Writer’s Blog Prompt #5
English 110 In Retrospect…
DUE: Thursday, May 27.
The purpose of this post is to reflect on your writing experience this quarter and to expand the audience of your blog.
1. Format this blog as a letter to students taking English 110 next quarter.
2. Spend time reflecting on your own experience as a writer, and look to your First Day Writing and Blog Prompt 1 to remember your thoughts about writing and the course theme the beginning of the quarter. (You submitted the First Day Writing to the Carmen Dropbox, so you can find it there.)
3. As you write the letter, think carefully about the audience of new English 110 students and consider the following questions if you need guidelines
• What do they need to know to be successful in these assignments?
• What did you do that worked well and what would you do differently?
• What specific examples or stories from your experience this quarter might help illuminate your process as a writer?
And, remember, I would love to be able to show these to future students, if you’d give me permission. So make them effective, helpful, and honest letters.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
finalizing a paper
When I write, most of the mistakes I make are pretty careless. And, when they end up in my "final" paper, it's because I haven't taken the time to go through the editing steps I need. First, I need to read my own paper...like several times. I also need to do this a day or two after I have finished it. I can't re-read it right away, or I don't catch my mistakes at all. Then, I really need to have someone else read it, too, as I tend to read right over my errors. (I don't always do this step, as my papers are long, as I feel like it's a lot to ask to have someone read it.) I also like to read my work out loud--to myself or, even better, to someone else. Somehow, I catch more mistakes that way, and it helps weird/awkward phrasing stand out. It also helps if I read line by line, blocking the rest of the paper with another sheet that's a different color. This keeps my eyes from wandering, and I focus on individual words. Sometimes I wish I would just take advantage of the writing center, as I work there, and have someone there help me with my finishing touches. But I usually forget, or I get too nervous about my work to do this.
Blog Post #4--due Thursday, May 13
The Transition to Commonplace
DUE: Thursday, May 13—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts IN CLASS. We will comment during class, though, so no need to worry about that step for now.
Discuss your ideas and plans about how you will re-imagine your project as you write for Commonplace. Feel free to address some of these questions. (Or, just ignore them and write!)
• As you’ve read Commonplace articles, what have you noticed? What are some of the characteristics of the writing that gets published on Commonplace?
• How do you think this piece might be both similar to and different from your RAP? In other words, how might you extend the inquiry of your RAP, but radically re-imagine your topic, ideas, argument, etc. for the public, college student audience of Commonplace?
• How can you make your topic timely, compelling, and relevant?
• How will you deal with your sources, both primary and secondary?
• Who do you envision as the “ideal audience” for your work?
• How might you frame the introduction to your article to really hook readers?
• How would you powerfully conclude it?
• What do you believe your work could bring to the Commonplace community? How might you be able to add to what’s already there? Do you want to see a change in the type of writing that Commonplace values? If so, explain why!
• What sort of advice might you want from people who read and comment on your blog? How can they help you?
DUE: Thursday, May 13—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts IN CLASS. We will comment during class, though, so no need to worry about that step for now.
Discuss your ideas and plans about how you will re-imagine your project as you write for Commonplace. Feel free to address some of these questions. (Or, just ignore them and write!)
• As you’ve read Commonplace articles, what have you noticed? What are some of the characteristics of the writing that gets published on Commonplace?
• How do you think this piece might be both similar to and different from your RAP? In other words, how might you extend the inquiry of your RAP, but radically re-imagine your topic, ideas, argument, etc. for the public, college student audience of Commonplace?
• How can you make your topic timely, compelling, and relevant?
• How will you deal with your sources, both primary and secondary?
• Who do you envision as the “ideal audience” for your work?
• How might you frame the introduction to your article to really hook readers?
• How would you powerfully conclude it?
• What do you believe your work could bring to the Commonplace community? How might you be able to add to what’s already there? Do you want to see a change in the type of writing that Commonplace values? If so, explain why!
• What sort of advice might you want from people who read and comment on your blog? How can they help you?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Blog Post #3 (due Thursday, May 6)
Writer’s Blog Prompt #3
Reflecting on Revision
OR
Your Pick
DUE: Thursday, May 6—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts IN CLASS. We will comment during class, though, so no need to worry about that step for now.
This post offers you a couple of options. You only need to complete one of them.
Option 1:
The goal of this post is to encourage you to think a little bit about how far you’ve come on your RAP…and where it might go in the future! Even more, you can share insights with your peers that might very well help them with their own writing.
Think about the various drafts you have completed of your academic research project, and answer some (or all!) of these questions. Remember to write in a way consistent with the blogging voice you’ve established so far—so really make these questions your own!
• How has your writing process on your RAP been both similar to and different from your other writing experiences?
• What has changed about your project? What has been added? What’s been removed? Why did you make those decisions?
• How did you go about revising your work? What strategies of revision worked for you? What was especially challenging?
• In a perfect world, what would you still like to revise about your paper?
• And, as we look toward our upcoming work on Commonplace, how might you re-imagine and revise your work for that public audience? What could you focus on? What might you leave in? What might get booted? How might your tone change? In short, how will you make your academic topic timely, relevant, and compelling for a public audience?
Option 2:
It’s your blog. Write what you want. This is your chance to blog about anything and everything that’s important to you. Go get ‘em, tiger.
Reflecting on Revision
OR
Your Pick
DUE: Thursday, May 6—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts IN CLASS. We will comment during class, though, so no need to worry about that step for now.
This post offers you a couple of options. You only need to complete one of them.
Option 1:
The goal of this post is to encourage you to think a little bit about how far you’ve come on your RAP…and where it might go in the future! Even more, you can share insights with your peers that might very well help them with their own writing.
Think about the various drafts you have completed of your academic research project, and answer some (or all!) of these questions. Remember to write in a way consistent with the blogging voice you’ve established so far—so really make these questions your own!
• How has your writing process on your RAP been both similar to and different from your other writing experiences?
• What has changed about your project? What has been added? What’s been removed? Why did you make those decisions?
• How did you go about revising your work? What strategies of revision worked for you? What was especially challenging?
• In a perfect world, what would you still like to revise about your paper?
• And, as we look toward our upcoming work on Commonplace, how might you re-imagine and revise your work for that public audience? What could you focus on? What might you leave in? What might get booted? How might your tone change? In short, how will you make your academic topic timely, relevant, and compelling for a public audience?
Option 2:
It’s your blog. Write what you want. This is your chance to blog about anything and everything that’s important to you. Go get ‘em, tiger.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Blog Post #2--the prompt (due Thursday, 4/22)
English 110
Spring 2010
Writer’s Blog Prompt #2
Practicing Rhetorical Analysis for a Public Audience
DUE: Thursday, 4/22—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts in class.
Choose any object or artifact you’d like (an advertisement, a place, a photo, a piece of art, a commercial…anything!) and apply the skills of rhetorical analysis you've been practicing to analyze that object. (To review specific techniques refer to Writing Analytically, “Rhetorical Analysis" on pgs. 93-96, check out Commonplace chapters 2 and 2.5, review the Heinrichs’ chapters, or take a look at our “Doing Rhetorical Analysis handout.)
1. Choose an object/artifact/text…or even a situation you observed. (Not the one you’re already analyzing for you’re larger project, though.) Spend time recording all the details of that space and impressions you have about the organization, mood, tone, or style. The object can be anything you’re remotely interested in or curious about. It might even be something you’re considering integrating into your RAP later on…or it might be totally unrelated but nonetheless fascinating.
2. Organize those details and gather some basic information (Who made
it? What is it? Where is it? Why does it exist?), as necessary. Offer a brief summary for your blog readers so they know what you’re talking about. Remember that a strong rhetorical analysis relies primarily the author's observations and interpretation, so your summary should be pretty brief, and then launch into your smart analysis!
3. Pull together all your information and look for patterns and themes. Consider larger questions, such as,
• How are people or things encouraged to interact within this object?
• What is the intended function of this object? Does it have a secondary or “hidden” function?
• Does the object accomplish its intended function? Why or why not?
4. Post a picture or video of that object onto your blog, if possible. (For most of you, this should be possible; so try it!)
5. Remember, too, that this is your BLOG! You’re writing for a blog audience composed of your classmates. Think about your blog writing persona and what sort of tone you are working to establish here. In other words, you need to work to adapt this rhetorical analysis to appeal to your public audience. This is exactly the kind of adaptation you’ll have to do in several weeks as we revise and re-imagine our academic writing for the Commonplace audience.
Spring 2010
Writer’s Blog Prompt #2
Practicing Rhetorical Analysis for a Public Audience
DUE: Thursday, 4/22—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts in class.
Choose any object or artifact you’d like (an advertisement, a place, a photo, a piece of art, a commercial…anything!) and apply the skills of rhetorical analysis you've been practicing to analyze that object. (To review specific techniques refer to Writing Analytically, “Rhetorical Analysis" on pgs. 93-96, check out Commonplace chapters 2 and 2.5, review the Heinrichs’ chapters, or take a look at our “Doing Rhetorical Analysis handout.)
1. Choose an object/artifact/text…or even a situation you observed. (Not the one you’re already analyzing for you’re larger project, though.) Spend time recording all the details of that space and impressions you have about the organization, mood, tone, or style. The object can be anything you’re remotely interested in or curious about. It might even be something you’re considering integrating into your RAP later on…or it might be totally unrelated but nonetheless fascinating.
2. Organize those details and gather some basic information (Who made
it? What is it? Where is it? Why does it exist?), as necessary. Offer a brief summary for your blog readers so they know what you’re talking about. Remember that a strong rhetorical analysis relies primarily the author's observations and interpretation, so your summary should be pretty brief, and then launch into your smart analysis!
3. Pull together all your information and look for patterns and themes. Consider larger questions, such as,
• How are people or things encouraged to interact within this object?
• What is the intended function of this object? Does it have a secondary or “hidden” function?
• Does the object accomplish its intended function? Why or why not?
4. Post a picture or video of that object onto your blog, if possible. (For most of you, this should be possible; so try it!)
5. Remember, too, that this is your BLOG! You’re writing for a blog audience composed of your classmates. Think about your blog writing persona and what sort of tone you are working to establish here. In other words, you need to work to adapt this rhetorical analysis to appeal to your public audience. This is exactly the kind of adaptation you’ll have to do in several weeks as we revise and re-imagine our academic writing for the Commonplace audience.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Introductory Post...writing and me.
Writing and I have always had a complex relationship. That might seem odd, since I teach writing. Probably you're expecting me to say: "Writing! I love it! It's the best! I'd marry it if I could!" But...yeaaaah....not so much.
In school, I usually had a lot of success with writing. I can remember my first grade teacher reading my descriptive "essay" about the red bicycle I wanted to the entire class. I guess mine was impressively detailed or something. And, throughout school, the praise generally continued. I excelled in English, and I punished myself if I got anything less than an A+. So even though I felt good about writing, it was apparent that I was a bit, um, competitive and obsessive about it. Not the world's most healthy relationship, I suppose.
In high school, I even did some more public writing on my school newspaper. I liked writing editorials, researching and expressing my opinion to the student audience. (Who didn't really read it....but what did I care?) Then, an article I wrote stirred up some serious controversy at my large suburban high school. In our "Battle of the Sexes" annual issue, I wrote a piece that sarcastically bashed men, while a male writer wrote one sarcastically bashing women. It was no big deal--the paper did this every year. However, during this year, the administration had some pre-existing issues with our advisor, and I think they were looking to get rid of her for almost anything. So, apparently my article was a good reason, as I'd used "inappropriate" words like "sex," "PMS," and "gay." (Yes, words I am sure NO high school student had ever read before!) And as quickly as the article was written, my newspaper advisor was fired. Just like that. And, well, it was all my fault...right?
In retrospect, no, it wasn't my fault. There was context and history around her firing that I would never fully understand. But this incident, for the first time, made me realize the power of language. Words could hurt, injure, and offend, and in a ways that had very serious, real, material consequences. My already complicated relationship got even worse after this. In some ways, I never wanted to write again.
But, of course, I did. I mean, I'm a PhD student in English now, so you gotta figure there's some writing involved with that gig. But, even though I've come this far, I still find myself intimidated by writing. Sometimes I fear I'm not good enough at it--my words aren't big enough, my sentence structure too confusing, my content downright boring! Other times I'm back to worrying about the damage my words could do--who will I offend? Who will get fired? What kind of trouble might I stir up this time?
I guess this might be why I'm so interested in rhetoric, which was traditionally studied as a part of writing and speaking. (We'll be looking at how it works in visual texts, too.) I embrace rhetoric, in part, because it can help me understand how communication and language work. I can consider my audience, and make strategic stylistic and content decisions based on that. Rhetoric, I guess, has been one way of negotiating my complex relationship with writing. And it's working. I'm getting more comfortable. I'm feeling more confident. Slowly but surely. Baby steps.
In school, I usually had a lot of success with writing. I can remember my first grade teacher reading my descriptive "essay" about the red bicycle I wanted to the entire class. I guess mine was impressively detailed or something. And, throughout school, the praise generally continued. I excelled in English, and I punished myself if I got anything less than an A+. So even though I felt good about writing, it was apparent that I was a bit, um, competitive and obsessive about it. Not the world's most healthy relationship, I suppose.
In high school, I even did some more public writing on my school newspaper. I liked writing editorials, researching and expressing my opinion to the student audience. (Who didn't really read it....but what did I care?) Then, an article I wrote stirred up some serious controversy at my large suburban high school. In our "Battle of the Sexes" annual issue, I wrote a piece that sarcastically bashed men, while a male writer wrote one sarcastically bashing women. It was no big deal--the paper did this every year. However, during this year, the administration had some pre-existing issues with our advisor, and I think they were looking to get rid of her for almost anything. So, apparently my article was a good reason, as I'd used "inappropriate" words like "sex," "PMS," and "gay." (Yes, words I am sure NO high school student had ever read before!) And as quickly as the article was written, my newspaper advisor was fired. Just like that. And, well, it was all my fault...right?
In retrospect, no, it wasn't my fault. There was context and history around her firing that I would never fully understand. But this incident, for the first time, made me realize the power of language. Words could hurt, injure, and offend, and in a ways that had very serious, real, material consequences. My already complicated relationship got even worse after this. In some ways, I never wanted to write again.
But, of course, I did. I mean, I'm a PhD student in English now, so you gotta figure there's some writing involved with that gig. But, even though I've come this far, I still find myself intimidated by writing. Sometimes I fear I'm not good enough at it--my words aren't big enough, my sentence structure too confusing, my content downright boring! Other times I'm back to worrying about the damage my words could do--who will I offend? Who will get fired? What kind of trouble might I stir up this time?
I guess this might be why I'm so interested in rhetoric, which was traditionally studied as a part of writing and speaking. (We'll be looking at how it works in visual texts, too.) I embrace rhetoric, in part, because it can help me understand how communication and language work. I can consider my audience, and make strategic stylistic and content decisions based on that. Rhetoric, I guess, has been one way of negotiating my complex relationship with writing. And it's working. I'm getting more comfortable. I'm feeling more confident. Slowly but surely. Baby steps.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Blog Post #1--the prompt
Writer’s Blog Prompt #1
The Introductory Post
DUE: Thursday, April 8—please have it posted before class time, as we’ll be referring to blog posts IN CLASS.
Using your first day essay as a springboard, create a blog post that your classmates will read. Consider your audience and the rhetorical situation of this particular blog. Since this is a blog you are composing within a university class setting, your audience is both academic and social (complex, huh?!). You are writing for your classmates/peers, but you’re also doing it to fulfill a class requirement—you have to strike that oh-so-difficult balance. So, develop a voice for your blog that is engaging and unique, but also professional.
1. Choose an idea or a short passage from your first-day writing assignment that you find interesting or engaging.
2. Spend time free writing and rewriting until you have reshaped your original passage into a blog post containing at least 250 words.
3. Don't just cut and paste your original response. Blog writing is a specific format, and your readers expect that a blog post doesn't use the style and voice of a text message, a gchat, or a lab report…or a first-day writing assignment! Use this first blog post to start to develop a particular blogging voice or persona. Remember, too, that the blog is exciting because it doesn’t just have to be text alone! You have the ability to add photos, videos, audio, etc. to your post, if you think serves a purpose here. So experiment a bit with those other mediums, should it seem relevant to your post or interests.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Welcome, friends!
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