Reflection on Project 1

This blog post is my own personal reflection on my writing process during Project #1, and what was challenging and what was successful in my QRG.

Howcheng. "Mount Hood Reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon." Unknown, via Wikipedia. Public Domain Dedication License

1. The biggest struggle related to my controversy was the narrowness and simplicity of it. Although I did expand into other areas, the biggest issue was the one and done aspect of it. The controversy I chose was related a one time issue that was never really resolved, and nothing was actually proved, so it was hard to argue anything, or stir up empathy or interest from the audience at times. In a few instances I felt like I was trying to make a big deal out of a simple occurrence, but then I realized that that is what much of sports journalism is, and what most controversies are nowadays, a big fluster about nothing. This was the only big issue I came across in my QRG process, and I dealt with it by finding tons of references and sources to emphasize the reality of the controversy.
2. The biggest successes I found in the project were the exercises related to clarity. Having such specific editing processes, related to such an important idea, was key to the process of my project. Clarity is something I struggle with, so getting some advice on it, then applying it directly to my editing was very helpful, and, I think, successful. Also, having a clear idea of what to edit for in general lead to great success. Instead my typical random and unfocused approach, having goals in mind was more concrete, organized, and helpful.
3. As I said before, nothing was resolved with my controversy, so it was hard to make arguments. I used visuals, a wide variety of sources, social media, and hyperlinks as effective rhetorical strategies. One writing practice I found effective (I think) was drafting more words and content, and then finding imagery to fit it. I started with a general outline and foundation of ideas, then elaborated on important points, then filled in with supporting images and more content. This led to solid organization and clear central ideas, with lots of support surrounding it. I went with simple design choices, which I felt was clean, but still appealing to the audience.
4. My arguments were not effective simply because of the controversy I chose, and there was not substantial data for either side. The writing practice I followed fell short with quotes. I didn't have many quotes originally, and instead went back and added them. I added them to strategic places where they fit, and my quotes were not out of place, they just caused redundancies and overly long paragraphs in some situations. A place where my design choices fell short was in my lack of questioning subheadings, that I found very successful in the example QRGs.
5. This writing process was similar in that I had a drafting stage and a revision stage, and I had to write an annotated bibliography. The emphasis on visuals and source variety was also similar to some projects I have had in past writing classes, such as my English 205 class I took at Highline College recently.
6. The process was different from past experiences in that there was so many small pieces leading up to it in the form of blog posts. Also, the genre of a QRG was completely new to me, and some of the conventions of the genre such as hyperlinking were new. Finally, the guided editing process through reading of a textbook was a first time experience, and was extremely helpful.
7. I think a majority of the skills I learned from this writing process will be useful in the future. The clear and goal minded editing process will be a huge help to me in the future, and everything I learned on clarity will come in handy everywhere in my life. The only things I see possibly not being used are ideas specifically related to the genre of a QRG that I learned, but even many of these, such as the power of imagery, can be utilized in many genres.






After reading Michaela and Olivia's blog posts I realized two things. First, is that the initial stages of writing can be very difficult, and all the planning and pre work can get long, but it is crucial to a successfully organized and well written final project. Mastering the pre-drafting and drafting process will be key to my writing success. Second, I learned that understanding complex material, in order to simplify it and communicate it clearly is key to many writing projects and processes. Again, clarity is key, but it hinges immensely on personal understanding, which is a view I hadn't considered before.