concept of writing a rhetorical analysis and was very daunted when this was our first assignment. I followed my standard writing process and quickly volunteered to be one of the first to workshop my paper. The responses I received were amazingly helpful. I was not familiar with MLA format at all when I submitted my draft and was quickly indoctrinated into the use of MLA by several of the reviewers. While reviewing works by other students I was able to pick up on several writing strategies that I felt were a great benefit to my own writing.

The second paper that I created for the class was an argument response based on the Lisa Selin Davis article “Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?” This paper was something I was far more familiar with. I had been a MySpace user for quite a while and was able to relate a lot of that experience to this paper. Using the strategies that I had learned from the previous assignment I drafted a paper that I was quite comfortable with. I agreed with Davis on her position and was able to incorporate the points that she made in her argument while also providing my own position. This assignment was definitely a boon to my confidence in writing.

The third assignment was by far my favorite. In this assignment I was able to vocalize my position on a topic and persuade my audience. I am by nature a very argumentative person. I enjoy debating topics even just for the sake of a debate. This assignment allowed me to combine my love of debate and my love for technology. My position paper titled “The War between Windows and Macintosh” allowed me to explore my capabilities in debate through another format. In this paper I had to not only provide my own point of the argument but also forecast any opposition. This paper not only helped me develop my writing skill but also develop my skill in debate. The ability to know what the opposition will contend is vital in allowing a preemptive argument to counter their point before it is even provided. I enjoyed every aspect of this paper and feel that it was by far the most beneficial of all the assignments.

The final assignment was a literature review on any chosen topic. I choose the topic of using Stem Cells in research because I feel that both sides of the moral debate have valid arguments and that I wanted to be more informed on their positions. I had never done a research paper like this before and was amazed at the amount of information available through the online databases provided by the library. This paper provided a wealth of knowledge on the aspects of doing research before writing a paper and being more informed about a topic before deciding a position to take. The research skills learned while completing this paper will be very valuable in future classes.

While I may have been very apprehensive in taking English 100 at the beginning of the semester I am very glad that I did. I have definitely seen quite an improvement in my writing skill and I have also noticed that I am far more critical when thinking about a topic. The evolution in my writing has been amazing to see. Reflecting in this preface on the papers I have written throughout the semester has been like riding a rollercoaster. Looking back at the initial drafts of papers and wondering what I was thinking is like opening a time capsule from the past. This experience has been a far departure from my normal routine but this strange trip has definitely been worthwhile.

Portfolio Preface

Writing used to be one of my favorite hobbies when I was a child, and it was always fun for me to imagine, and write about everything that I liked. I still enjoy writing, however it is not as easy as it was for me before because now I am more serious about it, and I want to develop my ideas as much as I can. In addition, I have learned some writing strategies that I like to use to influence my readers, and make them pause and think about my argument. In the past, I was not aware of the writing process, and usually did not care about the readers. But now, I always consider the possible effects of my notes to my audiences. Moreover, I used to write just about my own ideas, and argue them without thinking about the opposite view. Fortunately, I have learned in this class that considering the other side of the argument can make my essays even better and more valuable. Overall, writing is a wonderful experience, and it is worth a try, not only as a hobby, but also as a valuable skill that can help people to accomplish different things such as college assignments, resumes for finding the proper job, or simply effective business letters to be successful in the current career.

Choosing an appropriate topic is very important for me in this class because if I am enthusiastic about the subject, the writing process will be easier and faster. However, it is not always possible to choose an attractive subject, and there is usually a given topic by the instructor. In this case, I have to brainstorm at first, and browse in the Internet to get some different ideas, and compile the essential information to get started. Also, I always pay close attention to the writing prompt to include all of the requirements in my essay. The next step for me is to find some free time when no one can disturb me, and I can focus on my central point. I like to sit and write non-stop until I can finish my first draft because the outcome usually will be better if I get a chance to write the whole essay at once. However, it is not always possible for me to complete my entire essay without interruption because of my seven-year-old son and my busy life.

My first essay in this class was about “Facebook”, one of my favorite topics. In this assignment, I was required to analyze the article “Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?” by Lisa Selin Davis. This essay was a good practice to explore the author’s chosen rhetorical strategies as well as understand the text’s organization. Honestly, it was very hard for me to analyze the text because it was my first time, and I had some difficulties identifying rhetorical strategies and their effects to the readers. So, I got help from the writing center. Fortunately, the outcome was good, but I know that I have to work hard in this area to improve my skills to analyze a text effectively.

My second assignment was an argumentative essay about “abortion”, one of the most controversial topics in America. The given article for this assignment was: “Can We ever Say a Woman Can’t Choose?” by Frances Kissling. It was one of the most attractive articles that I have ever read in my life, and I admired author’s writing skills because she had changed my black and white view about abortion, and taught me how to analyze both side of the argument. Although my essay had some weaknesses that affected my grade, I think writing this essay was the most effective and useful practice that I have done during this semester to improve my writing skills because I learned expressing my own ideas as well as including other side of the argument respectfully. Also, I learned that it is unlikely that anyone can draw an absolute conclusion about some controversial issues like abortion.

My third essay was a position paper about “Legal Immigration” that was my original argument. I have learned some valuable skills while writing this assignment such as anticipating viable objections someone might raise. In addition, I have practiced how to address the objections by offering a concession to acknowledge the validity of the objection and finally how to rebuttal the objections to avoid handing my own argument over to the opposition. Honestly, it was not easy for me to include these items in my paper, and I am sure that I have to work hard to master these skills in order to be a good writer.

My final essay was a research project about “Divorce and Children”. I tried to compile the most professional ideas about this issue to fulfill the research requirements. Recognizing the scholarly sources was the most important thing that I learned by doing this project. In addition, I learned how to write an annotated bibliography for the first time, and it made the writing process easier and faster. However, it was really hard to pull together a conversation by using these different sources, and arrange them in order to provide an overview of diverse outlooks.

Consequently, I believe this class was very useful for me, and helped me to be a better writer by teaching me how to think about both side of each argument and how to develop my essays by the writing skills that I learned such as making objections, rebuttals and concessions. In addition, I learned revising is the essential key that can improve my writing skills gradually, and guide me to approach my dream that is to be a writer some day.