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

with writing? 

I believe writing is a person’s ability to physically express emotions, thoughts and ideas

through the use of letters or symbols. I associate writing with communication, symbols,

and personal expression.

What defines successful writing for you?

To me, successful writing is when the author is able to fluently portray his or her

thoughts, feelings or points to the reader in a language or style that is understood by

both.

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

I see myself as a decent writer, I usually get by in my English classes with A’s and B’s

by doing what I need to do but never really making the attempt to go above and beyond.

I don't typically make the attempt to try harder because I don’t feel that I have the

knowledge or enough understanding to do so.

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

Tone, diction, style, structure, figurative language, and purpose.

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

The main argument the author is making is that practically anything and everything can

be or is plagiarism whether or not we know that it is. 

What did you learn about writing from this text?

I learned how many things can be plagiarized, not just writing or works of literature. I also learned that with my own writing I can rephrase other ideas without copying them, and that’s alright to do, as long as I put it into my own words.

Is this article “successful” according to the criteria you defined earlier? If so,

how? If not, why not?

To me, this article was successful because the authors were able to get their

point across successfully to me, the reader in a language and level we both

understood, in order to inform me of their ideas and thoughts.

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

Yes, my idea of writing has changed. Before, I believed plagiarism was only when you copied a piece of literature word for word, but truly plagiarism is all around whether or not it is copying something exactly. I now understand that I am able to rephrase or re summarize another piece of literature legally as long as I use my own words.

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 like to keep all of my terms but also add originality and constantly

changing, because writing is truly never original and is also constantly changing

as time goes by.