Entry #7

This class has made me think more and more about how I interact with the writing process.  I have found that I think more critically of each step and come across many of the problems that are mentioned in the book.  I have also used some of the techniques in the book to overcome the challanges that I face and to persuvere in my writing.  As I begin to complete my genre pieces project, I find myself doubting my wriitng ablities.  Now that I am reflecting on this feeling of self doubt I am shocked.  I feel very confident writing research papers and other various papers that are required for my masters portfolio.  I came to think about it more, and I can not remember the last time that I wrote a piece that was not informative or reflective.  In addition, I can not remember the last time that I have written a piece that was not about education in some way.

After I came to this realization, I realized that I was just out of touch with other genres.  I also realized that I need to practice my skills writing about topics other than education.  I used this opportunity to read widely, in regards to different genres, different topics, and pieces regarding my topic: thousand island park.  Once I because a more diverse reader, I began to feel better about the writing process and started to generate ideas.  The activity we did in class with the index cards, helped me decide what I wanted each of my pieces to focus on.  After I found my focus I started to write.  This is where I encountered another problem.  When I faced this problem, I turned to both my writing partners and my teacher for advice.  I felt that my piece would be confusing and incomprehensible to others beside me.  My wonderful teacher reminded me of the crucial step of identifying your audience.  At this point, I stopped my writing and took a step back.  I identified the different purposes and audience for each piece.  After this step, I decided that my inital piece was not going to serve my topic well, and put it aside.  I started again and this time, with a much more complete idea of how I wanted my first piece to be.  I have now realized the importance of brainstoroming and pre-writing in the writing process.   I will remember these skills as I continue to work on my assignment.

Now that I have worked out the kinks of my starting phases, I predict that I will be much more successful.  I will remember as I continue to draft my first piece that I will need to edit and revise my piece.  I will utilize my writing partners to help me with grammatical errors, as well as for ideas to improve my piece and send my message more effectively.  I will remember that the writing process is flexible and to use it as a guide.  I will also use the reading from the class as a resource and will apply what I have learned about teaching writing to my own writing process.