The Composing Process
It can be defined as the various stages an individual goes through during the writing process. It is unique to everyone and usually includes drafting, editing, revising, and completion.
Research
One thing I’ve always struggled with is keeping my things organized. I start out the semester getting all new pens and notebooks thinking I’m going to do better and by the end of the year I’m shuffling through papers trying to decipher between Spanish and Chemistry (honestly, they look the same anyway). The best thing that has come out of this class is being forced to use our daybook for pretty much everything. Rather than having a folder full of who-knows-what, I have one little notebook to gather my thoughts in. With that being said, I probably didn’t use it to its full potential. In regard to my research, I did tend to steer just a bit. I composed everything in a word document rather than writing it out in the daybook. Seeing some of the others notebooks, I feel like my sources could have been much more organized and thought out. The biggest issue I encountered with using the word document was not being able to write little side notes and not being able to really elaborate. It was more links, a couple paragraphs, or sometimes just a sentence.
I did have some help during my writing process from some non-human friends. As I would write, I would have a dog and cat fighting for my attention. It's not as easy as you would think trying to think critically while something is licking your toes. With that being said, they were able to provide a listening ear when no one else would.
Brainstorming
The “Read Watch Listen” assignment was what really kick started my composing process. To begin with, it got me to finally watch it. Not only did I watch the documentary but the assignment made me really listen to it, too. Honestly, that’s probably one of the more organized assignments in my whole daybook. As far as the second RWL/reflection goes, I really feel like I should have looked into another LOI instead of just reflecting on the same topic. I chose to read an article about the same topic. I probably would have still chosen what I wrote about but it wouldn’t hurt to consider other options as well.
Blogging
For my second RWL, it did have a lot more of my own thoughts as I was reading through the article. I had more questions and thoughts running through my head. Like, "so, I knew these ingredients were bad but now they're telling me they could actually cause cancer?"
Every once in a while, I would have an idea pop in my head or I would see something on Facebook that I thought would be a good addition to my blog. The firs time I came across the Johnson and Johnson artciel was actually something I saw someone else share. If I were to do it again, I would take the time to write a little about it in my daybook rather than just hoping I'll remember or copy and pasting the link into my word doc. When it came time to do my RWL, I had to search through google until I found that article because I didn't save it the first time.
If I were to apply this to future class assignments, I now know how to utilize a single notebook to organize my thoughts.
The absolute best part of the whole composing process was being able to put together my blog. Organizing where my pictures went, being able to choose the layout, writing something other than the same old boring essay. It was all incredibly fun for me. I’ve always wanted to start a blog and this may just be what I needed to start. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy designing my page!
Navigating genre was something I feel I excelled in during this assignment. I knew pretty much right away what I wanted my site to look like. I knew if I wanted readers to see this as a health-related blog, I needed to use light, airy colors. I wanted readers to look at my page and know I was going to talk about something related to health. I wanted my writing to be clear but conversational. I think it's made me better at putting my thoughts into words. Other assignments I've had in the past haven't allowed me to write like myself. I liked knowing I could be creative. It was refreshing being able to choose who I was talking to and how I talked to them.
Looking back, I would have definitely put more effort into my organization. Most of what I have is just ineligible scribble. I believe what I wrote is good and I did put a lot of thought into it. Had I known we would be required to document our entries, I would have written much neater. I might have even color coded a few things. At the end of the day, I don’t believe the purpose of this course was to teach me how to have better handwriting but instead the purpose was to think outside of the box. It made me really consider what I was watching and listening to because I was required to break it down piece by piece until it became more than just a documentary or article.