Sunday, November 28, 2010
Final Papers . . .
Because I am always thinking about your writing, I am curious about two things. A) In what ways has your writing changed this semester and how has that change come about? Has it been a positive change, do you think? B) As you are working on your final paper, what is your biggest worry, in regard to your writing of your paper? What do you think you still "don't know how to do," as it were?
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The biggest problem I've encountered in writing my final essay was one I didn't expect to be an issue at all: I ran out of things to say too early. As I revise my paper I'm sure I'll be able to find things to elaborate on but as far as the rough draft goes I was unable to reach the required number of pages. I assumed my topic would be easy to write a lot about, and I'm sure it is, I simply haven't found a way to expand it into the required number of pages yet.
ReplyDeleteA problem I have run into is also length. I feel as if I am sort of just rambling on and not making much sense. I am also struggling with the fact that my sources, although relevant to my overall topic, aren't completely important. I feel as if I have strayed from my topic 1, in order to reach the required amount of pages and 2, because I must add two quotes from each of my four secondary sources as well as my two primary sources.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Butthorn in that my biggest problem in writing my essay was running out of things to say. I revised my paper and saw that a lot of my arguments were merely mentioned and not expanded. Since I am not used to writing papers of this length regularly, am find myself having to expand more on my arguments and explore all the different issues and "sides" to the problems in them.
ReplyDeleteSo far this semester I would like to think that I have improved on my writing abilities. I think that my skills for writing longer papers has increased. I have become better at ingratiating sources into my paper and transitioning to ideas throughout my paper. I have the same concerns about my paper though of running out of things to say and becoming repetitive.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of this semester and throughout the semester I believed I was an average writer, not having the ability to pull everything together in order to become a strong writer. From some of the essays we have done in class, this assumption of mine has been clarified. However, because of this class, I believe that I have been given the tools and the understanding to pull everything together and become a strong writer. Throughout this process of writing the paper, I have had some worries though. I have been stressing about whether or not I am forgetting something in my paper or its not enough, and I am repeating myself at some points throughout the paper.
ReplyDeleteI have always been told that the bast way to say something is to say it short. The hardest part for me is keeping the length of the paper to 8-10 pages. I have always tried to keep my work concise and short, so the length of the paper is kinda eating me alive.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my writing has changed in how I utilize sources. I now use them as the cornerstone of the argument rather than an addition. I don't have a specific worry on my final paper, but I am worried about the overall strength of the paper, as it was substantially shortened when I removed some unnecessary or redundant arguments.
ReplyDeleteMy writing has changed after seeing all the different ways an argument or idea may be presented. Writing proposal argument papers, and defintional argument papers and such really showed me some new ways to structure my writing. I think this is a change for the good.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest concern with writing my final paper is structure. I need to find a way to structure all the evidence I have in support of my argument into a logical order that best supports it. I guess I still don't really know how to always make my paper flow.
My writing has become more expanded. Throughout high school I was always taught to state my points but keep them succinct and to the point. Now I expand much more. As long as my expansion is still on topic and maintains focus, this is a change for the good I believe. My introductory paragraphs are also much stronger. They start out general then marrow in on the thesis. One problem I still have however, is not narrowing down enough right before my thesis. Sometimes the thesis statement feels rushed, but that is something I really tried to work on for this paper. One thing I am very worried about for this paper is that I was unsure how much I needed to write about the "how." The main focus of my paper is why we need my proposal, but I could not go into strict detail over the how. As of now, I have one paragraph dedicated to the how because it is mostly assumed. If I'm arguing about changing legislation, do I need to go into detail about how to get this accomplished? I guess my question is, how do I talk about it more?
ReplyDeleteI have learned how to write in a way that is more explanatory and understandable. For this particular paper I had plenty to write about, but I feel that some of it is just rambling. So, I have to continue to try to make my topic a little more local and accurate to my point. I also need to come up with a better idea for fixing my problem, rather than just saying something needs to be done. But overall, I feel its pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI have become better at using writing styles i have not experimented with before in other english classes. Learning how to write about a subject i may not be very interested in is also something i have had to work on this semester, and i think i have improved. For my final research paper, i am struggling to find sources that backup what i am writing about, especially the two sources from the book we need for our primary sources. I am also having trouble coming up with a way to show how my proposal is feasible.
ReplyDeleteBecause of a pretty hardcore English AP teacher I had two years in a row, I can easily say that I'm a relatively strong writer. However, I've always had issues with passive voice, and it's still something that I've been making mistakes on this semester. As I wrote each paper, though, I tried to check for this with a fine toothed comb. Although I still have definitely done it a few times, my use of passive voice had decreased.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the final paper goes, I've been having issues making my proposal specific enough. It is hard to think of how something would be actually implementable in real life. You can speculate as much as you want, but you have to acknowledge the real ways in which things would/would not work.
Overall, I feel that my writing has improved over the semester, as I was forced to use new styles and techniques for my work. I also feel that my use of sources has improved. For me, writing has never been to much trouble, but I feel that my experiences this semester have really helped me to become a better writer. On the point of the final paper, I had two major problems that became evident in the draft. I over-emphasised the evidence and minimized my plan, relegating it to the sidelines. I believe this comes from by inexperience writing proposal arguements. The other error was a failure to really consider feasibility and implementation. I have kind of written myself into a corner, and it has taken a great deal of work to correct. Overall, I think this semster has really helped my writing skill, despite it's difficulty.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the semester my writing has become more focused and I have learned how to find sources using databases, which should come in handy in later years. The biggest worry I have for this final paper is that my sentences are too cloudy and don't have a clear intent. It seems sometimes I distract readers from the point and I hope in this paper I can clean up some sentences to make my writing more direct and easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI think what I have learned this semester in reference to my writing is that I have learned to better write a logically thought out paper. Before I generally tried to write for more emotional appealing papers, since that was easier for me. I believe that this is a positive change. My biggest worry is whether I have written well enough, which seems like a broad worry, but that is pretty much it. And the only thing I still don't really understand is passive voice. I haven't figured out how to recognize it except for when my computer finds it for me and puts a little red squiggly line under the phrase.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many changes to my writing this semester and many things that have stayed the same. This semester, I have learned to think deeply about whichever topic I am writing on. In previous classes, I was just taught a specific way to write a paper. Teachers graded on the format and not the content. I'm glad to say that this semester has challenged me and my writing tactics, which has caused the change. Something great that I have learned this semester is how to successfully write transition sentences between paragraphs. I had struggled with this previously, but I think I have gotten the hang of it. My current worry for this final paper is the content. I feel as though all of my own words are just "fillers". I also don't think I have come close to mastering how to bring in a quote.
ReplyDeleteMy writing has become more eloquent in the sense that I don't use words to which I don't know the meanings for anymore... I didn't even realize I was one of "those people" until Newmark pointed out how awkward my papers sound with big words in out-of-place places. My biggest fear in this dreadful 10-page paper is that I'm finding it hard to stay focused and on-topic for ten whole pages... YIKES.
ReplyDeleteA)I am the kind person who likes to have his writing look "pretty". If I made my paper sound intellectual and fluid, no matter what I talked about or how I went about it, I would get good grades on my papers. However, when graded by a Ph.D who knows what she is doing, that tactic no longer works to the degree that I expected, and so I have learned to write more in a "to-the-point" fashion. I still have bits of my old style scattered throughout my works as old habits die hard, but I believe my papers are more focused than they used to be.
ReplyDeleteB)I still don't know how to just sit down and write about a controversial topic. If I don't already have an existing viewpoint of the subject before I start writing, it takes me a horrible amount of time to form an argument. Also, because of how I write, I can't just "fill-in-the-blanks" and structure my papers first. I like to have everything planned out before I write it, and so I don't typically write in a fast manner. If I'm going to write in a fast and efficient way, I'm going to have to get rid of my old habits.
I know that my writing style has become less confusing since I have been in this class. My sentence structure is changing for the better and my vocabulary is steadily growing. The main problem I still possess is in knowing how much support is too much. I believe that with this paper, however, I have finally figured out a “happy medium” so to speak.
ReplyDeleteMy approach to writing hasn't actually changed greatly this semester. Perhaps the biggest, albeit still relatively small is that I've tried to simplify my sentence structures and diction. Doing so helps to make my ideas more concise and succinct. My greatest concern when I was doing my final paper was actually making a concise, coherent statement about an issue which I actually found to be quite broad. I seem to have it figured out though. My deficiencies with regards to writing are still mostly associated with speed. I still write extremely slowly, which makes long paper a serious drain on time.
ReplyDeleteI also did not have to change my writing style very much, other than the fact that I had to learn how to streach out a sentence and keep it coherent at the same time. While I had written some long research papers before, I still had to make sure that I did not keep writing on one sentence for too long or simply put in words to act as a filler. This was also a worry for me while I was writing the final paper. I was unsure whether or not some of the sentences were simply acting as filler. Other than that, I felt fairly confident on the final paper.
ReplyDeleteMy writing has changed positively this semester. Although there has only been a slight change in my grammar and phrasing, my ability to carry a thesis through a long paper has improved significantly. More specifically, I have learned the most about writing through this trial by fire type long paper we have. I have learned that I can outline and write an eight page analytical essay.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I still worry about my grammar and whether or not an essay makes since to someone who doesn't have the bias of knowing exactly what I meant.
My writing has mostly changed by getting rid of my incessant ellipses usage. I've picked up poor writing habits by writing informally, but now I feel that I have a better grap on usage of words and punctuation. I felt preapred for the final paper when I turned it in.
ReplyDeleteOver this past semester I am not totally sure what has changed about my writing. I have always hated grammar and english however I know that it is very important. I have tried this past semester to pay attention to my writing "vices" and in doing so I would hope to say that I have been aboe to get rid of most of them. In writing my final paper I was worried of including too many cliches or other phrases that really take away from the seriousness of my writing. Lastly, I have worked hard to be aware of passive voice in my writing and I know that this is something that will continue to need improvement.
ReplyDeleteMy writing style has not changed in the least over the course of this class. The largest problem in my writing is still my grammar, and it still plays the greatest role in point deduction. For the paper, my largest concern is my lack of book sources. I was not able to find quotes that would fit in my paper without having to build a useless tangent paragraph around them or just jackhammer them into the middle of an existing sentence. The book is far too limited to provide useful usable quotes for the near infinite topic possibilities for the final paper. I still "don't know how to do" conclusion paragraphs. Mine continues to bea clumsy and awkward addition to the end of my paper.
ReplyDeleteWhat's changed the most in my writing is the assertiveness of my claims. Before your class I was timid I guess you could say. I approached everything at such a way as to have a back door or an alternate point of view that could be used to escape criticism. This new-found assertiveness has definitely helped my writing by making it more concise. The most troublesome part of my final paper is saying that I need to say without dragging out or making the argument too cumbersome.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest change over the semester has definitely been my relationship with sources. Before taking this class my use of sources was little more than taking something on to a paper. My use of sources was also along the same lines as Michael Moore (from thin air). As for my final paper I am worried about my clarity. My proposal may not be as clear as it could be.
ReplyDeleteMy attention to detail has certainly improved vastly over the course of the semester. I have also become somewhat more efficient at incorporating quotes into my papers, but I'm still pretty bad at that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my biggest worry... It was actually getting over the procrastination. Once I have the base paper, I can fairly easily edit it into something that will fare much better under the close eye of someone who scrutinizes as well as Dr. Newmark.
The most notable change to my writing is that I now try to avoid long paragraphs in my essays, which has helped my writing by making my essays easier to read. My biggest worry about writing my final paper was that I wouldn't have enough time to write a quality paper because of my other final projects. I'm unsure about "what I still don't know how to do". If I don't know how to do it, I've likely never encountered it.
ReplyDeleteMy writing has definitely changed for the better. I have become much more creative in both finding and implementing sources into my passages, and have developed a better sense of how to put a good piece together without seeming overly structured while still maintaining a good level of clarity.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest concern was finding the appropriate sources and quotes to support my thesis. Though the topic of discussion was relevant to the assignment, it was difficult relating the passages to my piece.