This semester...
I’m not going to lie, I was off to a rough start with this class this semester. I’m used to writing private documents that are shared between me and my professor, and occasionally among a few students in the class for peer reviewing (which does make my stomach churn, but it was nothing like what I experienced with this class). Website writing was not something that I had even the slightest bit of experience with. I was so overwhelmed by the idea of having to post blog responses and assignments online that I felt so much anxiety over this class. Procrastination became my “salvation”, although it only made things worse.
“technology has changed my “place” of writing – it’s not longer something that is simply shared between me and a professor, it is now something that is shared with the rest of the class and whoever happens to stumble upon my blogs, tweets, and sites, etc. It is now written in a place that has the potential to receive immediate feedback. This alone has made me more mindful of my writing – the fact that other people can see my work right away is pretty intimidating. For me, it makes writing in itself more difficult to tackle, but has forced me to focus more on revision.” 3/1/11
The Twitterive project was no easy task for me. First and foremost, I was struggling with the idea of what constitutes a “genre” of writing. I was so confused by all of the picture montages that I was seeing on other websites from previous classes. I definitely never thought of a “list” as a type of writing or how it could be used to enhance something. Second of all, I chose a fairly personal topic to write about. I know that it’s nothing hidden like a lost love or a death in the family, but in its own way, it wasn’t something that I felt comfortable writing about. I have a very tumultuous relationship with the place that I chose, and I was afraid the awkwardness that I sometimes feel would come through.
“I feel like that is the project where the insane amount of revisions and continual development should be taking place, but I guess it was never a project that I felt comfortable with. I have been dreading putting in the final revisions to the Twitterive and actually publishing them, because I hate having my personal experiences and relationships with people exposed. I don't want you to read about the different kinds of conversations I have with my co-workers and how our relationships have changed and grown over the past few years, even if it will give more substance to the project and "put myself" more into it.” 4/25/11
It took a lot for me to understand that it is okay for that to happen. It’s not supposed to be a sugar-coated piece that hides little details, and even if I do come out sounding awkward with anything, I should accept it, because that would show the essential relationship that I have with my place. I feel that my Twitterive showed an undying connection and feeling of home with the place, despite everything else.
The Twitterive brought me to a new understanding of writing genres. I ended up enjoying experimenting with stringing together different genres to create one whole piece. The project also helped me to get over the initial anxiety of exposure to the entire class. Beyond this project, I felt much more involved and able to take on whatever was going to be thrown at us next.
The collaborative research project/oral history project was a lot of fun for me. I loved the topic we were talking about, and it was interesting to collaborate with people whose opinions differed from mine. I hope that I will get the opportunity to try to interview someone myself for a project that could be similar to the one we completed. I definitely gained an interest and a new appreciation for how to carry out an interview with someone, and how a person’s personal story could be used as research. It can help you to make your story even more compelling to your readers. I learned a lot about how to go about an interview, and that a simple conversation may be all you need.
“I’ve always viewed research as a pathway to find something that is definitive and absolute – not something that necessarily allows for interaction.” 3/9/11
I can now say that after my experiences with the collaborative research project, my ideas on this have changed drastically.
Blogging throughout the semester gave me a place to figure out everything I was writing about or learning from our readings. I hated blogging at first, but by the end of the semester, I enjoyed using it as a medium to try out new ideas and my understandings of different topics. I might even continue to use a blog for future writing courses as a space for experimenting.
“I have learned this semester that when I want to write about myself, I am much more comfortable and prone to tackling an issue and putting my opinion out there and backing it up through research. If you ever want to know anything about me, you'll find it there, because I am much more likely to go even deeper into an issue than I am to go deeper into a narrative. Personal projects like the Twitterive are just not my thing. I'm not willing to open up that much yet, and I feel that research-based projects keep me at a comfortable distance.” 4/25/11
Overall, this course has shaped the way I feel about writing – with perhaps the biggest impact in my view of using genre. I am excited to continue to experiment with different forms of genre, and I am much more aware of what possibilities I have to explore.
“technology has changed my “place” of writing – it’s not longer something that is simply shared between me and a professor, it is now something that is shared with the rest of the class and whoever happens to stumble upon my blogs, tweets, and sites, etc. It is now written in a place that has the potential to receive immediate feedback. This alone has made me more mindful of my writing – the fact that other people can see my work right away is pretty intimidating. For me, it makes writing in itself more difficult to tackle, but has forced me to focus more on revision.” 3/1/11
The Twitterive project was no easy task for me. First and foremost, I was struggling with the idea of what constitutes a “genre” of writing. I was so confused by all of the picture montages that I was seeing on other websites from previous classes. I definitely never thought of a “list” as a type of writing or how it could be used to enhance something. Second of all, I chose a fairly personal topic to write about. I know that it’s nothing hidden like a lost love or a death in the family, but in its own way, it wasn’t something that I felt comfortable writing about. I have a very tumultuous relationship with the place that I chose, and I was afraid the awkwardness that I sometimes feel would come through.
“I feel like that is the project where the insane amount of revisions and continual development should be taking place, but I guess it was never a project that I felt comfortable with. I have been dreading putting in the final revisions to the Twitterive and actually publishing them, because I hate having my personal experiences and relationships with people exposed. I don't want you to read about the different kinds of conversations I have with my co-workers and how our relationships have changed and grown over the past few years, even if it will give more substance to the project and "put myself" more into it.” 4/25/11
It took a lot for me to understand that it is okay for that to happen. It’s not supposed to be a sugar-coated piece that hides little details, and even if I do come out sounding awkward with anything, I should accept it, because that would show the essential relationship that I have with my place. I feel that my Twitterive showed an undying connection and feeling of home with the place, despite everything else.
The Twitterive brought me to a new understanding of writing genres. I ended up enjoying experimenting with stringing together different genres to create one whole piece. The project also helped me to get over the initial anxiety of exposure to the entire class. Beyond this project, I felt much more involved and able to take on whatever was going to be thrown at us next.
The collaborative research project/oral history project was a lot of fun for me. I loved the topic we were talking about, and it was interesting to collaborate with people whose opinions differed from mine. I hope that I will get the opportunity to try to interview someone myself for a project that could be similar to the one we completed. I definitely gained an interest and a new appreciation for how to carry out an interview with someone, and how a person’s personal story could be used as research. It can help you to make your story even more compelling to your readers. I learned a lot about how to go about an interview, and that a simple conversation may be all you need.
“I’ve always viewed research as a pathway to find something that is definitive and absolute – not something that necessarily allows for interaction.” 3/9/11
I can now say that after my experiences with the collaborative research project, my ideas on this have changed drastically.
Blogging throughout the semester gave me a place to figure out everything I was writing about or learning from our readings. I hated blogging at first, but by the end of the semester, I enjoyed using it as a medium to try out new ideas and my understandings of different topics. I might even continue to use a blog for future writing courses as a space for experimenting.
“I have learned this semester that when I want to write about myself, I am much more comfortable and prone to tackling an issue and putting my opinion out there and backing it up through research. If you ever want to know anything about me, you'll find it there, because I am much more likely to go even deeper into an issue than I am to go deeper into a narrative. Personal projects like the Twitterive are just not my thing. I'm not willing to open up that much yet, and I feel that research-based projects keep me at a comfortable distance.” 4/25/11
Overall, this course has shaped the way I feel about writing – with perhaps the biggest impact in my view of using genre. I am excited to continue to experiment with different forms of genre, and I am much more aware of what possibilities I have to explore.
