An Open Letter

An Open Letter to the Instructor and Students of ENG 102

By Jess Gonzalez

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. I have some skill with words and I’ve always earned excellent grades in English. My high school teachers told me more than once that I write very well. I’ve even written a few comic books. It’s fun and I haven’t ever taken it very seriously despite how I obsess over authors like Ernest Hemingway. This class has introduced many new concepts that I’m glad to be learning about. I didn’t know the true scope of what writing can be used for. It is an amazing way to communicate.

Now that we’re almost finished with the class, I know that my writing is something that I will have to develop beyond my attachment to big words and stylistic themes. I read a great deal of philosophy and I’ve discovered that this has influenced my writing more than I ever knew. I’ve always tried to keep my writing simple and concise, and now I see patterns I didn’t notice before that have surprised me. For example:

“When, a little over a year later, the photographer committed suicide, it was widely rumored that it was this criticism that prompted the act.” This sentence is from my draft of rhetorical analysis. It is structured in such a way that many commas are needed. This is technically correct, but the structure can be somewhat overwhelming. I used this structure much more often than I realized. Being aware of it will enable me to better judge where its use is appropriate.  

I’ve been aware for a while that I tend to imitate the style of the author that I’m reading at any given time. Most philosophy texts I’ve read are written in roughly the same style - academic and formal - and I see now that is where I tend to go when I write something. This has made me more aware of what inspires me as a writer. Now that I have that knowledge, I will be sure to read authors that I’d like to emulate.

The readings for the class were surprisingly useful. The section on grammar was complex but it was written well and made sense. The examples were helpful in translating my own work to follow the correct format or structure:

                     

As long as the proper form is adhered to, the content is irrelevant. It’s a simple way to learn formatting rules, which helped me quite a bit; every citation has a different format which can get unwieldy when trying to organize for the writing process.

Grammar is more than sentence diagrams and parts of speech. It can actually change the entire meaning of a statement. The readings themselves were interesting because they contained the best approach to the assignment without constraining any content. In other words, they were written in a way that was easy to learn and apply. Taking the time to learn the basics again was worthwhile. It will save time and confusion later on during the writing process.

There are also many other avenues of doing research and getting ideas that I hadn’t yet been exposed to before taking this class. A lot of the writing tools like Popplet seemed like they might be useful later on for developing ideas and doing coursework. (http://popplet.com/app/#/2585398)

Organizing research and drafts in a consistent system is another important aspect of writing. Done effectively, this extra effort can save time by cutting down on searching for important details that may not be readily available. Having access to organized notes and files has to be done to survive in the sea of applications and programs that are offered. Developing a system of note-taking and research has been a valuable skill to learn. This class, for instance, kept up a fast pace for weeks. Without a reliable system in place, completing the assignments would have been considerably more difficult. My approach to this aspect of writing has changed to accommodate the use of helpful tools and applications.

Editing in the peer-review process was something new for me. I’ve never felt comfortable being a critic, but each of the comments I gave the other students was made in good faith and with a sincere desire to help. I also kept aware of my own reaction to criticism of my own writing, honestly considering what the comments suggested. I put myself in the position of my reader and attempted to see my work through their eyes. Of course there’s no way to please everyone, and so after giving the suggestions serious thought, I simply went with what I thought was best. Sometimes this meant applying the suggestion, but when I felt that what I had written was correct, I went with my original thought. I’m not sure how many of my suggestions to others were followed, but it’s not important. I feel confident that they were considered and respected as a peer’s opinion.

Revising can be the most rewarding of writing experiences but also one of the most painful. At times I had to cut a well-written phrase or idea because it wasn’t appropriate and I knew it would only add clutter to the text. If I saw an improvement after making those cuts, the extra words stayed gone, well-written or not.

I will now sometimes keep sections I had to cut, ideally for use in another text. For instance, in my rhetorical analysis I decided to cut the sentence “It is an impossible burden to bear alone.” I don’t want to become a phrase-hoarder but a few of the ones I’ve had to cut are too valuable to me to throw out.

Until now I’ve always considered genre to be a category of written work, like historical fiction or psychology, until I learned that it also refers to different ways of communicating. Different genres have certain styles, language, audience considerations, and venues. They can be used for different types of communication. For instance, the Quick Reference Guide (QRG) is appropriate for disseminating information about tetanus shots.  A Tweet, on the other hand, is appropriate for a brief comment on a current event. I have had to make adjustments to my adopted style of writing, which tends to be more formal, to fit the different styles of the genres.

I collect small independent writings called zines, which have a very diverse application and is a genre all its own. Using the right genre increases the impact and reach. I am active in causes that benefit animals, especially dogs. A zine, which in some cases is a little like a QRG, would be useful in spreading awareness about issues like spaying and neutering to control the pet population. Knowing how to write in different genres will help me communicate as effectively as I can.

It would be impossible to learn all there is to know about such a broad subject as writing. It’s so prolific that there have been times I’ve taken written communication for granted. Not all of what appears in print is accurate, ethical, or even very good. But it is a skill that is much more valuable and potent than I thought. Anyone who can learn to communicate using this powerful medium will have an edge in reaching their goals in the future.

Reflection on Open Letter Draft

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nf3lhUlSUB1eqBtiUhxWaSqTdg3QpeHEay17soabsWY/edit
Brittany Newland

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yBintIgT2yyZmEWEVSyBEGWTNh9R9wS7-A4gSq4edcQ/edit
Selena Carbajal

1. The letter will be read by the other students and by the instructor.

2. The audience will have an academic bias toward my work. They may also, purposely or not, compare and contrast the letter with their own. There may be mental or emotional biases, either favorable or unfavorable, depending on the experience of the audience during the course. Finally there may be a bias toward the subject of writing itself, depending on familiarity, willingness to learn, motivation to learn, and skill level.  

3. The values and expectations of the audience are reflective of their academic environment. The values they draw from in order to assess this kind of work, which include accuracy, honesty, enthusiasm and timeliness, are the standards to meet in the text. These standards, to the best of my knowledge, have been met in the draft and is apparent from the comments I received. As far as expectations go, the audience has higher ones than probably any other audience except media critics. The grammar and structure must be 100%. The reading value must be high and the subject interesting. With a few adjustments, taking the comments I received into consideration, I feel I can meet these expectations.

4. As long as the reading experience is an enjoyable/informative/enriching one, the appropriate level of information to give the audience has a wide range. Because of the nature of the text - a semi-formal letter about my own experience - I feel it would be best to give as much information as possible. After all, no one in the class knows me personally.  The content must be relevant to the subject, so there is a natural limit to what information I can give. I did mention a few things about my own life and how I feel about writing in general. I may add one or two others to add emphasis.

5.  I used language that at times was too informal, so I will replace certain phrases/words. A polite and open vocabulary shows the reading audience respect. I tried to use language that was friendly but not familiar.

6. The tone should be pleasant and down to earth, yet earnest enough to be genuine. In other words, not all good and not all bad, but honest. Using this same tone throughout in this instance is acceptable, I think. It ties in with language usage in the response to #5 above; tone and language very often compliment each other. My tone will not need revision.

Peer Review for P4

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nf3lhUlSUB1eqBtiUhxWaSqTdg3QpeHEay17soabsWY/edit
(Brittany)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yBintIgT2yyZmEWEVSyBEGWTNh9R9wS7-A4gSq4edcQ/edit
(Selena)

Draft of Open Letter

This text is about what I didn't know before I did the work assigned for this class, and what I do know now that it is drawing to a close. I'd really appreciate feedback on how well the text fits the assignment instructions. Did I follow the directions correctly? Thanks!

Open Letter

Reflecting on My Writing Experiences

1. I thought writing was a lot simpler before this class. The writing process always looks easy to people who aren't doing the writing. It's not a straight shot from the beginning to the end, but a lot of changes and revisions and rewrites. I didn't think there were so many formal rules besides grammar either. Plus there is a lot more to internet research than doing a Google search.

2. The reading applies to the writing in practice and not just theory. The methods actually do work, which was a little surprising to me. There's a lot more involved than just grammar and sentence structure. The different genres and their purposes was interesting. You can also learn a lot just from reading someone else's writing. I found myself imitating the style of some of the authors I read during the draft process.

3. Most links that appear in online texts have bearing on the subject that they're written about so sometimes I would get more ideas just from following them. I narrowed down topics by eliminating the ones that were too popular and also the ones that were too obscure. The better the information I could get on a subject the more likely I would be to use it. Thesis statements had to be something unique I hadn't found in my research and also had to be a consequential subject for society.

4. The peer review process was very valuable. People gave a lot of good criticism without being snarky or mean. I offered very general criticism mostly because I am a critical person anyway but I didn't think hacking away at anyone's work would be productive. I appreciate the feedback I got and often replied with agreement or what I planned to do differently. There were some things I realized were perceived differently by the readers than I had intended, and so decided to revise and clarify. Here's a screenshot of some of the comments and replies:

5. The conferences were also helpful. At the beginning of the class there was some confusion about a few of the assignments, and it was good to know I wasn't the only one having problems. The problems were cleared up once they were communicated. The individual feedback was also helpful in giving some additional instruction about links. It isn't the same as asking in person and getting an answer right away but it was effective enough for an online class.

6. I talked briefly to a couple of people into photography and my friend who is a journalist about the subject matter I chose but not the writing process. This helped me focus my thesis statements because they would tell me whether or not they cared about a particular topic I was thinking of using. They also formed a small audience of their own that I could test some of the ideas on.

7. When revising I would first read very closely and make changes as I went. Some ideas that were halfway formed were joined to other ones to make a complete idea. A lot of the revisions were made as a direct result of a comment. I thought the exercises in which we revised the introduction and the conclusion  were really helpful in that all I had to revise was the body. It was a lot less overwhelming to do it that way.

8. There are a lot more genres than I realized and many more apps to different formats. They all have their own styles and audiences and sometimes the best way to revise something is to look closer at the conventions of the genre you're writing in. Giving yourself constraints gives you less to get bogged down in. The genre you choose comes with its own constraints.

9. I would choose my topics/subjects more carefully based on how much relevant information I could find about it. The first draft was more difficult to write than it should have been. I had to work with less information than I would have wanted to. I had to go through articles that didn't deal primarily with my subject and find relevant quotes or information and find the best way to integrate them into my main text.

10. I will be able to use the processes for other classes. The way of organizing and keeping track of research and how it will fit into a paper will be good to know. It is important to know how to communicate through words. I will probably need to apply for grants in the future and they need to be written with this kind of knowledge. If I go on to graduate school, the application process has a lot of writing involved so I will be able to use the knowledge there as well.

11. I learned that writing is more of a science than I thought. There are a lot of rules and conventions that matter in the quality and credibility of a good article, essay, etc. If these rules aren't respected than the writing suffers. It's actually a lot easier to read about what you'll be doing before you make the attempt blindly. It saves a lot of time if you are even a little familiar with the process and rules. Revision is the best part of writing.

12. The way I write most things, editing heavily as I write drafts, is probably the way it's going to stay. Planning and outlining still are very useful to me in writing and they will be used along with some of the other methods I learned here. I also am open and willing to learn from constructive criticism, even though once I really decide on something I won't usually change it except for a very good reason.  My writing is spread out, broad and societal in its scope. I do prefer to keep it simple but with enough solid writing to make it seem more dense.

13. Again I would choose a topic to write about that has enough existing information on it to be able to write about something unique. One of my topics was very year-specific, and even though the subject is well established, not enough information on that particular aspect of it was available.

14. One of the objectives that I believe I met was being able to asses how writers achieve their purposes. Reading the different genres and skill levels made it more clear which audiences they attempt to reach depending on their format, language choices, and depth of purpose.
I am still working on rhetorical strategic writing; the usual style I write in isn't a one-size-fits all style. I also think I was able to develop persuasive appeals to my readers; based on the comments I received, much of what I was thinking was shared by others. The comments that criticized were more grammar or structure based than content based. None of my theses were questioned or challenged.
I also think I made headway in finding evidence to support my thesis statements. A lot of what I usually write is based on my own experiences and observations, so learning about all the different ways to research a topic and finding relevant information was something else I achieved.
I also learned to accept criticism and make the best of the suggestions that I got instead of assuming that I was correct no matter what anyone else said. Even if I didn't agree with the criticism I thought about why it was made and attempted to clarify without changing the basic idea.
Scholarly research, analysis and documentation are things I've begun to achieve, though I think these skills take years to hone with precision. For one thing, there are a lot of conflicting claims and ideas on any given subject, and analyzing these claims for accuracy and relevance, as well as originality and credibility, takes a lot of time and effort if you want to go in-depth.
I also believe I have a firm understanding of writing convincing prose. I'm still working on clarification, but the revision process taught me that reader feedback is important because it's impossible (for me, anyway) to read my own work objectively.

Revisiting My Writing Process

My writing style and methods have stayed the same throughout the course, with some of the processes added on. The only way my writing is different is that I'm adding more into my process. A lot of what I used to think was busywork is actually useful especially with more advanced writing. As an example, reading about how to revise before actually revising saved me a lot of time. Also, gathering more information than I will likely need can be a good way to round out my knowledge of a subject. I noticed that the writing was easier with some extra knowledge that I didn't necessarily add to the text.  It's a little like taking the time to read the instruction manual on something complicated before you begin the work. In explaining my process now I would add that I also do more prep work before writing a draft, but this will be an addition and not a replacement for what I do now. It will probably stay much the same going forward. With longer and more complex papers the methods will be useful. This knowledge can build on itself with experience.

Reflection on Project 3

1. The introduction was completely revised. Some of the sentences were too long and the theme was too broad.

2. At first I meant to tackle another topic along with the one I ended up using. I thought that the loss of trust I emphasized at the beginning would be reinforced with an argument about photo alterations and staging. In the end I focused solely on the need for preserving photojournalism.

3. The change was about a shift in purpose. I wanted to narrow the focus and concentrate on one vital argument. The second issue felt like an afterthought during the first draft writing process, it was unnecessary to my main point.

4. The revision isn't a credibility issue; the main ideas stayed intact. The text lost no integrity from the revision. The topic that was removed is a stand-alone issue that could be the subject of another public argument.

5. The issue raised in the argument has a wide range. Adding another topic would have meant much more information to read and may not have been as effective in informing the reader about the main point. This approach simplified the reading process.

6. Some of the sentences contained too much information and had to be broken into smaller ones for clarification. Sometimes the ideas were unclear and needed to have a better explanation or simpler implications.
For example, "The corruption and incompetence that is rampant in once-respected public institutions like photojournalism have repelled a generation; a great many have turned inward toward themselves and their inner circles,  narrowing their world-views and losing sight of what is happening elsewhere," was revised to state: "The corruption and incompetence that is rampant in once-respected public institutions like photojournalism have repelled many; they have turned inward toward their inner circles, shutting themselves off to what is happening elsewhere."

7. The changes brought into focus the main points in a more straightforward way. A basic understanding is more likely with more concise verbiage.

8. I did have to reconsider what was appropriate for the genre. At one point I had an idea that sounded too conversational and informal, and had to reword it to fit the genre. The same idea was presented but in a way that was more appropriate.

9. The process of reflection brings insight that might have been missed without it. It has made me think about non-fiction in a better light. There are useful processes that I can add to what I already know.