Reflecting More on My Writing Process

Unknown. "Celebration" July 4, 2009
Public Domain 

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

I think the most challenging part of this year was preparing for midterms and trying to juggle the studying involved. I found it rather difficult fitting in any serious studying into my schedule without sacrificing focus to the 109H blog post requirements. I was able to finish all of the posts on time, however I wish I was able to spend more time o the coarse readings and brainstorming the topics of the three projects.  

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

I found that time management was essential in regards to the completion of the posts and creating quality projects. As for my writing and editorial skills, I found that the skills I used in my high school advanced literature and language classes were somewhat useful in this class setting. I had a decent understanding about rhetorical analysis and essay writing, so I applied those skills throughout the semester. Basically, the class gave me more in depth content and information about those previous skills.

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

A genre is basically the framework or structure of a certain writing piece. And with a genre a reader can expect the different forms of writing conventions that may be employed by the author. These conventions act as a means to effectively introduce the argument or purpose of the essay, article, or blog post. The genre also acts as a window in to the audience type and their opinions/beliefs. From this, reader can better understand why an author employs certain rhetorical techniques in their writing. Understanding genre allows readers to understand purpose and strategy in writing, thus making them less susceptible to fallacious argumentation or less credible claims/evidence. 

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

I will most likely develop the skill of argumentation and rhetorical analysis, as these skills are essential to my discipline. Furthermore, I plan to advance my writing ability long after this coarse with more writing related classes throughout my freshmen and sophomore years. Also reading articles and highlighting rhetorical strategies within will keep this skill fresh in my brain.

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

I think my most effective moment in this coarse was my QRG presentation and the collection of data to support the claims made in the post. I had to use a variety of source work in order to fin d the most effective data necessary to support my thesis. The sources included library database citations as well as a number of credible online sources. I found that the search for these sources was the most important and time consuming aspect of the project, but the end result was ideal and had substantial evidence to support the main thesis.

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

I think my least effective moment in this semester was the time management. I always finished my work on time, however I felt that at times I would be overwhelmed by the work or finish an entire section in one day. Had I created a more effective schedule at the beginning of the year, I may have had a better handling of the section work. But, I don't think a calendar would have helped, as my other classes were the main reason I strayed from my planned routine.