I'm still here!

It's been awhile since I've written on here, but I'm back!  This quarter has certainly been a challenging adjustment for me, but I think I've learned a lot that will positively affect the choices I make next quarter.

As I've said before, academic writing and research haven't been issues for me in years, since I attended QUEST for three years and have been enrolled in Honors/AP English classes throughout secondary school.  This course was very useful, however, because I learned how to use the UW search databases in particular.  For example, when writing my essay on blog use in the classroom, I searched "blog* class*" and found what I needed.  I also learned the value of using the citations of one article to locate similar useful sources.  I looked at Kathleen West's References and found a wealth of supporting sources to include in my research.

Overall, I have learned useful things about close reading this quarter, which I wasn't at all anticipating.

Style

Essay One didn't really teach me anything about my writing process-- I've been in Honors/AP English since seventh grade so I've always been very aware of my writing style.  I know how to write quickly and I'm a procrastinator so I usually leave essays to the last minute and then burn one out the night before it's due, haha.  If I'm lucky I can get someone to proofread it for me before I have to turn it in.  Occasionally, if my thoughts are really out of order, I'll make a rough outline of my thoughts before getting started, but usually I just jump right into it and make revisions along the way like I've been trained to do for standardized tests.

The writing process for this essay obviously differs greatly from what I've grown used to throughout high school.  There were more little steps along the way, which, as a procrastinator, I struggled with.  The more due dates, the more oppurtunities to procrastinate, and the more late nights finishing up an assignment.  Another difference is that I don't really know how to write a "rough draft" any more, so my final draft ended up not differing too much from the first draft.  I can't write an essay with ideas that are only half-formed; I have to have everything in order if I'm going to write about it.  That's why I ended up turning in my first draft late-- my thoughts were still processing and I don't know how to write about something that I haven't already planned out.  I'm definitely a marinater (if that's a word: one who marinates, lol).  I'm used to sitting around thinking about what I'm going to write about, not writing or taking notes, etc.  I also like to hear what other people are writing about because that helps kick-start my brain into motion.  The writing workshops, even without a first draft, were a great help to me in this way.  The little seedling ideas in my head found root as I listened to my group members talk about their papers and I ended up finally writing the draft that day.

What surprised me the most about this particular writing process was the presentation.  Similar to my "rough draft" issue, I didn't understand how to present on a supposed "un-finished" product.  In my mind and in my experience, presentations are meant to be a final work, a finished product.  It made me nervous when I realized I would be essentially showcasing my ideas for the criticism of the class and the professor.  In the end, however, I think the presentation actually did help me.  Taking another look at my essay and essentially re-structuring it in PowerPoint format (as I said in my last post) helped me realize some organizational issues of my first draft and the fact that my essay was lacking a few connection pieces.

When I first heard that we would be writing about identity, I inwardly groaned.  Remember, I've been in AP classes-- the whole identity and "what is self?" thing is pretty overdone.  The news that we were connecting identity to blogs earned an eyebrow raise; that was definitely a new concept.  And when I saw all the little due dates along the way to the final essay.... another BIG inward groan.  Actually, that one may have been aloud.  In the end, though, this was certainly and entertaining and eye-opening experience, and I think I really learned something about identity, blogging, and maybe even my "self."  I don't know if this will effect my writing process in the future or not, but it will be interesting to find out!

Process

Phew!  The essay is finally DONE and turned in!  This whole process has been exhausting, mostly because it actually involved a process.  Usually I settle on an idea mentally, maybe sketch an outline, and then I start writing.  When I have an essay, I proofread it a couple times, I have some friends or my parents proofread it, and I call it good.  There was so much more effort involved in this essay-- with the blog reflections, drafts, presentation, workshop, and peer review, it was so much more than I'm used to.  In the end, though, I think it resulted in a well-formed essay that did what it needed to do.

The hardest part, for me, was bringing Blogging into the equation.  My paper was more about the concept of identity and my particular blogger's identity than about blogging itself.  However, I managed to find a good quote that fit in with what I was trying to say, and I actually believe it rounded my essay off nicely.  The presentation (though I DO NOT wish to give a presentation for every essay I write) did help me notice what was missing from my essay structurally, as I had to essentially re-structure my essay in PowerPoint form.  It was an eye-opening experience.

Overall, I'm proud of my final essay and I think I did actually learn something about identity along the way.  The process was long and arduous, but the result was more than worth it.

Reflection

So, I gave my presentation this morning... ugh.  I despise public speaking (as I'm positive everyone in class could tell).  My face gets red, I fidget, I wring my hands, my voice goes soft and I let my sentences trail off.... My poise is definitely my weak point when it comes to presentations.  I always end up losing points for saying "um" too much as well, although I think I did fairly well in that respect today.  Content-wise, I think my presentation was solid.  The only critiques I received were about my technical terms, not about my essay itself, which I think is a good sign!  Prof Thompson even commented on how well I had synthesized my evidence.  That made me feel really good because I haven't actually received very much feedback yet so it was nice to know I'm on the right track.  It feels good to have the presentation over with!  I'll admit I was kind of dreading it.  Not because I wasn't prepared, but just because I hate standing and speaking in front of groups.

I was surprised at how different everyone's essays are going to be!  There are so many directions that people are going in to explore identity and blogging, it's really interesting.  I was also surprised at how many people didn't seem to have some sort of thesis pinned down as of yet.  I would never be able to write any sort of draft without even a weak thesis.  Overall, I really enjoyed seeing everyone else's presentations so I could see what sort of blogs were being explored and where in the essay-writing process the rest of the class is at so far.  I'm feeling much more confident about what I have written and I'm ready to begin revising!

Research

So far, so good!  While researching www.solofemaletraveler.com I'm focusing on the posts that are about the identity of a solo traveler as compared to a group and/or couple traveler.  Since the author of the blog refers to herself as "Solo Female Traveler" I want to see what this means to her; the identity she is assigning herself as a female who prefers to explore the world alone.  I've only read a couple entries so far, but one of them was titled "Five Great Reasons Why You Should Travel Solo", giving me an excellent start.  Already I know that she identifies herself-- and other lone travelers-- as approachable, resourceful, strong, unfettered, and having more fun!  I hope that I'll be able to find anecdotes from her travels in other posts so that I have evidence to back up her claims.  I'm happy with the direction that my reasearch seems to be headed.

Truth

I was intrigued with the way Jill Walker Rettberg differentiated audience advocacy with professional journalism versus blogging in chapter four of Blogging.  Pages ninety-two and ninety-three in particular were interesting, especially the thoughts about most people preferring authenticity to objectivity.  It's a fascinating observation that readers would rather encounter the "'transparent biases' of bloggers" (Rettberg 92) than the subtle machinations of mainstream media.  I think this is because bloggers are more easily relatable as real people, rather than a journalist being paid to write something.  Bloggers care about what they're writing and that emotion invokes response, whether positive or negative, from the readers as well.  Mainstream media is somehow less real, less emotive and genuine; and when it is warmer and more personable, there's usually some hidden agenda behind it designed to bring in more profit.  The comforting thing about blogs is they're so open and honest (generally, as bloggers seldom have reason not to be) that the reader can trust they will be, if not fact, truth.  With mainstream newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio broadcasts, there's a certain amount of censorship and the story must "contend with editorial policies that [are] generally based on ideology or what advertisers would support or the public buy" (84).  There's always an underlying purpose behind a media source's decision to publish a certain story or a certain angle of a story that could be based on anything from worries about ratings, to being paid or pressured to present someone or something in a flattering light, or simply the personal biases of the editor or company.  When it comes down to it, mainstream media is political, whereas blogging is personal-- and no one trusts a politician implicitly, but they'll trust a friend.

Journey

Ever since reading The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke in fifth grade, I've longed to travel to Venice, Italy; to ride the gondolas, see the winged lion of St. Mark's Basilica, and attend a carnivale wearing a mask.  Since then, I've added countless other destinations to my still-growing list of places to visit, including Paris, Mt. Everest, New Zealand, and Rome.  Although especially interested in Europe, the world as a whole both intrigues and amazes me.  I'm always interested in learning new things about the world and the myriad of different cultures that are represented.  I hope to find a blog that will reveal beautiful and fascinating travel destinations from around the globe and give an insider's look at the culture and experiences to be found.

http://www.artistrymasterworks.com/servlet/-strse-256/Night-Gondeliers,-Venice,-Italy/Detail

Expedition

My writing explores the intracacies of human nature; the motivation, methods, and soul of people.  I create characters in order to explore the complexities that create them-- that make them unique-- so as to better understand the people around me.  I am a discoverer and an informer; learning new things and making them known, spreading them as far as I can.  My writing exposes and explains, challenges and testifies.  I am an explorer of life, and this is the gospel according to Emily.