Blog Post 6
After reading the assigned books in this class, I have found myself looking at things through a new lens in which I did not originally think of. The Understanding Rhetoric book provides insight into how to cite, how to write, and how to amplify your writing in a fun way. Chapter 3 of UR gave insight into how to characterize yourself into your writing without putting on a fake persona. I found this chapter to be extremely useful and more informational than the others as it describes how we are our ourselves and nothing can change that (pg. 124). I have a hard time adding personality to my writing, I always find it easier to simply sound professional because that is just how I write. While this is okay, it is also necessary to incorporate some aspects that differentiate you from yourself and others. Books such as They Say/I Say have not necessarily helped me in my writing. The chapters in the book have not applied to my writing in such a way that I need to read them again.
I find my strengths to be that of prolonging my points to reach the word counts. It is very easy for me to write about things for a long period of time because I find it simple to rephrase things and add words to my sentences. I do have hardships when it comes to being repetitive. I repeat a lot of the same things when writing, however, I make up for it with my rephrasing. I feel like my overall writing is decent. I try and be very profound with my words and I want to sound as professional as possible which can sometimes lead to me babbling on about things with no necessary meaning behind what I write. When this happens, I allow myself to reread and restructure what I have written in order to make sure it all makes sense. Overall, I plan to talk less in a professional way and more in a way that is applicable to the overall topics I am writing about. Doing so will amplify my writing and make it so that everything is understandable and that it all connects.
I completely agree with you when you say that you find yourself looking at things in a way you never would have looked at them before. I’ve noticed the same thing happening to myself, where I am beginning to view ideas, writing, and even everyday experiences through a deeper and more thoughtful lens. This new idea has not only changed the way I read and look at things, but it has also changed how I express myself through my writing. I also agree with what you said about the UR book and how it helps you write like a completely new writer while still maintaining your natural voice. The book encourages us to write in a tone that uses the same kind of words and expressions we would normally use, but it also teaches us how to add flair.
I’ve found that to be one of the most great lessons so far because it allows writing to feel both like it’s your own and but still creative at the same time. When you said that adding personality to your writing can be difficult, I understood what you meant right away. As that is something I struggle with myself. Sometimes it feels like I’m just typing the words that pop into my brain, without really putting “me” into what I’m saying. While writing clearly and writing with personality is definitely a challenge for me, it’s something I’m working on improving little by little.I also agree with your point about hitting a word count. That part is usually easy for me too, but not always in the best way. Like you, I sometimes realize I’m repeating the same idea over and over again, but I struggle to fix it without completely rewriting everything. Overall, I feel like we are both adjusting to this new way of writing pretty well.