...Ashley Eller December 12, 2011 UCWR110-022 Final Reflective Essay On Writing My favorite author and literary genius, Stephen King, in his memoir On Writing wrote, “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” This is possibly the best piece of advice I could ever think to give to a struggling student with a paper to write. Your first draft is always for yourself and your own personal reflection. In your second draft, “open up the doors” and write for everyone else who will be reading it. Without this solid piece of advice, I don’t think I could have ever expanded on my writing at all. Over the years, my writing career has hit its peak in junior year, and I have plateaued from there. Since being a UCWR student, I have had the chance to expand my range in my writing skills. From this course, I have learned to expand my writing ability to subjects I would never have broached before, allowing myself to heighten my awareness of the world around me as well as hinder my procrastination. In the beginning of the year, I was very disappointed I would have to take this course. From my previous experience with accelerated English and rhetoric courses, I felt I would be bored and disappointed with the classroom experience. Over the course of the semester, I have learned I was wrong. While in the beginning my engagement level was poor, I was still interested by the current events brought up in class. Some of the biggest topics we discussed (Occupy Wallstreet, Penn State...
Words: 1402 - Pages: 6
...Why correct writing and grammar in the NSA field is important. Kenny Carroll Daymar Composition 1 ENG 211 Ms. Kingery October 15, 2014 Why correct writing and grammar in the NSA field is important. Writing and grammar at first may not seem that important in an I.T. techs everyday business life, yet we would be wrong. In a business environment no matter what your job position or title is proper writing and grammar are a vital part of everyday communication. If you’re the computer repairman and you need to send out a companywide memo to warn against a virus or a computer threat, you do not want to sound as if you have no educational background Especially if you have not personal most of the individuals included on the email, they will have a bad first impression without actually meeting you. Good writing skills are a key asset at every stage of your career, from the moment you write your very first cover letter and resume until your retirement party. This is especially true for administrative professionals who are responsible for a significant amount of written communication on a daily basis. You don’t have to be a published author or hold a degree in comparative literature to be a skilled writer. Sound written communication is advantageous for ambitious administrative professionals at all levels and across many levels within the computer world (Hosking, 2014, para. 1). Whether we think about it or not, we communicate in writing every day. Every time you send an email...
Words: 755 - Pages: 4
...requirements. I always try to keep the same approach when researching and that’s to locate the information, select what best fits the topic and its requirements, organize it, present it, and finally reflect on it to see if it could have been better. My approach is probably no different from those other writers but being disciplined has help me stick to those guidelines has helped me. Some of my biggest challenges when researching is getting the assignment started, trying to find sources, and not having enough information to use in my writings. Also, I have to weed out which sources are not credible. I believe having preset guidelines in place helps when writing. Some tips that I think would help others would be to set prior guidelines for researching and stick to them. Having a consistent format can help keep a clear mind and wont delay the start of an assignment. Working in quiet place is very important. The key to being successful in writing is to read, practice, and...
Words: 292 - Pages: 2
...Assignment #2 – Critical Reading & Questions at Issue Step 1. Being a critical reader 1. Identify two questions at issue that Sontag addresses in her essay. Designate what type of questions at issue these are (definition, interpretation, consequence, value, or policy). * Sontag states that when people go on vacation and take photos that they are limiting the experience in the search to take a great picture to keep as a souvenir. (Value) * When someone is immobilized or cannot fully participate in an event, taking pictures is a way to still feel like you’ve been participating. 2. What are her claims/theses/arguments in response to these questions? Take passages directly from the text with page numbers next to them. * “A way of certifying experience, taking photographs is also a way of refusing it—by limiting experience to a search for the photogenic, by converting experience photograph, and move on.” 305 * “Being temporarily immobilized prevents him from acting on what he sees, and makes it even more important to take pictures. Even if incompatible with intervention in a physical sense, using a camera is still a form of participation.” 306 3. Now analyze each statement. How does she support her claims? Are her reasons sufficient/convincing/weak/absent? Why? * Her reason is pretty convincing. I know when I’ve went on vacation I was more concerned with taking really good pictures for everyone to see, rather than fully taking the full experience...
Words: 883 - Pages: 4
...The Reasons Writing Is Important In Software Development It is no question that communication is the key part of most peoples lives, it also helps to gain understanding. For example, if John were learning how to be a cook at a new restaurant the key for John to understand what he is learning would be, he and the teacher would have to communicate. Communicating can be a way to share ideas as well. I am currently studying software development and in a field like that, as in most, communication is extremely important. To be precise, email is a common type of communication to use when discussing ideas or problems, and being able to find the solution. All though video conferencing, or a phone call could be more effective in some ways, just one email can tell a lot in less time. It is easier for me sometimes to write an idea in depth on a computer than it is for me to call and have the idea prepared. On the other hand, my little brother is better at video chatting to get something done. The point is, though most people may not write a little over typing these days, especial in any company environment, quicker is better. Writing or typing something out is very important. Being able to communication through typing is extremely helpful in the way that it helps you think more about the topic and most find it easier to explain things deeper. In the soft ware field you may have to type out a program and talking to some one on a phone and explain the code behind the software is difficult...
Words: 373 - Pages: 2
...wrong class, and “your” mother will not understand this writing gig. Her style seems to draw the reader in hanging on for the next thing that will happen in “your” life. She effectively makes the audience feel like they are at college, in the wrong class or that they are simply standing in their kitchen showing their mom the haiku they wrote at the ripe age of fifteen and she stares at them “Blank as a donut” (Moore p.652) and she says “How about emptying the dishwasher”(Moore p.652). The common theme of this story is that “you” are always struggling with a plot, and no one quite understands “your” writings. This struggle is a relevant struggle for Moore, as well as many young college students. Through out the short story she explains this common trend of “no plot” and even still you read on and can not help thinking is there a point to this story? The no plot theme seems to take a deeper role. As most will struggle with the choices of life and a fair amount of people will even feel as if they have remained stagnant and really not done too much. Moore really drives this point home. She makes the reader really relate. College students can especially relate. With all the dysfunction a college student endures with choosing what to do and then like Moore having second thoughts and changing their major. This story was witty and sarcastic. Leaving you with a perm-a-grin, because you can totally relate. The style of writing was something unusual for me to be...
Words: 360 - Pages: 2
...There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury – 1950 Questions: 1. What is missing from the story? What is thriving? 2. What is the main character? 3. Give examples of personification. Why does Bradbury use personification? What effect does it have on the reader? 4. Give examples of imagery. Why does Bradbury use imagery? What effect does it have on the reader? 5. Give an example of irony in the story. What is Bradbury’s message? How does irony get this message across? 6. Give an example of allusion. Why does Bradbury use this piece of writing? 7. What would you say is the theme of this story? 8. What other post-apocalyptic stories do you know? What does this remind you of? ideas • • • • • • • • • • • • • “Reckless folly of thoughtless technological development” Martian Chronicles – expansion to mars, wild-west like American Dream can equal misunderstandings and waste Ray Bradbury concerned with the loss of freedom of thought and the clash between individuality and a highly technological society Setting as a character. How is the house personified? The fire? Context – Hiroshima 1945, 1950s bomb shelters, Cold War 19471991, bomb drills, nuclear fallout shelters, nuclear devastation Russia, Cuba Contrast between the destruction of humanity and the survival of nature “altar” “ritual of religion” the poem – Sara Teasdale, nature will prevail without humans WALL-E Contrasts the beauty and eternity of nature with life that is subject to the technology and vulnerability of machines...
Words: 452 - Pages: 2
...1130 January 2016 A Writing Experience Writing has never been my forte. At best, I survived the earlier years of my school life with average remarks from English teachers who assessed me. However, due to a lack of confidence in my own writing, English classes became incredibly difficult in my final years of high-school. Attempting to obtain better grades, I recall trying to absorb the almost formulaic method of writing my grade 11 and 12 teachers taught, and applied it. Nevertheless, I understood that this method was clearly not improving anything when I received my mark for the English 12 provincial. Being ill prepared for post-secondary writing is not a situation unique to myself. Rather, it is a common phenomenon for student writers of my generation. As mentioned, many student writers of my generation suffer from the same lack of proper writing education as I did when stepping into the world of post-secondary. In fact, recent studies suggest that the writing process being primed into student writers like myself during high-school is too linear, and fails to prepare them for the level of writing post-secondary schools demand for. This is because student writers are being educated to “separate the writing process into discrete stages” (Sommers 135). Moreover, due to the linear nature of current models of the writing process taught in schools, students tend to write in ways that resemble speech and as a result, neglect an important stage in writing: revision. This is...
Words: 774 - Pages: 4
...Understanding Graduate-Level Writing September 14, 2015 Understanding Graduate-Level Writing To understand graduate-level writing, you must look at the characteristics that make this type of writing different from other types of writing. One of these characteristics is to communicate a specific idea or intended message that is precise and elegantly worded, so the reader will not misunderstand (Beins & Beins, 2012, p. 3). Being misunderstood in any type of writing can be one of the biggest factors in how credible you are and if the message you are conveying will have the impact that is intended to make. As a graduate level writer, your technical vocabulary and phrases will play a vital role for difficult or intricate ideas, which should be conveyed in a short and concise manner (Beins & Beins, 2012, para. 9). That being said graduate-level writing generally follows a specific format that can be understood universally (Beins & Beins, 2012, p. 3). This specific and technical format displays one of the differences between the other forms of writing. Other styles of writing that are less formal usually accommodate the content as well as the artistic style of the text (Beins & Beins, 2012, p. 3). Taking the artistic less formal route for writing will allow the reader to understand the message in a less confusing method for virtually any level of understanding. The technical jargon that graduate-level writings entail seem to be one of the important distinctions...
Words: 1179 - Pages: 5
...Rough Draft Formula Writing Have you ever had problems getting started on an essay? Most writers have. There is a technique that can help, and it’s called formula writing. Formula writing, like most essays, contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. These elements are the “formula” for writing. The first element of formula writing is the introduction. It is the first paragraph of the essay and introduces the main idea of the entire essay. In addition, this paragraph contains information to grab the reader’s attention. The first sentence can either present the thesis statement, which is not the preferred method, or it can hook the reader, as this essay does. The introduction also contains a listing of the main ideas that will be developed in the body paragraphs. If the thesis statement has not been expressed in the first sentence, it should be the last sentence of the introduction; this is the preferred placement of the thesis statement. If the thesis statement is the first sentence, the last sentence of the introductory paragraph should be a concluding sentence that either wraps-up the paragraph or leads into the first body paragraph. The body is the second element of formula writing. The body usually contains three paragraphs, although it can contain more or fewer. Each paragraph must have its own topic sentence, which is usually the first sentence of the paragraph. The remaining sentences develop the main idea, or topic sentence, through...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Improve writing I realised that I had to improve my understanding of grammar in order to write for college. Before i came to college, grammar was not my strong point. For example, I often created run on sentence or sentence fragments, I was more concerned with what I wanted to say than with how it was said. In fact, my professors would not accept this type of writing and made me revise many times. Consequently, I made my grammar my second priority. I reviewed the basic grammatical structures such as subjects and verbs and checked all my works for verb tense consistency and punctuation. As a result, my sentences became more complex because I included transitional words, gerunds, and embedded clauses. The more I wrote, the more my writing improved. the more my writing improved. Furthermore, because I was accustomed to writing letters and informal essays, I usually wrote the way I spoke with my family and friends. It was quite common for me to include slang and abbreviated terms, which were appropriate in social contexts but were unacceptable in formal essays. I soon realised that academic writing required a much more sophisticated vocabulary. Not surprisingly, improving my vocabulary became my third and final goal. Thus, I bought a new dictionary and thesaurus to help expand my knowledge. I became more aware of how often I repeated the same words and phrases throughout my essay. I often searched for synonyms to replace words that i thought were too simple for a college essay...
Words: 329 - Pages: 2
...Writing Essoy for Tests English Gobi Duigu книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english @ Gabi Duigu 2002 All rightsreserved Revised and reprinted2003 Published AcademicEnglishPress by 9/13 ArmstrongStreet NS\f 2062 Cammeray Australia P h : 0 2 9 4 3 76 3 3 0 edu.au email: g.duigu@unsw. Distributed by: Melting Pot Press 10 Grafton Street NS\W2008 Chippendale Australia Ph: (61) 29212 1882 Fax:02 9211 1868 corn.au email:books@elt. ISBN:0-9578996-1-0 книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english lntroduction StogeI TheQuestion . . . .3 the L Understonding Question ......3 1.1 The Instructions 1.2 Kev Terms 2. AnolysingtheQuestion... ......7 2 . 1F i n d i n g t h e F o c u s the 2.2 Understanding Context 2.3DefiningtheTerms . ..... '7 ' . . .8 .....10 ldeos ond Presenting Stoge2 Selecting 3, Findingldeos 3 . 1B r a i n s t o r m i n g 3.2 FindingMore Ideas 3.3UsingExamples 3.4The "'s7hatifNot"Situation 3.5 Looking at the Other Side . ldeos 4, Selecting 4 . 1S o l u t i o n s t o P r o b l e m s . .2Evaluation . . 4.3 Classificationof Ideas книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english ....r3 ...14 . . . .15 ' '.... '17 '. '.. 'I7 . . .18 ......1e ......19 . . ' .20 . . . . . ' '21 4 . 4 T y p e so f C l a s s i f i c a t i o n 4.5 SelectingRelevantldeas 4.6Levelof Generalisation 4.7 OvergeneralisationsandExaggeration 5, Orgonisingldeos... 5.1 RankingIdeas 5.2Consequences 5.3Comparisons 5.4$ternatives.. 5.5Speculation.. ".... "23 .....25 ... "..26...
Words: 20102 - Pages: 81
...1.0: Introduction Writing is one of the most crucial aspects in language learning. It is not an easy task as it seems as writing is actually a process; and it is the teachers’ responsibilities to help students becoming good writers. According to Hedge (2005), writing process consists of four stages that are ‘Composing’, ‘Communicating’, ‘Crafting’ and ‘Improving’ (pp. 17). Therefore, this essay presents the main principles that underlie in activities that assist learners at these different stages in the writing process which is designed by Tricia Hedge in her book, ‘Writing’ (2005). This paper will start with a discussion about the first stage of writing that is ‘Composing’, and continue with another stage which is ‘Communicating’. ‘Crafting’ will be explained next, and finally, the last stage which is ‘Improving’ will be addressed. Additionally, an example of activity will be illustrated in each section. 2.0: Composing Composing is a stage that ‘takes a writer from pre-writing to polishing a final draft for a specific purpose and a particular audience’ (pp. 81). Hedge believes that good writing is often recursive, and not linear where various operations take place simultaneously throughout writing process. There are three main activities in this stage; pre-writing, drafting and redrafting, and editing. In pre-writing, the focus will be mainly on planning the outlines and exploring possible content. The learners will be aided to identify the purpose and the audience...
Words: 1682 - Pages: 7
...Potential Topics * Cars - a blessing or a curse? * Given the traffic congestion on our roads, should we be doing more to keep cars off the road, and if so, what? * Should wolves be re-introduced to certain parts of Scotland? * Should humans treat farm animals more humanely? * Is there any place for zoos in a civilised society? * What is the future for the British (Scottish) countryside - a recreational retreat or a living, working environment for the production of food? Discuss. * Are celebrities entitled to privacy? * Are child beauty pageants morally acceptable? * It has been said that the glory game of football has been turned into the money game. To what extent do you think this statement is true and how has the game been affected? * Did the Olympics actually inspire the British population or what it a black hole for all our cash? * The Ryder Cup is the perfect example of what a united Europe can achieve – is this the way forward? * Do the various ages of consent need to be reviewed for the young people in this country? * How old is “too old” for parenthood? * Have improvements in contraception brought about liberation or a passport to promiscuity? * Has genetic engineering gone too far? * Cloning - a tremendous medical advance or an ominous development? * Should animal organs be used for human transplantation? * Should doctors have the right to refuse expensive treatment to patients who will not change their habits (eg...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...Elijah LoBoen Writing the Essay 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM Professor Kellum November 28, 2011 Exercise Three Throughout the many essays that Geoff Dyer has written as a journey for his readers to embark on, I have learned that his purpose in written is add dimensions to a situation that seems one sided. How does he do this? Well, for example, in his essay “Sex in Hotels,” Dyer humorously expends on the action of having sex in a hotel. Immediately, those three words have the connotation of cheap and sleazy, however, Dyer pushes his readers to not think of it as a one-dimensional situation. One must see the action of having sex in a hotel as something classier by examining each and every step of the process. Masturbation, for example, is something that is done in peace in a hotel because it a safe haven where one can do such an action. Normally, it is looked down upon because one is doing it in a setting where is not accepted, however, in the “luxurious hotel,” Dyer comments, is fine. The tension within this author’s writing is less of something I have read, but more of something I have seen on television. For example, on various TV shows like Saturday Night Live, and the Soup, they insert humor into a serious situation in order to explain them and add a new dimension to something that seems like it only has a singular meaning. Dyer, in his collection of essays “Otherwise Known as the Human Condition” attempts to challenge his readers to see past it. Personally, it seemed...
Words: 314 - Pages: 2
