The composing process is the strategies and methods that I choose to utilize when creating a piece of writing. This process includes everything from initial brainstorming to the finalized product. Although this is the part of the composing process that I will discuss, it is not limited to that. This process can also include discovering and understanding your specific writing style, learning to write differently for a variety of audiences, and creativity within your writing.
Earlier in this class we were given a reading from the Colorado State Writing Guides that discussed writing as a social act. This piece provided me with the knowledge that in order to write well, you have to look at writing as simply another form of conversation. This entails using certain aspects of rhetorical knowledge, such as considering your audience, and I have come to realize that this is my first step in the composing process. Before adding to a conversation, it is important to understand who you are talking to so that you can better communicate with them. I have found that doing this also helps me to look at a topic from a variety of viewpoints. In the daybook entry I am referencing, I considered who is talking about my chosen line of inquiry and why. I was able to think in a divergent manner, brainstorm, and come up with groups such as educators, college students, and politicians. This helped me to understand who would likely read my work, and why those individuals would read what I have put forth. After writing this information down, I had a better grasp on what exactly I needed to research, which happens to be another part of my composing process.
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After considering who I am writing to, I need to research the topic of interest. Before this class I looked at research as compiling facts about a topic, but I have come to realize that it is much more important than that. In any conversation it is important to add information of value, information that hasn’t already been stated. That is exactly what research allows me to do. The notes from my daybook beside this are ones regarding my line of inquiry. These were the first notes that I wrote down about my topic of interest. As you can see, I wrote down information from the source that I found valuable in some way. I recorded information about the history of political correctness, such as the fact that it began in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. I recorded information about where the issue began, such as the fact that it was pushed into academics on college campuses. I found this research important because it helped answer questions that I had developed, and it would eventually enable me to add my opinion and information of value to the conversation when I began the writing portion of the composing process. The new research skills that I have developed will transfer into the field of business as I progress through college and enter the work force. As a forensic accountant, I will be constantly required to conduct research and investigations where It is of dire importance that I provide information of value to my clients and employers.
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This is a draft of my first research blog post, anything in color is either a quotation or a section of paraphrased work. For me, drafting is the section of the composing process that I most enjoy because I begin to see my work coming together, although it may be in an unorganized fashion. The most important part of the drafting process to me is discovering where and how to include paraphrased and quoted information. Before this class I would honestly include paraphrased information that did not flow with my writing and did not make any sense. I have learned that when paraphrasing I have to introduce or provide credit for the work, state what the contributor said in my own words, and then explain why I included that information. Look at the writing in color and you will see that I have learned how to follow this process. For instance, before the writing in blue I created a question that would be answered by the following paraphrased information, and I credited the contributors by providing their names. The information in blue has been translated into my words and writing style. After the paraphrase I explained why I included the information by stating, “Unfortunately this could result in further isolation of different groups within our society, which could lead to bitterness and mistrust between one another.” This simply explained why the information answered my proposed question. I now realize that I would never provide a random unexplained comment in a conversation, so I should not do that in my writing either.
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Revision is the final part of my composing process, and I there is an entire page devoted to the revisions I have made throughout this semester. Click the button below to explore that page.