Reflecting MORE on my Writing Process

This post is to help reflect on my writing process throughout this course. I will do this by answering 6 questions provided to me. This will help me build a foundation for my final reflective open letter.

Harmes, Ross. Devastatingly Cute. 09/22/2009. Attribution 2.0 Generic. 

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

My biggest challenge was definitely during project 2. I had so much other homework and I was falling behind in the deadlines. I started to become a constant cycle of missing deadlines.

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

I learned that in order to get things done, I needed to switch up the places I was working or else I would fall asleep. Time management is hard when you have a roommate that gets work done really fast and then wants to talk and hang out.

I have learned that my writing is better when I am not as rushed. I get things done quicker when I am rushed, but it is better quality when I can take my time. I like this course because I would have to rush to get deadlines done, but then on the next deadline, I could go back over and edit my work. this helped my writing much more than only turning in a final draft.

I also learned that I am really good at editing grammar and sentence structure, but not at organization. This showed me that I need more people to edit my paper than just one. Also, that I can do a thorough job with grammar, but they need another person do the theoretical part.

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

I did not realize how many types of genres there are in writing or used to make public speech acts. A genre is a way to categorize speech acts that contain similar conventions to effectively reach a certain audience. For example, the first genre that we learned to write were blog posts. I then wrote a Quick Reference Guide, Rhetorical Analysis, and then a talk radio segment.

Understanding a genre is important because it helps to know the goal of the speech act and the audience. A quick reference guide has a different purpose than a talk radio segment.

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

The process of "prework" I will most definitely use. The prework that went into all the projects taught me the value of preparing for a writing assignment. I intend to use the techniques I have learned, such as Coggle, in the future to prepare for writing assignments, presentations, group work, etc.

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

I don't know if I can pin down my most effective moment. But, one of my favorite moments was when I conducted my interview with my econ professor, Reff. I didn't think that he would actually have time to do an interview with me, but I asked him anyway. He happily agreed and said we could do it after the next class! Well I'm so glad that I had this idea and got the courage to ask because we ended up talking for an hour after the interview. I would classify us as friends now and he has encouraged me so much. He is even helping me with my steps of applying into the Eller college.

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

The nights that the clock was ticking down to 10pm...then 11...then 11:30, and I was typing like a crazy lady. Those were my least effective moments. When I was cramming all my work into the last minutes and even up to the last seconds. Yes, I may have worked faster and got more done in those moments than in the entire week, but it was not quality, nor was it good for my blood pressure.