What is Writing?

When asked to explain what writing is, I automatically jump to an essay. But writing is so much more, writing can be one word that moves you or even a historic speech. Writing is something taught to you at a very young age, and is drilled into your head all of your academic career. It is something that we cant live without, but also something that some people cannot do. Writing makes the word happen (Along with other things of course) when you think about your daily activities almost every single one involves writing.

Where does FYC fit in?

First year composition is not actually your first year writing. In fact for most people it is their 10th or 11th year writing. FYC is very important at solidifying what kind of writer you are,and where exactly you belong in the writing community.

Revised

Writing can be delivered in so many ways in today’s world. An author/ reader relationship is crucial to make sure the message trying to be conveyed is understood. Authors of personal blogs even have to keep the reader in mind so their views don’t come off in an awkward way. Just Like the reader and author need a relationship, so do the writer and the text. Without that relationship writing would be just words without meaning. These relationships mold writing into what it is intended to do, which I believe is to communicate your thoughts with other people.

Community Overload

Before Paper two a community to me was just simply my community. My community being my circle of friends, at Florida State University. After researching, I noticed a community can be anything, even just one single person, or millions of people. My focus on my paper allowed  me to open my eyes on what exactly scoping in on a single community is. I selected someone who was a part of multiple communities, but never able to settle into one. Even though I thought she wasn't a member of a community she was, she was a mover. Communites dont neccesarily have to be peopole who like eachother, or even have common interests, they may be burdened my their location and hate everyone there.

Finally Through with Paper 2

Paper 2 was a lot more difficult than expected. The interview process went smoothly until I tried to piece together the questions and answers. Then once I realized that was the wrong route to use I was stuck, sitting in my room confused on what to try next. I tried switching orders, then just ended up deleting the whole thing and starting from scratch. My problem was that my questions were very general, and my topic was very specific, therefore I needed to ask more in depth questions from the source. The person I was interviewing was very open, and once i dug deeper into the questioning the writing became easier and more fluid.

Spacebook

After a long Saturday of writing poetry and quoting famous greek philosophers I stumble into my room with bloodshot eyes (Clearly from lack of sleep) and immediately open my computer and log onto Facebook and Twitter. I scroll down my feeds gazing at everyone's pictures, posts, and opinions on the days events, of course liking and retweeting along the way. What exactly am I gaining from doing this? Am I really that obsessed with other people's lives that I have to log on everyday, twice a day? It's crazy how our generation lives majority of their lives through the web. some say this is the worst thing that could ever happen, others may argue that it makes the anti social well, more social. When It comes to superficiality however, the clear answer is absolutely yes, but is there a catch?

I'm so superFICIAL all I need is a Whistle

Superficial by definition means "On the surface" so basically worrying about whats on the outside of you and other people. Do these social media sites makes us that way? Or do they just make us that way while we are on those sites? Absolutely not! you go on these sites and like someones picture and say how pretty they are, then the next day your at war with them because of something she said behind your back. I feel people (Including Myself) use these social media sites as a shield. There certainly is nothing wrong with that, because for some people that is all they have known, and unfortunately that is a big problem for our generation. 

Tweeting Vs. Research Paper

When writing any sort of paper for school, you automatically shift gears from how you normally text, tweet or even talk. A teacher gives you an assignment, and you answer the question, simple as that. If you have a formal paper due for a class, your not going to submit something full of grammatical errors, or even something in text format. And you absolutely are not going to submit something with hash-tags, acronyms, or inappropriate humor. As an avid "tweeter" I can relate to the difference between composing a tweet and even writing this blog post. I use my tweeter to express what i'm feeling at that exact moment, whether it be angry, happy, and anything in between.  Of course your audience when you are tweeting is totally different because majority of them are your friends.  What you write doesn't matter because its yours, not what someone tells you to write about. So when writing for a teacher, your brain turns off the profanity, hash-tags, and LOL's. It goes into a mode  of proper english as well as proper sentence structure, and grammar. 

I am Paxton.

The story I am Vanessa Was all about knowing who you really are. She struggles her whole life to fit in, and even when she thinks she has found her place she is still not accepted. The community she feels most comfortable in, didn't even accept her because of what she looked like. She doesn't give up however, and it takes the silent encouragement of her Mother for her to realize that she is doing the right thing, and that is following her dreams. Communities are supposed to be somewhere you feel comfortable and accepted right? Well that totally depends, because some communities are not willing to accept any "Others" because they have become comfortable with their surroundings. On the flip side some people that join an accepting community do not allow the others to take them in. It definitely is a two way street. In Vanessa's case she feels that the fashion clique is the perfect fit for her, but its certainly isn't going to be easy to fit in with people that all have exploding personalities, due to the creative atmosphere.

Communities in Writing

Being a successful writer whether it be in a classroom setting, or a professional atmosphere can be tough. These two scenarios could be communities within a community, which makes it even more difficut. Just like Vanessa wanting to straighten her hair to fit in, most writers write to fit in. When Harry Potter first came out it was the best thing since sliced bread. Now authors are targeting that same teenage adolescent market with books like Twilight and Hunger Games. Why write what everyone else is? Well money could play a large role in the decision making but as far as in the classroom writing should be what you want to write about. Vanessa wanted so  bad to fit it, but realized she had to be herself in order to make it happen, so the same applies with writing. Write to your standards, and don't question anything. 

Rhetoric

When I think of rhetoric my mind automatically jumps to a Native American tribe sitting around a fire playing drums, while a chief tells them stories of their ancestors. Although this could be considered rhetoric, its not the full story. The definition that made it more clear for me was "... rhetoric implies the use or manipulation of words." because it allowed me to open it up to a lot more applications. Rhetoric to me would be defined as anything whether a story, legend, or experienced that is told from one person to another. Even if it is not passed down generations, seeing some stranger and talking to them could be a rhetoric.

Canons - Pronuntiatio (Delivery)

The most important part of rhetoric to me would have to be the delivery. Anyone could tell you a story, or read a passage, but someone who has a good delivery can really make a difference. Everyone has had those teachers who may teach the worst class ever, but the way the give you the information makes it so much easier to understand. It also makes whatever your reading or listening to soak in that much easier, rather than going in one ear then out the other. 

The Final Submission.

My first college paper has just been submitted, and honestly I am feeling pretty confident about it. The three draft process made it very easy to revise the paper. The biggest hangup I had while writing was being able to convey my point to the audience. I felt at some points that nobody would understand what I was even trying to say. Thats why the first draft is always the easiest to me because I don't have to include details. " Start by getting something- anything- down on paper." To me details and personal examples confuse the reader. They weren't there with you when you were doing these things, nor are they inside your head reading your mind. So with that I tried to give examples that everyone could relate with, and then go on from there. These higher order of concerns were definitely more of a challenge than I first thought.

Boosie & Barack

Anyone over the age of probably about 25 will not understand this meme. This meme to me is hilarious because it states the President Obama will use his power to in fact " Free Boosie". Lil' Boosie (Torrence Hatch) is a famous rapper known for songs such as "INDEPENDENT", "Bitch Please", "Im Mad" as well as countless collaborations with many other relevant rappers. Boosie is currently awaiting trial for murder along with other narcotics charges. Anyone who is familiar with rap music knows about Boosie's influence , and what his absence is like. If Obama did actually free him, the rap world would be given back a great artist. This meme is geared towards young adults (of voting age) and quite possibly may persuade them to vote for Obama. Other meme's with the same message have been published, although a lot more vulgar, still convey the same message. So whether you understand the reference or not, calling someone a bad president may make them think irrational, but either way lets make sure one thing happens... FREE BOOSIE!!!!

I Actually Like This!?

Walking into this course I had many fears. Was my professor going to be a prick? Was I going to be able to keep up? Surprisingly, I have been able to keep up and thankfully he is not a prick! This English course is a lot different than I expected, much more relaxed rather than fast paced and hectic. The greatest thing that I like is the idea of writing in blog posts. It still may be prompted writing, but the atmosphere in which I write feels less stressful, so I write better. My blog posts have all been from me, and what I am feeling at the time, so I actually get to express myself rather than shelter my thoughts.The relaxed and chilled attitude makes writing so much easier, and makes it not so loathsome. 

Response 3

Qualities of a Good Response

 When responding to a piece of writing the first thing not to do is pick out all the minute errors. "You are not the editor, you are not the teacher".Then again don't be too nice and say it was the best piece of writing, if it actually sucked. think of it as your own, and when reading look for content that puzzled you, and attempt to clarify. always remember the topic, because that is one easy way to help a writer, if they stray off topic, make suggestions on how they can add something to make it easier to read. Since this is only a first draft, make sure your not too in depth in your criticisms, point out obvious flaws. Maybe they just started rambling, or need another sentence to end a paragraph. Major things to look our for are structure and content. If they follow the general direction and the structure is correct, they more than likely have a good grasp of the concept and just need minor tweaks. Also detail is a huge deal, make sure they elaborated enough on certain points, so the reader is not left hanging or confused. "...Where can they provide richer detail." Finally the flow has to be on point, a choppy read is a boring read. Make sure it flows nice and isn't just cut off then it really makes no sense. 

 Qualities of a Good Reading

 A good read is one that makes sense, obviously. It must have good flow, and structure, so the reader finds it easy to follow along. Quality over quantity is always a good idea when writing, it makes the read that much easier. Basic punctuation is always helpful as well, missing commas here and there are no big deal, but make sure sentences have an end. Also, when starting a new topic, indicate it! Make sure we as the readers know that you are shifting gears, otherwise it will all become jumbled up. Finally, make sure you answer the question at hand, it makes it easy for the reader to follow, and then digest the information.

Response 2

My Digital Agenda. Question 2

 Finding a good blog can be hard to find, but is there really such thing as a " bad blog''? To me every blog is your own, so to you of course its appealing and interesting. Much like Evelyn, her first blog experience sucked, until she found one that connected with her. so as far as making it more appealing to other people, somewhat defeats the purpose of having a blog. A blog is your deal, so do with it as you please. Make it you, and if someone doesn't mesh well with your views, or post so be it, they should probably look elsewhere. As far as making it un-boring, that's a totally different story. People may relate to what your saying, but the way you say might be the problem. So the key may be to use examples, real life instances to make it more personal, I tend to find that captivating hearing other peoples corky stories, that may just happen to have happened to you too. 

The Internet Made Me Do It. Question 1

 Where I grew up, there certainly was no shortage of creativity. My Mom and sister were always thinking of little projects, or how to move, or even new recipes. My Dad on the other hand, is like me now, just give me what you want me to do and ill do it. We would constantly find ourselves in the garage sanding, scraping, painting, and building new things that my Mom wanted. Just from being exposed to it, sort of how Anna was exposed to reading and became to love it. you may think you hated something, but all along it was your true passion.

Response 1

What type of writer am I?

 

 I am the type of writer that tends to steer clear of wring in any way possible. Although this may sound somewhat backwards, its just the way I have always been. I have always viewed writers as a way people express their emotions, but to me emotions are for you, and you thoughts to deal with. So when I am forced to write, it rarely has an emotional attachment associated with it. Occasionally my softer side will be brought out, but that is a rarity. So if i'm not an emotional writer, what type am I? Maybe I would classify myself as a writer who is inspired by other writers. My writing comes from information others give to me, then I just add my own twist on it. 

Electronic tools in writing.

 The internet is a great resource when writing, well anything. It is a tool used and despised by many. Sites such as Wikipedia have come under tons of scrutiny for false information, as well as giving people the material to plagiarize. Some students may disagree, but blogs, internet encyclopedias etc. just give me more information on what i have already discovered. The first place I tend to gravitate towards when writing a paper are those online databases, just to give me the ground work on the material. Even images on the web assist me with some of my works. Mind you I am no professorial writer, so I take any help I can get. 

Me as the Writer.

Writing can sometimes be an awkward thing, especially for people like me. Im the guy who hates writing and every time I write, I just slam myself for what an awful writer I am. Something I have come to realize though, is that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, it is after all just the first draft. The best of the best cannot even write good first drafts. "...The idea of shitty first drafts. All writers write them.". 

Where do I start??

The best place for me to start is with whatever comes to my mind first. The early stages of writing are just finding out what your trying to write about. Sometimes I like to just skip my initial intro paragraph and jump right into the body. This makes it easier to not have a set direction to write in, and then I am able to just flow with it. The initial stage of any writing assignment has to be research, so you have some general idea on what you are writing about. The next step would be the outlining or drafting your first paper. Just go with what you know, you will have plenty of opportunity to correct spelling, grammar, and content. A skeleton first draft makes it easier to add and remove bits and pieces to make it a spectacular paper. 

All about Technology.

Technology is something everyone, young and old can relate too, whether good or bad. I believe that technology has brought us to believe that we cannot live without it. I often catch myself saying " What would I do without my phone?". People have become obsessed with the newest tablet or pad, but where has it taken us? Has it taken us to a place where we will never open up a real book again? Instead of going to the library, we just download to our biggest and best quality screen and begin reading. Even the library has gone electronic, where you can order online. Some people thrive off of technology, buying the latest and greatest, but is that really such a bad thing? The internet has made life so much easier, and as far as social media, it has made meeting friends, old and new a lot easier. Websites like Facebook and Twitter are actually taking over the lives of young and old alike. Middle aged people have flocked to Facebook to meet up with high school friends, while teenagers run away from their mother's friend request and log into twitter, where they can update everyone on their day to day activities. Technology has made it easier to stimulate our minds, in a way that has never been done before. Blogs, posts, and internet encyclopedia's are giving us the opportunity to share information with the whole world in a matter of minutes. So with that I say, keep writing, reading, updating, tweeting, blogging, because it could in fact be, your last time updating your family, friends, and maybe even strangers on your existence in this crazy world.