Writ 121 Essay One: Why Are You the Writer You Are?
Note: the above links in the Table of Contents pull down menu are for your convenience to find specific aspects of the assignment as you work on your essay. However, I suggest you read through the entire page first, to get a good overview of what you're to do. Furthermore, I imbed mini-lectures throughout the page. I want you to learn from and reflect upon the assignment page, not just find out what you need to do.
By the way, let me remind you that the Writing Center is available as a place to work on your writing at any stage. They are located at A&S 251, phone 517-483-1907. Their hours this semester can be found by clicking on the following link: <http://www.lcc.edu/lsd/writingcenter/hours.htm>.
Also, the Writing Center is now available online. When you go into Blackboard, click on the tab "Services," and then "Tutoring and Writing Center Assistance."
Introduction
With this essay, we are going to keep our focus on writing--the later essays we will venture into the world of popular culture. But for now I would like you to explore your own experience in writing.
First, let's agree on one point. Although many of us consider a writer one who publishes professionally, I'd like for us to approach the term more broadly: a writer is one who writes, for whatever purpose, a literate citizen who can write sentences, paragraphs, letters, grocery lists. Since we've all had experience writing, we're all writers. The question, though, is what kind of writer are you and why?
The Goal of the Essay
Therefore, this essay should first explain the type of writer you are and then tell a narrative or two to illustrate why you see yourself so.- Now note the word narrative. If you aren't sure what that means, look it up in your texts.
Below under prewriting you will find questions to help you think about yourself as a writer. However, don't think that you need to answer all or even most of these questions in your essay. Instead, you will want to focus on one aspect of your writing persona.
- In other words, don't attempt to give us a full writing autobiography from preschool to last week.
- Instead, focus upon a thesis statement that expresses something significant, interesting or curious about what type of a writer you are, a point that gives us insight into what it means to be a writer, or literate citizen.
- And do not forget to be generous with examples and observations that are full of details to back up your general statements.
Remember your audience
We, the members of this class, are your audience. Hence, you might consider our shared knowledge, the discussion in Blackboard about writing and the selections you've been assigned from Working Writer (WW), as support.
- Just remember that if you make a point that could be supported by our reading in WW and you don't, your discussion may be less effective for us.
- Also, make sure that when you do quote or paraphrase from someone you put the page number in parenthesis. See WW 431+.
Also, think about what your experience with writing might mean for us, your audience. What insight might you bring into writing based on who you are as a writer?
Requirements
This paper is to be
- 600-800 words in length,
- obviously word processed,
- formatted with MLA style guidelines (WW 431 and sample in Handouts/examples>Samples from Dan) and
- in RTF format.
And remember: strive to accomplish the maximum number of words allowed on papers--shorter papers typically are not developed effectively with sufficient detail or with sufficient complexity of thought for a college level audience.
And make sure to keep everything you do in working this paper, including hard copies of the drafts you produce, because I will need to see all of it if you choose the essay for the portfolio.
There are four steps that need to be completed as described below to receive full credit for this essay.
Due dates:
- Step 1--prewriting: 1/31/04, Saturday midnight
- Step 2--draft: 1/31/04, Saturday midnight
- Step 3--audience response: 2/5/04 Thursday midnight.
- Step 4--final draft: 2/7/04, Saturday midnight.
Step 1: Prewriting
(Note: please send under separate email from your online activity letter for week 3, and include writ121prewriting1 in your email subject line.)
By Saturday midnight 1/31/04 e-mail me, as a TXT file or RTF file, some prewriting--note there are two things to submit--responses to questions and a working thesis:
- Responses to questions: Answer as fully as
possible the questions I supply below. And although these are due on
Saturday, I suggest you get started on them right away. Brief, cryptic
answers rarely benefit you.
- Copy and paste the questions into your word processor, and then answer underneath each. That way, you'll be sure to answer more fully.
- You might notice that these are based on "Reporter's Questions" that Fulwiler discusses in Ch. 7 of WW (67). This technique is an excellent way to look at a topic from multiple angles.
- What kind of writer are you? Are you a reluctant writer, a skilled writer, a fickle writer, a dedicated writer? How about a rational writer, or an intuitive writer? What adjective or adjectives would you put in the sentence, "I am a/an ________________ writer"? How would you clearly define your writer type?
- Which types of writing give you satisfaction? Fictional stories? Poetry? Philosophy? Letter writing? Analysis? Reports? Why are these fulfilling or pleasurable to write?
- Which types of writing bother you? Do you break out into a sweat if you're asked to write a short story? What about analyzing literature? Or explaining the cultural influences of TV? What do you find dissatisfying about these types of writing?
- What processes do you go through to create a written piece of communication or art? Do you first write an outline? Do you take notes on napkins? Do you stare at a wall for half an hour? Do you underline spelling errors in an early draft with a maroon crayon? How have your processes changed over the years?
- Where do you write? What do you write with--pen, pencil, computer? Why?
- What part did writing play in your parents' lives? How did this influence your approach to writing?
- Who else or what else has made you such a writer? Was it the influence of teachers, peers, siblings? What in your past experience led to your attitudes towards writing? Was it a joyful experience or a tragic trauma? Or a special mix of these?
- How does reading play in your role as a writer? What in your past experiences with reading affects how you see the written word and your ability to communicate with it?
- What are your future goals in life, both as a career person and as a citizen of our country--or if you're not native to the US, as a citizen of your country? How does writing play in those plans? How do these goals shape how you see yourself as a writer?
- Suggestion: if you find yourself particularly interested in this aspect of your writing, consider interviewing someone who works in the career or profession you are considering for your future.
- Now note, these are questions to help you discover what you find most fruitful for a paper. Do not think that you should cover all of these questions in your essay. Trying to do so in an 800-word essay would make for very general and dull reading.
- Instead pay attention to yourself as you answer the questions.
- Where do you find yourself becoming interested, intrigued, or curious?
- When are you able to come up with a lot of detail, a number of interesting examples and stories?
- These are the aspects of the topic you will want to focus on as you develop your essay.
- Working Thesis :
Also, include a working thesis for the essay, in one sentence, the main
point of the essay.
- If you're not sure what I mean by a working thesis, see the virtual lecture on academic essays, Part 2, especially the section on working thesis statements.
Now note: Prewriting is not a draft of your essay.
It's the initial thinking out loud on paper, a list of details, answering initial
questions, mapping, outlining.
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Step 2: Draft
Also by Saturday midnight 1/31/04, you need to post a draft of your paper to the Drafts of essay 1 forum in Blackboard Discussion Board.
- This draft can be in TXT or RTF. But not any other format.
- And this draft should be as complete as possible--with a beginning, middle, end--though it doesn't need to be pretty or perfect.
Note: it is very important to keep this deadline. Otherwise other class members will have a difficult time doing the next step. And you stand the chance of not getting sufficient feedback.
Step 3: Audience Response
By Thursday midnight 2/5/04, read class members' papers and write responses to the writers in the discussion board. I'll have a link on the Calendar by class 2/3/04 for further instructions. Wait to respond until you read and understand the procedure spelled out in the instructions.
- When you submit your revised draft (step 4 below), you will need to have responded to a minimum of three drafts from class members in the Discussion Board before I will read and respond to yours.
Step 4: Revised draft with reflection
Finally, by Saturday midnight
2/7/04,
upload a revised draft of Essay 1 in RTF format
through the 
Digital Drop Box.
And when you are in the drop box, click on 
,
not 
.
Add file is for your use, to store files that you want to access later. If
you choose Add File, I will not see it, only you will.
- Include the following:
- Reflection on Essay 1, instructions for which will be available Friday by 5 p.m., 2/6/04, attached to the Calendar.