Sarcasm, Compassion, Thesaurus, Audience, Genre, and Rhetorical Situation

The Characteristics that Define Me as a Writer

As a writer I believe that I reflect my personality from beginning to end with every word choice I make. I write with a voice as if I was speaking to the reader. I speak and therefore write with compassion and sarcasm. In every way, I write how I would traditionally speak with possibly a better vocabulary choice because I use the thesaurus like no other.

These three components complete the writing style I came into this class with. After the math of taking this course I now have a much more academically shaped writing style. The three words in which we have all mastered the definitions of- audience, genre, and rhetorical situation, have influenced my style immensely. These terms are all I now think about when beginning and ending an assignment which is how I believe writing should be fulfilled.

I am thankful for the knowledge this class has taught me. The components of writing I have learned in ENC1102 will apply to the rest of my future writings in each and every way.

Roommate for Sale

!! FOR SALE !!

Have you struggled to find that perfect roommate? Looking for someone who you can not only live with, but live for? After enrolling in the glorious Florida State University, I was given the chance to experience college at its best; dorms. Though, not only was I given dorm, but a roommate. Taking my chances, I decided that I would embrace the unknown and let Florida State choose whom I would live with for my Fall/Spring academic year. Opening the door cautiously, I entered my chamber of college experience and there he was. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my friend, my bathroom buddy, my unofficially official Kellum brother, my roommate, Patrick Mentry. Fun-loving, outgoing, and entertaining, Patrick is guaranteed to satisfy your roommate demands. He's your little brother, older brother, father, house cat, sister?, and friend all in one amazing package. Some may question my reasoning for pursuing such an act. Its simple, I would like to share with you the same enriching experience that I was given my first year here at Florida State University. I feel that not only was I given a solid education, but a solid friendship as well. So stop looking for that random roommate out there and start learning about the beloved Patrick Mentry. He's single, smart, and most importantly, for sale. Call for details. Serious inquiries only.

Who Am I?

All throughout high school I managed to do the minimum amount of work that I could do and just get by. Not to be arrogant but I was smart enough to get away with A's and B's without trying my hardest. ENC 1102, however, was a huge wake-up call for me. I started off fine, doing the same as I had always done. But my grades soon started slipping and I now realize that to get the most out of my writing and to reach my full potential as a writer, it will take time, effort, and most of all motivation.
Procrastination has run my life for the past 5 years if not more. I am the world's biggest procrastinator and for a while I actually thought I could get away with it. But in ENC 1102 it became clear that with all the work we were given on a nightly basis there would be no way I could make it through class if I continued on this path.
Finally, I had to discover who I was as a writer. I now knew who I was as a person(lazy, unmotivated, ect.) and was willing to change it to benefit how my schoolwork turned out, but now I needed to make use of that newly found motivation. How would I be able to get my best work down on paper? Doing that required defining my theory of writing based on how I wrote and how people reacted and responded to my writing.

Throughout my career of writing, I have always produced decent work, but for a person who hardly ever reads, and doesn't enjoy writing long essays, I have always stressed out about how good my writing was, and whether or not I would get an A. I always dreaded starting a written assignment.

Whenever I am assigned to write something and I know the exact deadline, not procrastinating has made my life so much easier. Before all I ever did was procrastinate, because I did not enjoy writing or just didn't know how to go about writing my assignment.

Now, before I ever begin to write, I make a plan and organize my thoughts and so on. After learning about how to become a better writer through the use of the terms audience, genre, and rhetorical situation, and knowing how to organize myself before writing, I don't have to procrastinate.

I write not only because I have to, but because it is another way of expressing myself. I just never really cared how great my thoughts and expressions seemed to other people unless it was for school. I hated writing assignments, but now I have come to find that with all of the help and knowledge I received in college, that writing can be enjoyable and easy, as long as I can make it interesting to myself and my audience. I don't have to stress out because I need to write a 7-8 page paper last minute. I have been taught all the skills that are necessary to be a great writer and with practice I think I can master them.

Becoming a Writer

The theory of writing paper was due and I have to say it wasn't my best work

My first paper wasn't so good and it was because I really did not

know how to write a proper essay

Then came the second assignment and I choose a topic i was

very interested in and used what I learned in the class to create a research paper,

and to my surprise I started to develop into a decent writer.

After our second assignment is when I really started to

view how helpful reflections are when becoming a good

writer, being able to see what you did good and bad,

is a good learning process.

Then it hit me that writing is a way to combine audience, genre, and

rhetorical situation in a way so that you can persuade your readers

to believe in what your are writing or saying.

Who I Am As A Writer

Sitting in my front of my computer screen,

I think of who I am as a writer.

This leads me to think of what kind of writer I was,

writing with purpose, but never a defined process.

Completely unorganized, but passionate,

enough so that I pulled the grades I needed.

The A's still look nice, but I have learned much more;

it takes more to write the way I want to be heard.

It takes attention to audience, to genre, to context,

it takes the plan, composing, and reflection.

It takes DEDICATION to become a success at writing,

it takes a process- from start to finish.

All of this I have learned through ENC1102;

I have learned how to be a successful writer.

I am no longer writing with just purpose and passion,

but also writing with organization and a process.

I am a writer who writes what I want to,

with purpose, with passion, and with success.

Andreas the writer...

so... i flew here from Sweden at the age of 12 and my English skills were more or less at the skills of a 6 year old, went through middle school.. learned nothing of writing... highschool... learned just about nothing (that i can think of) about actually writing...

Came to college... took ENC 1101... that was a wake-up call alright... i more or less learned everything i knew before entering ENC 1102 in there... from structures to formats to just about everything else. First semester was at TCC so it was at a pretty slowish pace still (which was probably a nice stepping stone i suppose). My second semester, being our current semester, i came here, to FSU.

I have never felt as lost and confused as i did after the first assignment was assigned... I tried to get help... the help was about as useful as steak to a vegan... my reaction to still being confused and not knowing what to do was simple... Put it out of mind and it will go away... right?

This is something i'm sure everyone has done at least once, and probably most of you still do... repeatedly....

Well.. the best way to describe it is, "Procrastination is like masturbation, It's great at first, but in the end you realize you just [another word for intercourse-]ed yourself" (Anonymous).

So to make a long story short, i was up all night before the assignment was due with absolutely no clue how to write it... so i just winged it... did the best i could with what i knew and hoped for the best... Luckily enough i ended up doing alright anyways.

At the reflection of the first paper, i vowed for the next assignment i'd get it done earlier, and feel better about it.

Second assignment came around, and i was determined to start early. I did my research and observation right away...

Yet somehow that lulled me into a false sense of security... In the end the night before the assignment, im playing the Microsoft word geek again.. At least this time i felt like i knew what i was doing... in the end, i ended up with a decent grade on that as well...

Now this all screws up my sleeping schedule, but thats another issue all in itself.

Ultimately this created a small process that has kept developing throughout the class. I get an assignment, procrastinate it, and then learn from my mistakes... but not the mistake i wanted to learn from. To enforce this, after the 2nd assignment, i vowed myself to go to the writing center, as you can imagine, this didnt happen at all. However, this time around, i learned to research the genre's and consider my audience far more than i did my second assignment.

So who am i as a writer? I am the slowly improving Procrastibator. (Yes, pun intended).

A Journey to Becoming a Writer

The first major paper was assigned and all I could think was, "This is gonna be a long semester..." 

The first draft was due and I was at a crossroads. 

So I emailed Kara for advice, some perspective per say. I still didn't get it but pretended like i did.

I proceeded to sit at my computer and write.

As the deadline was quickly approaching I threw my hands up in surrender. I decided to quit complaining and just do it. 

I realized I had the mental capacity to pump out a decent essay and after a couple revisions my work appeared submit-able. 

I received my first paper with a grade and GOOD NEWS!  

Next thing I knew, the second assignment was due... I wasn't sure I could pull it off again. 

After a little mediation and deep breathing, I took into account all the aspects of writing and began.  

I had developed a writing routine, something that works for me.

Who I am as a writer

Who I am... As a Writer

It was that time of the year again: new classes, new teachers, more tests, and nothing more on anybody’s mind than spring break. Yes, it was the begging of spring semester when I enrolled in ENC1102, and no I was not excited. All I ever heard was research papers and writing, writing, writing. Why would I be the one to look forward to that when my major consists mostly of science? Well, I walked in and met my teacher, who might I add has has a bundle of energy at 8 in the morning, this very tough to find these days. With the upbeat and motivation, I have been able to engage and actually enjoy the course. Anyways, with two papers and a composition down, my last reflection on its way, I have identified who I am. I’ve known who I am for, well, my entire life now, but I now I know who I am as a writer.

“I have learned to appreciate writing and discover things I didn’t know that I knew how to do, like making a website” (Gamez n.p).

--And yes, I am a writer who has learned how to cite.

As I sit in bright light with absolute silence around me, I write. I am a writer who started out rough and has slowly progressed into this writer that I am that just types away. As a writer, I seek out to find any place I can add my own personality and language into my writing.

Like everyone one else back in the day, I have also been told to vary my words, and to be creative, and to let my voice be heard. Most of us sat through that lecture and just thought, “I wonder whats for dinner...” Yes, I can’t argue and say that wasn’t me, but at least I can actually say, I also remember what my teacher was saying.

As a writer, I have brought these little detailed techniques into the rest of my classes and tried applying them when possible. Until this course, that I dreaded at first, I was able to experiment with several types of genres, which as a writer, I have appreciated due to the fact that I can work with different mediums and know that when I write these, I can let my voice be loud.

Thats what I am: I am a writer who applies my knowledge onto my paper which is projecting my voice and style.

The Unveiling of a Writer

Throughout the past semester you have been discussing the process of writing and your identity as a writer. For this last (!) blog post, I want you to discuss who you believe you are as a writer and/or composer. To do this I want you to have a little fun, so I'm not looking for you to do a traditional 300-500 word response. What I want is you to think about how you could represent the characteristics that define you as a writer/composer that you have developed and honed this semester (and those that you came in with).

Some suggestions for ways to create this:
*A job wanted ad or a personal
*A persona poem
*Through a series of images
*an obit
*a short short (short fiction piece)

The options are open. You can respond back to this post OR you can create a new post.

This should be as long as it needs to be to get your point across. I should see elements of you----so I should be able to get a sense of who wrote what without even looking at the author's name.

And remember: have fun with this---it's your last one for this class.
Heck yes!! ;-)

Due: Tuesday, April 19, 2011.