Journal 1

For this post, please start by writing in response to these questions After that, complete the reading and then respond to the second set of questions. You can do this all in one post.

·                What is writing—the definitions, ideas, thoughts, expressions, etc.—that you associate with writing?

Writing is a way to convey everything you can’t say out loud. It’s a way to travel to places you’ve never been to and to give voice to the parts of yourself that may not ever come out. Writing for me is meaningful and adventurous and a window into the soul.

·                What defines successful writing for you?

For me successful writing is reaching the goals I set for myself. Hitting that 50,000-word count or writing for an hour a day. Publishing a book is obviously the dream but day to day writing is one of the toughest things to just be able to sit down and do without distraction and if you can accomplish that then that’s successful writing to me.

·                What type of writer do you see yourself as, and why?

I see myself as a writer of fiction, most notably sci-fi. Most of the books I’m working on are centered around interplanetary problems and advanced civilizations. I also write a bit of dystopian type novels.

·                Create a list of 5-8 key terms that define writing.

Creative, meaningful, expressive, imaginative, emotional

Now, read Johnson-Eilola & Selber’s essay and respond to these questions:

·                What is the major argument that you see these authors making?

The major argument being made is that students tend to hide material from other sources and this leads them to plagiarize instead of citing their sources. The authors want the students to take the material they’re using from other places and cite them and then reflect on those materials in their own words.

·                What did you learn about writing from this text?

I learned that it is bad for a writer to isolate themselves and make themselves a lone author. It is good for students to interact with other sources and other writers and share ideas as to broaden their own creativity and originality.

·                Is this article “successful” according to the criteria you defined earlier? If so, how? If not, why not?

This article is very successful because it takes materials from other authors but cites those materials and in the author’s own words gets the point they’re trying to make across to the reader.

·                Has your understanding of writing changed as a result of engaging with Johnson-Eilola and Selber's article? Why or why not? 

My understanding of writing is still the same after reading this article. I have learned so much from other authors and writers and by remixing what they’ve taught me I’ve been able to better my own original ideas.

·                Do you want to revise your list of key terms based on this reading? Explain what you would revise (or not) and why (not).

I would not revise my key terms because I feel like they perfectly encompass everything writing still is.