Looking Back

My experience in English 2010 has been very educational. Initially I was apprehensive of using a unified approach to my writing; I thought it would be dull to write about the same topic throughout the course. I am the type of person that enjoys writing on a myriad of topics as I get the opportunity to explore many areas and writing about just one subject seemed torturous. In spite of my reservations I decided to go along with it and see what it was like. I was, at the time, training for my first triathlon and working hard to get in shape. Health was a major topic on my mind and when I sat down to brainstorm about my unified topic for the semester I decided to see what I could learn about health, primarily healthy eating and exercise.

The memoir was my first piece. I had never attempted to write a memoir and to be honest, I was unsure if I even knew what a memoir was. I thought I knew but couldn’t’ be completely sure. After watching the lectures and going through the reading I came to understand what it would take to write. I needed a story, and not just any old story, but one I could sink my teeth into and use in a meaningful way to get my thoughts about healthy living out. The lectures helped clarify what I didn’t quite get from the reading. I settled on a favorite childhood memory of mine and as I began writing it down I was surprised and thrilled with how easily it flowed onto the page. It wasn’t perfect by any means but I really had a great time reminiscing about and telling the story of our fort in the Gully. The process helped me realize some of the valuable lessons I learned while going through those experiences. I also learned about how writing in completely different genres than I was used to can be challenging and rewarding. Almost like knowing how to draw and learning how to paint. Here’s a link to the full text.

The peer review process for this piece was very informative, mostly because of style issues. My first draft was torn apart by a peer who helped point out not just the surface errors in my memoir but also the layout and structural problems I was having. For example, I initially had some major issues with MLA formatting. My citations were lacking information and kind of just hodge podged at the bottom. She told me they were wrong which gave me an opportunity to look up how they should be.

By the second paper, the report, I had a growing list of sources thanks to some research activities as well as sources that rolled over from the previous piece. The report was a different animal, however, and required a lot more study and thought to put it together in a logical format. This is again where the help of my peers came into play. My classmate had a very keen eye and was able to help me restructure a lot of my paper. Something she also did was ask really good questions about my information and what I was trying to say. These questions really helped me refine what I was writing and saying it in a more forthcoming way. Go here to read my report.

The process of putting together my final portfolio has been a lot of work but it’s been great to see my work after some time – I feel like my eyes are fresh on it and I can see things I couldn’t before because I was too close to it. In my memoir I added some content about children and their electronic addictions and then as I was thinking about what else I could include I realized that the reader may have never seen a mangy russian olive tree, let alone a russian olive with a fort built in it. I’m not much of an artist but I thought I would give it a shot. I spent a few hours sketching it out on paper and scanned it in in hopes that it would help make the story more real to the reader and help them connect with it.

I’m also glad I got the chance to review the report I had written in preparing my final portfolio. Again, I noticed some problems I didn’t see before and I was glad to fix them. I took some time thinking about how I could write a more clear, direct thesis that doesn’t make the reader guess what my topic’s about. I also moved whole sections around to better the flow of the information. In the end I fixed some surface errors and I feel that the piece as a whole is much more complete.

We recently purchased and moved into a new home. Just a week or two after getting there a lady ran a red light and smashed into my wifes car. Amidst  all the commotion I was unable to find sufficient time to work on school work. I managed time to review a classmate’s position paper but mine never came to fruition. I lament that I couldn’t’ write my position pape, one because it is a detriment to my grades then and now with the revision process and two because I realize that I learn so much through writing and I lost the opportunity in this case.

After things quieted down with the move in and the insurance company (we still haven’t found a new car) I made time to work on the public service announcement. I decided to stay true to the unified approach I’ve been using in my assignments and create a shareable infographic about recommended health habits that will help improve one’s quality of life. It was fun to work in a completely different genre and try to sculpt a message and information in a different way, I thought about not only what message the words were sending but also the font they were in, the colors across the whole thing and if it was eye catching enough to really be effective. I’m pretty happy with what I produced and am grateful for the opportunity to create it. The full graphic can be found at the link below.

A guide to long life and physiological prosperity.

In conclusion, English 2010 has been a wonderful learning opportunity. I’ve really enjoyed learning about new writing styles and how they can really impact your overarching message.