Beryl Pittman, Module 4/2023

Assignment 1:  Personal Writing Targets (5% of final grade)

DUE:  Oct 30; in class, MyCourses/Assignments

DO NOT USE ANY AI TOOL FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

 

Why this matters:  It’s important to see any writing, especially academic writing, as part of a process, not an event.  It’s important to understand that writing well or writing poorly isn’t simply left to fate, magic, or natural talent.  Rather, you as the writer have complete control over the quality and ultimate outcome of your writing.  Because writing is a process, and skills are transferrable and related to both academic and professional success, it’s also important to understand your personal writing process so that you can develop strategies to either enhance what you’re already good at or work at opportunities for improvement.

This activity, which we’ll revisit throughout the module, will help you to analyze your writing process, identify goals, develop strategies to help you reach those goals, and ultimately provide a history of your evolution into a strong writer.  You may decide to keep some of the deliverables from this class with these Personal Writing Target records as a writing portfolio.

Length and format:  1.5 - 2 pages (maximum), Arial 12. 1.5 line spacing within paragraphs; Justified left margin; ragged right margin. Default depth of margins in MS Word. 

Write as if you’re writing a letter to yourself (Dear YOUR FIRST NAME).  Include a brief intro and closing.  Your writing can be conversational, but it should be grammatically correct.  Be sure that I can tell that you addressed all five areas.

What to include:

1.        How would you describe yourself as a writer?  What do you want your work to say about you? You are, after all, establishing a “brand image” of yourself when you write.

2.        Describe your writing process.  What do you do first when you receive a writing assignment?  How do you choose a topic? How do you brainstorm? Do you generally write a bit every day, and revise as you go along?  Is it hard for you to write until you have your ideas perfectly arranged and worded in your head?  Do you generally wait till the last minute since you work best under pressure?

3.       What are you good at? (See list below for ideas – it’s fine to include other areas, too.)

4.       What are opportunities for improvement do you see? (Again, use the list for inspiration although you’re not limited to it.)

5.       Identify 3-5 very specific goals for yourself for the next three weeks.  You may not accomplish them fully (who could?????), but you’ll make great progress simply by beginning the process!

Areas to consider (you may think of others, too):

·         Staying organized during the writing process.  Managing your time well

·         Asking for help when you need it.

·         Providing an organized, logical document for your reader

·         Using peer review as a stepping stone to a strong deliverable; knowing that you have the expertise to help a classmate and being able to discern what suggestions from your own peer reviewer have value.

·         Analyzing ideas critically; being able to evaluate the ideas of others

·         Establishing “voice” (academic or personal)

·         Knowing when to be objective and when to incorporate your own opinion

·         Using evidence as support – what types of evidence work various context for various audiences

·         Explaining specialized material to a non-specialized reader

·         Conducting research

·         Establishing an argument built on logic and reasoning

·         Anticipating and addressing counter-claims

·         Writing with good grammar and usage so that mistakes don’t impact your credibility

·         Incorporating the work of others into your writing and attributing sources accurately

 

 

 


Last modified: Monday, 30 October 2023, 12:52 PM