5 Suggestions for Your Writing...

Journal:  I've never considered writing a hobby of mine, or really a forte, but I've kept a journal everyday since 6th grade.  Having a journal has kept me writing- especially during the summers when you don't want to think about anything that is related to academics.  I never dread it because I get to write about me, my day, and things that interest me.  There's no guidelines for journaling.  You're completely free to write about as little or as much as you want.  It is also interesting to go back and read your old journals because 1).  you are forced to remember all the little memories you'd otherwise have forgotten years ago and 2). you can see how you've improved as a writer.

Plan:  An outline or some sort of blueprint is necessary.  It sounds time consuming, yet after you've completed an outline, you just have to fill in the cracks with complete sentences and thoughts.  It aids you in staying on track and not wandering off on tangents.  Plan your piece before you write, and stick to your plan. 

Goal:  I find that when I try to write without a goal, I am very unsatisfied and confused with my work at the beginning, middle, and end of the writing process.  Feeling aimless and without a purpose is never right- not even in writing.  It is difficult for your audience to follow your writing when they aren't quite sure if its even going anywhere.  Pick a goal or point you'd like to convey or discover by the end of your piece. 

Read:  I almost feel unqualified to use this as one of my tips because I don't read enough.  But, I know from the few times that I have read in the past few years, it is inspiring and gives you many ideas for your own writing.  Despite what others may say, I don't think it matters what genre of books you read.  A classic novel may lead you to use a more diverse vocabulary, but a children's book can be very inspiring for ideas and voice.  

Time:   Set aside time to write.  Some people may "write well under pressure" and in turn procrastinate until the night before a due date, but I think if they were to spend more relaxed time on their piece they would write even better.  Try to get away from distractions, or finish other things that would otherwise be nagging while you write.  If getting started is the hardest part, set a time limit like fifteen minutes to write.  When you reach the fifteen minute mark, chances are you won't want to stop. 

2 truths and a lie... with a food theme

1.  My dad was the track coach for my high school.  Every year he'd have the distance team over to our house for the annual pancake run.  It was a Saturday morning event.  After a nice morning  run we'd return home to my mom cooking her famous whole grain pancakes.  There was an ongoing record of the male and female who could eat the most of these large pancakes.  The previous female record was 11.  I ate 17, and it has yet to be broken again. 

2.  Every February there is a festival in Anchorage, Alaska called Fur Rondy.  There are lots of events and competitions for people to participate in and spectate.  I was a spectator for 17 years of the Annual Moose Burger Eating contest.  When I was eighteen I entered.  It was very last minute and I wasn't expecting to participate, so I had eaten a 6 inch meatball sub for lunch only 2 hours earlier.  I placed third in the women's adult division eating 7 moose burgers.  The winner had 10. 

3.  My sister had a giant tub of Double Bubble gum that had been sitting in her room for over a year.  Instead of throwing it away, my best friend and I told her we would take care of it.  While watching a movie we chewed the gum, constantly eating more pieces.  We finished the tub of Bubble gum with 66 pieces in each of our mouths. 

"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Roy, Moss, and Jen work in the basement. 
Roy and Moss fix computers. 
Jen is their department head.
She doesn't know anything about computers.

The IT Crowd is a British comedy.  The episodes are all lighthearted and usually involve awkward moments, miscommunication, and good one liners.  Roy is a Welsh man who is sarcastic and consistently uses the phrase "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" when he gets calls about computer problems.  Moss is a text book nerd complete with the thick rimmed glasses, plaid button up shirt and tie, and clueless-ness about females.  In all four seasons I've seen, he's never smiled or laughed, yet he's one of the funniest characters on the show.  Jen is a red head who would like to someday move up to higher, more important floor rather than work in the basement.  The IT Crowd is continually shafted and never gets "appreciation parties" thrown for them.  Most of the show is set in their office, but occasionally it shifts to show the personal life of the characters. 
The IT Crowd is the first show I've ever wanted to watch regularly.  I've never been the type to have a show that I watch weekly, but I would watch the IT Crowd.  I've been hooked since the first episode.

Opinion Editorials

After reading the assigned pages in the Curious Writer and then looking for those things in my first Op-Ed article, I was extremely impressed with the writing of The Seat Not Taken on nytimes.com.  This author observed, tested, and then claimed that we are not rid of our judgement on skin color.  John Wideman, the author, is a colored man who rides the train from New York City to Providence, RI twice a week and he has noticed that no one tends to take the seat next to him.   I went through all the logical fallacies listed in the book and I couldn't find a fault in his argument.  He obviously is aware that his prediction can't be scientifically proven, but he uses logos to explain that his seat is just as good as the others.  He doesn't have an odor, he doesn't have a threatening look, or anything else that is different from the other people on the train with open seats.  He states that the only difference between his open seat and the other open seats is that he is colored and they are not.  His last sentence is a grand example of ethos.  He indicates that he felt the need to speak out about his findings and he closes with  "Posters in the train, the station, the subway warn: if you see something, say something." 

For my second Op-Ed I found one quite a bit different to the one above.  WPA: Waste of a Precious Afternoon persuaded me with the use of ethos.  Joseph Pavlish started his article talking about things he'd personally like to be doing on a weekend.  He brought up great things, things I'd like to do too.  But, he followed it up with the discouraging reality that he had to take the Writing Proficiency Assessment.  Because I don't know much about the WPA (in fact, I've never heard of it) I went into the article indifferent to his opinion.  His argument did a good job of swaying me into thinking that the WPA is unnecessary and doesn't do a good job of pushing students to do their best or of testing their writing efficiency.  I liked how Pavlish made a claim, he gave his reasons for his claim, and then he gave evidence.  I enjoyed reading this article.

I looked hard for logical fallacies in Facebook, I just can't quit you but I failed to find any.  I don't know if I'm failing to see them in the articles I read or if I am reading good fallacy-free articles.  This particular article is pretty well explained in the title.  The author, Meghan Daum, writes about something almost everybody can relate to: Facebook.  I think her writing is a good example of "suspending judgement."  As her article progresses she discovers more and more why she can't seem to delete her Facebook.  Everybody knows about Facebook.  It is not a new and exciting subject.  Therefore, to draw in the audience's attention and make her article seem worth reading she used ethos.  Meghan came along side every other Facebook owner and brought up things she had in common with us.  Then, she continued to show how Facebook has become more than just something fun, it has become almost a requirement for society. 

nytimes.com
montanakaimin.com
latimes.com

So, I took all four of the tests and my top three results were types 1, 2, and 9.  that would be:

1: Reformer

2: Helper

9: Peacemaker

I agree with types 9 and 2, but I've never really thought of myself as what is described under "reformer"... so I've chosen to disregard that one for now and focus on 9.  On 9types it says that its important how you talk to peacemakers and request things.  I found this really interesting and parallel with my personality because I've actually been in circumstances where I've told someone that they can critique or confront me, just as long as they do it in a non-aggressive, non-judgemental, or loving way.  So, I guess I already knew this about my personality without really "knowing" it. 

It is said that 9's "would rather melt into someone else" (enneagraminstitute.com).  This is very true for me and something that I'm very aware of.  One of my biggest desires when I'm doing something uncomfortable or risky with, is to have a partner or have someone to share the pain with.  But, I have had to come to the realization that those partners aren't always around and I need to have the confidence to face things alone.  My faith in God is the biggest comfort for me in these instances, despite my lack of an earthly "wingman."

On 9types it mentioned that 9's like to know that people approve of what they have done.  I can't really think of an instance where this isn't  true for me.  I've played piano since 1st grade so I've participated in many a recital.  If I had to choose after every recital whether or not to know what people thought about my performance, I would hands down choose "know" every time.  I want approval.  I want affirmation.  I want to know when people like what I've done. 

I thought this test was strangely accurate for the most part.  As I'm sure it was for everyone, there were a few things that didn't apply to me, but for the most part it was very true.  Here are my results from one of the tests:

 

Type 1	Perfectionism	||||||||||||||||||||	82%
Type 2	Helpfulness	||||||||||||||||	70%
Type 3	Image Focus	||||||||||||||||	70%
Type 4	Hypersensitivity	||	10%
Type 5	Detachment	||||	18%
Type 6	Anxiety	||||||||||||	46%
Type 7	Adventurousness	||||||||||||||||	62%
Type 8	Aggressiveness	||	10%
Type 9	Calmness	||||||||||||||||||||	90%

sites used:
9types.com
enneagraminstitute.com