In this work, I had an opportunity that my rough draft was reviewed by peers who are probably better English users than me. Because my writing is always assessed by professor or international students, this opportunity is useful for me to improve my writing and see it from general English user’s view. In addition, I had a little experience that I followed all steps to complete my writing, so it helped me to think about the process of writing.
For me, the most challenging part was using an example. I wanted to explain about a unique concept in Japan, but I could not explain well at rough draft and readers could not understand the concept. I hope final version is more clear than previous one. Daily custom to see events from multi perspective will help me to use easy example for future writing. The most important part of writing process is to think about reader’s perspective. I know the importance before the project, however, I felt that again when I was struggle to explain the unique concept to readers. This is the most difficult and useful tool to achieve better writing, so I want to share it with someone who need suggestion for his or her writing. Because reflection gives us farther practice to assess our own work that contributes to improving future work, WPA value the process, I think.
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In my concept, drafting is brainstorming and means first plan to write. The draft was required to be checked by teacher in class when I was elementary school student, so I think draft can be seen by someone. However, this seems not popular in peers. I found the opinion that says draft is never seen by someone.
About the way of preparing draft is like majority of peers. I prepare it all at once since it helps me to think about the stream of writing, story. However, some peer say they prepare draft piece by piece. The advantage is it gives a chance to think about more detail of each paragraph. I agree that. Although I am not used to do in the way, it will help me look at my work from other point of view. For me, final draft is the best one that is prepared to checked by someone who has ability to correct, edit the work because they have better knowledge or skills. So, in my opinion, both rough draft and final draft is checked by someone. Compared to the opinion, peers believe that rough draft is personal work and final draft is finished work that has just a few points to be corrected or edited. Over all, I realized that I feel more strongly that writing work is checked by someone else. Since I was a child, I have read thousands of Manga, Japanese comic books. When I use the word “Manga,” I want to distinguish it from American comic books. To speak frankly, it is so different. Manga has a lot of category, history and its market is far bigger than American comics. Because my father likes Manga, there is a lot of Manga in my house.
One of his favorite author is Izumi Kawahara. First time I read her Manga when I was elementary school student, it was too difficult for me. She uses unique wording, analogy based on her knowledge about philosophy and humor generated from those unique words and analogy. Even I cannot understand all the contents, it attracted me and I repeated to read again and again. Once I got what she means, I could not stop reading. In her story, most of the time, main character is a girl. A girl who faces to a difficult situation such as her mother’s death. So, I, a girl who lost her mother when she was three years old identified with the main character. In any story, the main character overcomes the difficulty and is strong. I learned a lot from them. My fashion reflects Japanese style. For example, I wear mini skirt even in winter. When I makeup, I try to be looked as much as natural. I have never used hair salon in the U.S. because our preference is different from Americans. I like natural, fluffy style. I use small accessories that does not appeal so much for my style.
To Japanese, “Do not bother anyone.” is a main value shared in the society. So, we try to keep common space clean, to be quiet in the public place. We also value indirect communication. The suitable expression for the situation, both bad and good, shows his or her intelligence. The direct critics hurts his or her name since we are afraid to be ashamed. In my country, I eat a lot kind of food. Not only fresh fish, but we also have miso, soy source and so on that cannot be found in other countries. The number of the food choice is the largest in the world, I feel. Because Japan is a small island, we shared one culture for thousands of years. It is comfortable and convenience for Japanese, but not for tourists from other countries. Because of “Do not bother anyone.”, usually students don’t ask question when the professor gives us a lecture. However, it hurts my participation point in American university. The discussion forum on generating ideas realized my habit for generating idea. Since idea comes up to my mind at unexpected timing, I try to keep that in my schedule note. For example, when I talk someone who is introduced to me as a consultant, the conversation can be so valuable. So, I write down the important point to review in the future. Then I add to the note what I feel from the conversation because it is also outcomes I gain from the experience. Thanks to the note, I can find the best option as my idea.
However, there are the situations I must generate ideas about something that I have never thought at the time. In this case, my note does not work so much. I need to make a new note to brainstorm. It seems like graffiti, but so helpful. When I read my peer’s post, I realized they use same process as me but try to visualize their idea. Although I like to receive visualized communication like poster, comic books and so on, I do not communicate as a sender of these tool. I want to try to be a sender as well. As a lot of peer use internet for resource, I use it. They also ask someone who has knowledge about the topic. I have hesitation to do that, but it works well. I felt that I need to practice to ask. Writing was one of my weak point for a long time. Because for me learning something equals memorizing, I did not have enough experience to have confidence of writing. When I must have taken the exam for entering university, writing test was my hardest part. Then I took writing class in the university and practiced out of the class. It gave me some writing experiences, but still I feel I am not good at writing. Overall, my previous experiences were bad and improves now a little bit. Although I feel improvement in writing, it is in Japanese. This cause is in English. Since I had few opportunities to write in English, thin course is really challenging for me.
Both in Japanese and English, I want to be a good writer at the business levels. Form my experiences, I know that the most important thing to improve my writing is to write and get feedback of that. The number of practice helps me to overcome the fear of writing. Getting feedback helps me to realize how a writing can be effective or meet a purpose. Because welcomed communication style differs between Japanese (be indirect as much as possible) and English (be direct as much as possible), I must think about it carefully to success as an English writer. In this course, I will have a lot of opportunity to write what I think considering the best word or sentence that works well. The topic provided in this course seems so helpful to rich my experience, so I can get enough ability and confidence as a better writer. Other member’s feedback has a big value to me. I want to use it for my improving. Although there is a lot of definitions for the word “rhetoric,” the word is used in this ENG101 as the study and activity of using resources to achieve our communication purposes. In my word, I want to describe the word as a choice of communication to meet a purpose. Similarly, “rhetoric situation” is in any given situation where people are communicating based on the course definition. I think any situation that requests apply of “rhetoric” is a rhetoric situation.
My recent writing experience was to write biography of a classmate. To present in the class about him, it was required. The biography was only read by the instructor of the class, but the presentation was for the class. To write the biography, I interviewed the classmate. At the time, I carefully asked questions to make the biography easy to read. In writing, I organized the contents chronologically. Thinking carefully about audience and purpose of the writing will affect my future writing project. For example, I combined to use video to demonstrate how to make an origami to kids because an animation can get more attention from kids than a still image. WPA outcomes says understanding and gaining experiences of rhetorical knowledge will make the writing more effective. Based on my experience so far, to consider rhetorical knowledge is primarily important because it is framework of writing. Writing collaboratively means having reader’s perspective when we write. What is new information to the reader? What is the most important point we emphasize? What position are we in about the argument? All these questions are what we must answer as a writer. Although I thought a writer can have initiative in their writing, it is shared with readers.
By collaborating with other writers, we can make sure if the contents we want to write are clear to understand or not. We can point out each other mistakes. It is also very helpful to learn how to use the word or how to organize the writing for the similar topic from other writers. Because there is a lot of situation we must join in collaborate writing in the real world such as business scene, WPA value that. In academic scene, we will have works such as group projects and group presentation. From reflecting on a completed work, we can realize the portion that is not clear to understand to intended readers, grammar and spelling mistake and confusing expressions. It also helps me to understand what improvement is needed for the work. If the expression looks like too difficult to your intended reader, a junior high school student, you can try to be checked by your younger sister or brother.
Reflective writing differs from casual writing such as message to friends or post on twitter. It is more official. You should try to clear the purpose of the writing and be easy to intended readers. For the writing, I do this course, I can ask my roommate or instructor to read my writing before I submit my work. Then I can correct or clarify my work. I might sometimes use google translator option since I cannot find suitable expression by myself because of the disadvantage as a second language speaker. I think process is the most directory related outcome. Since reflective writing gives us a chance to read through the work again and again, review and reconsider the work and get productive feedback. Based on what we learned this week, we can say people will learn from a real activity that is assigned in their early life. For example, the person who is working as marketing manager was helped by her writing experience in her university. As she did in her class, learning process includes reading with paying attention to the purpose, act and getting feedback.
Although for me learning process of writing is memorizing a template or sample, it seems not common in peers. When I was a child, I did not like writing assignment since it is not clear how I can write my feelings or experiences in the way that reader can easily understand. Teachers only assessed my writing assignment as good or bad without detail comment. The experience made me fear of writing. Now I felt strongly the negative effect on my writing custom. Compared my experience, peers have more experience of their own writing and got a lot of feedback from teachers and friends. |
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