Reflection on Open Letter Draft

Molina, Marcos "Mirror" 08/27/2009 via Flickr CC BY NC SA 2.0

I peer reviewed Brandon and Jayni's letter drafts.

Mehruba's feedback on my draft was brief, but useful. Essentially, she recommended that I add more specific examples and work on my transitions.

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

Yes. In my draft, I metacognitively considered my writing process.

2. Did you provide analysis of your experiences, assignments, or concepts you have learned?

I was not very specific in this part of the draft, but I did reference the quick reference guide.

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

I did not provide examples in this draft, but I have a good idea of what sources from past assignments I should quote from.

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

I incorporated this type of discussion to some extent, but I will be able to add more when I add more specific examples.

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

 

Yes.

Draft of Open Letter

Here is the link to my first draft of the open letter.

Pestana, Madelena "Letters" 08/21/2007 via Flickr CC BY 2.0

My analysis section is not comprehensive yet and I still need to add several more examples. I am primarily concerned with the writing style at this point.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

Reflecting on the specific strategies that I used for my writing throughout the semester will help me hone my writing skills for future assignments.

Campbell-Jones, Andi "Reflected in the Raybans" 08/27/2013 via Flickr CC BY-BC-ND 2.0

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

My biggest challenges this semester were adhering to the course structure by completing process work in blog posts before composing drafts for major projects.

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

I learned that I am fairly good at estimating how long it will take me to complete an assignment. I often have difficulty motivating myself to start work on an assignment, but once I start I tend to complete a large portion of it at once. My first drafts have been generally effective, but I learned that structured editing and revision is necessary for me to compose A level work.

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

Genres are part of the rhetorical situation of a piece of writing. They dictate the format and style of a text. Understanding how to identify conventions of a genre allows a writer to be versatile and able to adapt to any type of assignment or work.

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

My time management skills, ability to use rhetorical strategies, and ability to adapt to different genres have improved the most significantly. I will be able to apply these skills to my future coursework and career.

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

My rhetorical analysis for project two was particularly successful. Out of the three projects we have done at this point, I had the most prior experience with the type of work needed for project two. I am used to doing rhetorical analysis.

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

My quick reference guide was not quite as effective as my other two projects. I had a lot of difficulty condensing the vast amount of information that I collected in my research.

Revisiting My Writing Process

Since the start of the course when I wrote the My Writing Process, and Calendar Reflection posts, I have had to adapt my writing process to be successful in this course.

George, Geoff "assembly line" 04/28/2009 via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

At the beginning of the semester, I related components of each of the four types of writer to my writing process. However, I said that I most closely fit into the sequential composer category. I still believe that my writing process includes a mixture of strategies.

The structure of this class has required me to cut back on procrastination. However, I did not stick to the plan that I laid out in the Calendar Reflection post. I still found myself doing most of the work each week all at the same time, even when I reviewed the deadline early in the week.

Although I did most of the work all at once, the process work in the blog posts, and the structured revision processes required me to incorporate more elements of sequential composition and heavy planning into my writing process. I am now more confident in my ability to use time efficiently.