Reflection on Project 2

In this blog post, I will reflect on my published version of Project 2. I will answer the questions provided from Writing Public Lives on page 520 that discuss the revision process.

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

The biggest thing that was revised was the wording of my sentences. I had the ideas in the previous drafts, but the illustration or the presentation of those drafts were weak and obscure. In my revision process, I had to focus on how to convey the coherent thoughts in my head to my audience. Another thing that I had to consider that is related to wording is the order of my sentences in each individual paragraph. I changed the order of my paragraphs a lot to see what would be the most effective order.

2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

Originally, my thesis was not specific at all, and did not directly provide the points that I was going to be discussing in my writing. Overtime, however, after reading some other people's papers and having others review mine, I realized that I would be able to make a stronger thesis if I blatantly said what I was going to write about. Also, this revision helped to mold the exact direction that I was going to take in my paper.

3. What led to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

I was led, or forced, to make these changes, because those who were peer-reviewing my drafts kept telling me that my word choice or order did not make much sense. Also, they wanted the paper or my purpose of writing to be forecasted in the introduction. My ideas came off as vague, and so I had to revise them.

4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

These changes help to make me sound more intelligent, as a writer, and in my final draft, I think I finally sounded like I knew what I was talking about. The organizational changes provide clarity for my audience, which I think helps to boost up my credibility as well.

Vicky TH. "mirrors, no smoke." 10/09/2005 via Flickr.
Attribution Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic License.

5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?

The audience now is aware of the purpose of why I am writing this paper, as well as the key points I will be discussing. Secondly, for the specific audience I am addressing, the changes in word choice and paragraph structure and organization make sense. I took away things that were focused on summarizing the article and I tried to incorporate more analysis on why the author might including such points.

6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

As I have mentioned before, I reworded and reorganized my sentences so my thoughts would be discernible. Also, I rewrote some things to incorporate a more direct and explicit style, which is one that does not come naturally to me.

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

My audience will now know why I am writing this paper, because I explicitly stated my intentions in my introduction. The way I phrased and worded some sentences later on in the paper will also help them understand my purpose.

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

Yes, this was a major part in my revision process. As I read through and revised my paper, I discovered that it felt more like an expository essay than a rhetorical analysis, and I did my best to change this. I had to rethink how I was presenting my ideas and if they were presented in a way that matched up with the genre.

9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

Through the process of reflection, I am feeling more confident in my writing. I feel that I have successfully done all that I could have in terms of this project and this exercise reminded me just how far my paper has come since the first draft. In relation to this, it serves as a good reminder that no one's paper turns out perfect the first-time around. It requires work, and patience, and more work, but it is worth it in the end. Now, I am proud of my writing and all that the work I have shown for it.

--Jenny Bello

REFLECTION:

After reading through Bre and Annelise's reflections on their projects, I realized that a lot of other students struggled trying to fit into this genre of writing as well. We all had to do a lot of revision so as to effectively write a rhetorical analysis. Annelise and I both revised and rewrote our thesis a lot, while Bre and I both tried to reword and rephrase things so as to keep the audience engaged and interested. I really like how Annelise said that during the reflection process, she grew as a writer. Bre said a similar thing about her own writing. We are all in agreement that reflection is a worth-while and effective step when writing.