Peer Review

A peer review is when you take a full rough draft and let others read/review it. They give feedback on what they think is effective, ineffective, done well, not done well, or what they think is altogether unnecessary and should be taken out. They also provide ideas that can help improve your writing. Getting a review of your writing is important because it helps you not only know how effective your writing is, but it can give you another perspective on the subject matter that you can then address in your writing. Because an author needs to write concisely and effectively, having another's perspective on their writing can add greater depth and character than the author may be able to provide on their own. This can help me with my writing because I tend to stay focused on one point and then continually explain that point, in a variety of ways, but then I never address any other point that can help support my argument.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is not just reading for entertainment. Critical reading is being able to read through a text and understand not only the meaning of the text but to also make connections outside of the text and apply it to the material. This creates a deeper understanding of the reading as a whole and helps improve comprehension and ability to relay the material to another person. Critical reading is important for before writing because if you don't understand what the text is saying, or what literary, rhetorical devices used and why then the writer won't have much to write about. Being able to analyze a text and draw conclusions as to what the author's purpose is and the process in which they made it is integral to know whether or not their argument is effective or not. The goal of any writer is to convince their readers of their argument and their argument must be effective if they want it to work. That is why critical reading can help so much in the writing process. It helps set a framework for the writer.

Logos

Logos typically means logic, however, viewing logos as logic limits the meaning it has. As a whole, logos means argument. Logos is what creates an argument. It is an intellectual process of thinking between a claim, the reasons for that claim, and the assumptions behind those reasons. Learning how to use logos correctly and persuasively can drastically affect how effective the argument turns out to be. This means that if I can learn how to draw a claim from solid reasons that come from concrete assumptions, I can then use that claim to make an overall convincing thesis. Because logos produces critical thinking, it also then creates a conclusion from those intellectual processes. If an error occurs in the process of thinking, then the rest of the support for the main claim is overall less effective. Therefore, as a writer, I need to learn how to keep my line of thinking focused and connected so that it doesn't fall apart in the end.

Pathos

Pathos is emotion. When writing, authors use pathos to get the reader emotionally invested in what they are trying to say. It is used to help completely 'covert' the reader to the writer's side of the argument. Emotion is what hits deepest in an argument. Its what drives the argument. I have learned many different ways to use pathos in an argument. You can use stories, concrete details, a strategic word choice, or a call to action. Word choices are important because of their context and what they denote or imply based on said context. The thing I think hits home most is using shared values. Using these strategies can help improve my writing because it can create more levels of depth if applied right. Although, writers like myself need to be careful with how much pathos they use because too much will make the writing see melodramatic and unimportant.

Reflective Writing

Goals: How did I do with the goals I set? Why didn’t I achieve my goals? Which goals were most useful to me? Which didn’t really help?

I think I did really well with the goals that I set. I made a goal that would do more research before starting to write however, I should have done better with that. My goal to write more clearly was definitely the most useful to me. However, it also kind of hindered me because it made me want it to be perfect the first time I wrote it.

Quality: Where in the writing do I feel most confident? Where am I weakest? What would I change if I had more time? What am I most proud of?

I am most confident in my writing voice. I am probably weakest in my use of ethos and just getting my thoughts down on the page. I am most proud of my ability to start trying to get better at the things that I am weakest at. Next time I would go straight to the source first.

Writing Processes: What writing process did I use to write this? How well did it work for me? What needs to change, moving forward?

I used a process where I went through many different ideas and started writing about them, and then picked which one was best to write about.

What I learned: What did I learn from this writing task? What was the hardest part? What’s something new I’m taking away from it? What part of the process interested me the most? What did my instructor do to help me learn? What did my instructor do that wasn’t effective and didn’t help me learn?

I learned that I have a really really hard time coming up with what I should write about. However, when I actually do start writing, I can focus pretty well. The hardest part was definitely figuring out what I wanted to say.

How to apply what I learned: How will I apply what I learned from this writing task to future writing tasks (in my major, for example, or in the workplace)? What new goals will I want to set?

I am definitely using my knowledge of going to the writing center to get another person's view of my writing before I make my final draft. That seriously helped me so much. A new goal that I want to set, would be to go to the writing center earlier.

Ethos

Ethos means having Character. It is the way you present yourself to other people. It is the compelling reasons that support your claim. It is used to persuade the reader by using credibility. I learned that if I was a P.h.D psychologist writing about bullying and the effects it has on a teenager's behaviors the reader would believe me more fully than if I was an angry parent making a complaint. I learned that using ethos in a paper brings in a higher level of persuasion needed to convince the reader of my argument. I also learned that you can seem more credible than you actually are because of the way you present your argument by using ethos. In addition, I also learned that I can use ethos not only to enhance my writing but even further to improve my public speaking. It can also help with my interpersonal communications.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a sentence that includes the main claim that you want to make. It provides the meaning of the writing. I learned that the thesis not only provides the main claim but also provides the source of the argument in the first place. If there were no thesis, there would be no argument. If there were no argument, the writing would be left pointless. I also learned that a good way to write a thesis is to begin with the words "Although some people....., actually....." in which you would place an verb in the first blank and a claim in the second. I learned that using templates like these help clarify what your claim actually is, as well as possible counter claims. This knowledge of thesis statements can help in my writing because it can provide clarity of what and the purpose of what I want to say.

Intros and Conclusions

The intro to a paper presents the main claim (i.e. main thesis statement), the main reason behind that claim, a general assumption from that reason, and sometimes most importantly a hook to get the reader engaged. The conclusion to a paper re-states the main claim, provides a summary of what was said in clear sentences, and sometimes contains a call to action. I learned that a good introduction can include many things: a quote, humor, anecdotes, counter claims, or even statistics. It can use these things only as mush as they are pertinent to the topic. I also learned that most well written introductions use the front-door approach meaning that it starts immediately on topic. I learned that a rule of thumb for the conclusion would be to spend at least one full sentence on each major claim. Another thing included in a conclusion would be an answer to the "so what?" question (i.e. the call to action, etc.). These things can help improve my writing by providing a way for me to get my main points across in a more concise way, as well as improve persuasion.