I would compare my writing process to moving into a new house. It starts out with a plan of how to pack and a date to move. But once the packing gets started and boxes start moving from house to house, things get chaotic. Now once all of the boxes have been moved from one house to another, it's time to organize those boxes and put them in the right rooms. Once that is done, you must unpack them and find the right spot in that room to house that item. And it's not until the very last box is unpacked that you relieve yourself from that chaos. I think that relates a lot to my writing because it always starts out as a topic and a due date. Then comes the brainstorming and the jotting down. Next moving the ideas and thoughts you brainstormed into paragraphs. Once those paragraphs are formed, they are moved around and revised, added too and deleted from to get that perfect paragraph. And that's when you find the perfect places for that word or that quote and when it's all finished, you have a beautiful paper.
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This I Believe: Writing Process
Sabatino: Can you describe the scene(s) where you wrote the This I Believe (TIB) essay. Be descriptive. Is this sustainable? Writer: It actually took my a lot of time to really decide on what I wanted to write my This I Believe Essay on. When I was at home, I did a little free write for most of my topics and chose the one I felt most connected too, I wanted one I felt the strongest about. I first started jotting notes down, where ever I was if there was something I noticed or remembered about that day. When it was time to get down to the nitty gritty, I knew my writing would be tragic, so I started by jotting down random sentences together in paragraph form on Word. When that was finished, I read through it and made the appropriate adjustments for my first draft. After my first draft was produced, I used methods and techniques taught in class to expand my writing and used them for my second draft which I wrote while sitting in my bedroom with country music coming through the headphones. Sabatino: You wrote a blog post about six strategies to become a better writer. Have you used those strategies when blogging and writing the TIB essay? Please discuss which of these strategies helped you the most when you wrote your TIB essay? Writer: Yes in my Do I Have What It Takes To Become A Better Writer? post I believe that I use most of those strategies to better improve my writing, especially through my This I Believe Essay but also through my blogging. I feel I use the first three (brainstorming, believing in my first shitty draft, and reread, delete, repeat) more than the last three (have someone look over your work, use the criticism and critique to your advantage and rewrite again, and publish your work) because I am still new to sharing my work and getting the opinions of others that I hesitate to ask my family or friends to take a look at my work. Although I have started to come around to the idea of sharing my work and publishing my work on my website. Sabatino: Describe your process for writing and revising the TIB essay (freewrite, list, found poem, etc.). What helped you the most? Writer: I really enjoyed writing the lists. I wrote both the 10 Titles of My Life and 10 Things I Love and Hate. I think they really helped me to narrow down times in my life that have had a strong impact on my life or things that I truly do love and hate. I also highly enjoyed freewriting because it was very natural and comfortable but messy all at the same time. Sabatino: How has the blog impacted your writing process? Writer: I think blogging has impacted my writing in a positive way. I used to keep a journal that I would write in, draw in, or even paste small little things in it, but I kinda just stopped one day and really haven't picked it back up. It's nice to have an outlet to write. Even though it isn't on a very personal level, it's still nice to see the progress of my work through the revisions and exercises between revisions. Sabatino: Please share your thoughts about the revision techniques we've used in this course (peer review, show and tell, five senses, found poem, etc.) Writer: I honestly think that being able to sort my essay into a showing section and a telling section really helped me to break down my essay and give it a really good look through. I was able to see the contrasting I had going on in my essay and I feel that really helped me to put together a plan to revise for my draft 2. I also liked the found poem because it was an interested way to see the most important words throughout your essay into short sentences and phrases. Sabatino: What specific revisions have you made to your TIB essay? Writer: I have added and deleted passages, sentences, and little things. Sure, those are the most common revisions made but I have also changed my surroundings when revising my essay. I thought that maybe a different genre of music will help me produce the right vibe I want to give off, or if I sit in my dining room I may be more productive and more focused versus being in my bedroom. Sabatino: What is your plan for future revisions to your TIB essay? Writer: I'd really like to break it down even further and expand on not only what led up to my belief but also why my belief is very important to my heart and why I feel everyone deserves that chance. Sabatino: We have used a farming metaphor to conceptualize a sustainable writing process. What metaphor would you use to illustrate your writing process thus far? Writer: I would compare my writing process to moving into a new house. It starts out with a plan of how to pack and a date to move. But once the packing gets started and boxes start moving from house to house, things get chaotic. Now once all of the boxes have been moved from one house to another, it's time to organize those boxes and put them in the right rooms. Once that is done, you must unpack them and find the right spot in that room to house that item. And it's not until the very last box is unpacked that you relieve yourself from that chaos. I think that relates a lot to my writing because it always starts out as a topic and a due date. Then comes the brainstorming and the jotting down. Next moving the ideas and thoughts you brainstormed into paragraphs. Once those paragraphs are formed, they are moved around and revised, added too and deleted from to get that perfect paragraph. And that's when you find the perfect places for that word or that quote and when it's all finished, you have a beautiful paper. This I Believe: Writing Product Sabatino: What is your belief statement (word-for-word)? Writer: My belief is that every person should have the blessing to experience the last words. Sabatino: Do you think your belief statement grabs the audience’s attention? Why? Writer: Yes, because I think there are people that can relate to my experience and my thoughts and emotions because they share similar experiences with me. Sabatino: What is your scene? Writer: My scene takes place on a warm spring day where I find out my mom-mom, who had passed 2 years previous, had written me a letter for when she was gone. Sabatino: How does your scene illustrate your belief? Writer: My scene illustrates my belief because I first had experiences the last words. Sabatino: What questions do you have for me about your TIB essay? Writer: Two questions I have: 1. What is an appropriate length for an essay of this topic? 2. How do we go about having our essays published once done with the finishing stages? Personal Website Sabatino: Discuss your experiences with creating and maintaining a website for this course? Writer: I have had a great experience with my website. I love how independent it is and how you have many outlets to show your own creativity. It is a great tool to develop now because I think they will help in the future to have an online portfolio of my work to share with a future employer. Sabatino: Do you think your site is organized and easy to navigate? Writer: Yes, I think my site is organized and also easy to navigate. Sabatino: What type of identity have you constructed through your site? Writer: I want to construct an identity that informs people of the depth I can take my writing and that my writing comes from the soul, it's not a bunch of BS thrown together. Personal Blog Sabatino: What are your thoughts about creating and maintaining a blog? Is your blog organized and easy to navigate? Writer: At first, I was a little skeptical about blogging because I was not too familiar with it, but through our draft revisions and small exercises I have become comfortable with blogging and I think it has become much easier to navigate then when I first started! Sabatino: What are your thoughts about blogging? Please consider the public, social network nature of a blog as well as your initial thoughts in the beginning of the semester as compared to now. Writer: At first, I was excited to share my thoughts with any and everyone in the world, but at this stage of my writing I feel there is more I can expand and improve on before I know that my writing is ready to be read by the world. I want to produce something good, and solid. Something that will keep my readers coming back to check my blog for new posts and I think that will take more time and experience and practice until I am there yet. Questions for Midterm Conference Sabatino: Parting comments? Questions for me? Writer: I would like to end this post with what grade I feel I deserve at midterm. I don't feel that I have earned an A because my writing is a little weak and my blogging at first was a little rough. But I do feel that I have earned a B because I have taken the assignments and exercises seriously. I know there is work to be done, and I plan to make those improvements through the rest of the semester! This blog entry is designed to transform my This I Believe Essay into a found poem. A found poem is a type of poetry that is designed to take words and phrases from a passage and by changing spacing and deleting text, to form a poem.
The Letter. Cold and rainy December morning, grey skies full of clouds. My dads soft voice spoke "Ashley, Ashley, wake up." Tears glistened on his cheeks, "Ash, your mom-mom passed away in her sleep last night." She was just here Two years later..... A warm spring day with the birds chirping, my mom walked in with three envelopes. One for my sister, Andrea, One for my Pop-Pop And one for me. The top open, tattered I pull the letter out, the wallet sized picture tucked into the folds I was in second grade. I start reading, "Ashley," The tears are instant. She was proud of me, She she loved me, I saw the way she saw me. I believe that the last words are the best blessing life can offer, and I was fortunate enough to have this blessing. It was a cold and rainy December morning. The skies were gray and dark. The night before, my sister and I fell asleep in our living room watching cartoons. "Ashley, Ashley, wake up." I heard my dad say to me as he gently shook my right shoulder. My sleepy eyes were stretching open, I could feel the eye crust in the corners of my eyes. I looked up at my dad and could see the tears glisten on his cheek. I had never seen my dad cry until this day, 'what is going on' I thought to myself. His voice was soft and gentle and cracked right as he said, "Ash, your mommom passed away in her sleep last night." I didn't register what he had said until he wrapped me in his arms. It felt like my world was starting to slowly crumble. "How could this happen? Why did this happen? She was just here yesterday!" these were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I hugged my dad and the warm tears ran down my cheeks.
Two years later, it was a warm spring day. My best friend Madison was over and we sat at the computer desk in my living room. I was in seventh grade and we were on MySpace and doing those silly quizzes that told you what character you were most like from "Hannah Montana". The back door was open and you could hear the birds chirping. My mom walked into the living room while wiping the tear from her left cheek. She said she had been going through some of my mommoms things and she stumbled upon three envelopes. Each envelope had a name on it. My name, my sister Andreas name, and my poppops name who had passed just earlier that year. She opened the letters thinking my mommom had stuffed them with pictures but when she opened it, she was surprised. There were not pictures in the envelopes, there were hand written letters. My mom handed me my letter. I just sat there with it in my hands. I wasn't sure what to expect, I wasn't sure if I was ready to read it. The top was torn open from where my mom opened it, my name was big and bold in black pen. It was weird to see her handwriting after the time had passed. I had to read it, this is what she wanted. So I pulled the letter from the envelope and unfolded the paper. Inside, my mommom had placed a picture. I recognized myself instantly, I was in second grade. The letter was dated in 2002 which would have placed me in second grade. The letter started off just as any other letter, 'Ashley,'. As I read the letter, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. She had written the letters when she was first diagnosed with Ovarian/Cervical cancer. She wrote in her letter how she was so proud of me and loved me so much. She wrote about me, the way she saw me. And that is something so special for me to see. I got to see how the most amazing woman in my life saw me. But she wrote to me through that letter her very last words to me. Those were things she knew she needed me to know. Her letter brought back some sad feelings but it also brought me feelings of relief. The little spot in my heart that ached every day filled up. Her letter brought me the closure I needed with her passing. I believe that getting those last words were a crucial part of my healing. I'm not quite sure how different my life would have been if my mom never found that letter, or I i decided to not read it yet. But one thing I know for sure is that I'm glad I did. Having those last words are something that I will forever cherish close to my heart. But getting those last words don't always have to be with the passing of a family member, or friend. It could be those last words that were left unspoken after the messy brake up you had in high school or those last goodbyes before your best friend left for school across the country. Last words, regardless if they are good or heartbreaking, I feel are a necessary process to moving forward with your life. Those last words give your soul and mind the closure to move forward and not have any worries or thoughts about what would have or could have been different. They give you a peace of mind of hearing exactly what that person knew they needed to say to you. Here I will provide sections of my This I Believe Essay draft 1 that illustrates showing and telling text throughout my essay.
SHOW- "Ashley, Ashley, wake up." I heard my dad say to me as he gently shook my shoulder. My sleepy eyes were stretching open, I could feel the eye crust in the corners of my eyes. I looked up at my dad and could see the tears glisten on his cheek. His voice was soft and gentle, "your mommom passed away in her sleep last night." I didn't click at first, but when it did, it hurt. How could she be gone? She was just here yesterday. These were thoughts that ran through my mind as I could feel the hot tears run down my cheek. She handed me my letter. The top was torn open from where my mom opened it, my name was big and bold in black pen. It was weird to see her handwriting after the time had passed. I pulled out the letter and unfolded paper. Inside, my mommom had placed a picture. I recognized myself, I was in second grade. The letter was dated in 2002 which would have placed me in second grade. The letter started off just as any other letter, 'Ashley,'. As I read the letter, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. She wrote in her letter how she was so proud of me and loved me so much. She wrote about me, the way she saw me. And that is something so special for me to see. I got to see how the most amazing woman in my life saw me. But she wrote to me through that letter her very last words to me. Those were things she knew she needed me to know. Her letter brought back some sad feelings but it also brought me feelings of relief. The little spot in my heart that ached every day filled up. Her letter brought me the closure I needed with her passing. TELL- It was a cold and rainy December morning. The night before, my sister and I fell asleep in our living room watching cartoons. Two years later, it was a warm spring day. My best friend Madison was over and we sat on the computer in my living room. The back door was open and you could hear the birds chirping. My mom walked into the living room while wiping the tear from her left cheek. She said she had been going through some of my mommoms things and she stumbled upon three envelopes. Each envelope had a name on it. My name, my sister Andreas name, and my poppops name who had passed just earlier that year. She opened the letters thinking she had stuffed them with pictures but when she opened it, that was not what she found. There were hand written letters. She had written the letters when she was first diagnosed with Ovarian/Cervical cancer. REFLECTION- I think by sorting my essay into the showing and telling sections I can better see that my writing can use a little more work and I can add more telling to really get my belief across to the audience. Here I will answer six questions on my This I Believe Essay draft.
Q. Who are the characters in your story? A. The characters in my story consist of my mommom, and myself. Q. What is your belief? A. My belief is that I feel everyone should have the blessing to read or hear those last words. Q. When does your story take place? A. My story takes place on a warm spring day when I was in 7th grade. Q. Where does your story take place? A. My story takes place at the computer desk in my living room. Q. Why does your story take place? A. My story takes place because my mommom had written letters years before passing for someone to find. Q. How does your story shape your belief? A. My story shapes my belief because I was fortunate enough to experience those last words and my life was changed by that. It was a cold and rainy December morning. The night before, my sister and I fell asleep in our living room watching cartoons. "Ashley, Ashley, wake up." I heard my dad say to me as he gently shook my shoulder. My sleepy eyes were stretching open, I could feel the eye crust in the corners of my eyes. I looked up at my dad and could see the tears glisten on his cheek. His voice was soft and gentle, "your mommom passed away in her sleep last night." I didn't click at first, but when it did, it hurt. How could she be gone? She was just here yesterday. These were thoughts that ran through my mind as I could feel the hot tears run down my cheek.
Two years later, it was a warm spring day. My best friend Madison was over and we sat on the computer in my living room. The back door was open and you could hear the birds chirping. My mom walked into the living room while wiping the tear from her left cheek. She said she had been going through some of my mommoms things and she stumbled upon three envelopes. Each envelope had a name on it. My name, my sister Andreas name, and my poppops name who had passed just earlier that year. She opened the letters thinking she had stuffed them with pictures but when she opened it, that was not what she found. There were hand written letters. She handed me my letter. The top was torn open from where my mom opened it, my name was big and bold in black pen. It was weird to see her handwriting after the time had passed. I pulled out the letter and unfolded paper. Inside, my mommom had placed a picture. I recognized myself, I was in second grade. The letter was dated in 2002 which would have placed me in second grade. The letter started off just as any other letter, 'Ashley,'. As I read the letter, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. She had written the letters when she was first diagnosed with Ovarian/Cervical cancer. She wrote in her letter how she was so proud of me and loved me so much. She wrote about me, the way she saw me. And that is something so special for me to see. I got to see how the most amazing woman in my life saw me. But she wrote to me through that letter her very last words to me. Those were things she knew she needed me to know. Her letter brought back some sad feelings but it also brought me feelings of relief. The little spot in my heart that ached every day filled up. Her letter brought me the closure I needed with her passing. My belief statement will turn into the topic of my This I Believe Essay.
The last words. Would they be spoken, or written? Would it matter in the end? The last words are something that most people do not experience, but I was lucky enough to. I believe that the last words are a life changing experience. The last words provide you with the closure to help heal your mind and your heart. I feel that this can be a life changing experience because you know what their last words to you would be. You know that the pain will be there but will fade with time. In class, we were asked to take an item from one of our lists of the 10 things we love and hate, or a title in our life and free write. Below is my free write:
It was a cool fall day, and the back door was open. I was sitting at our family computer in the living room. My best friend at the time Madison sat right next to me in one of our big wooden chairs. We browsed the internet, checked Facebook, and took those silly quizzes that were popular when we were in 8th grade. My mom walked out of her room in tears. She looked at me and said that she was looking through my mom-mom's things and found envelopes that had my name, my sisters name, and my grandfathers name. She opened them thinking there were going to have photos in them, but to her surprise it was hand written letters. My grandmother had passed 3 years prior to ovarian/cervical cancer, she was first diagnosed the year before and that is when she had written them. She handed me the envelope and I just looked at it. That was the first time I had seen her handwriting in 3 years and it felt so surreal. I opened the envelope and took the letter out. I unfolded the letter and saw the swirling lines of her cursive. She had placed a wallet sized school picture of me in there. I began to read her letter and as I read it I could feel the ache in my heart. I immediately started crying. I missed her, a lot. But then the aching started to fade, and I realized that this is what I needed. This letter felt like closure, that little void felt filled. That closure was necessary for me because I hadn't gotten to say my goodbyes to her before she passed. Those last words I will forever cherish and hold very close to my heart. In class, we were given an assignment to write a list of 10 'titles' that represent times in our lives. Below is a list of my 10 'titles':
1. The Rainy Day 2. The Jump 3. The Day I Met My Best Friend 4. The Phone Call 5. The Letter 6. The Concert 7. The First Kiss 8. The Trip to Punta Cana 9. The Graduation 10. The Trip |