Reflection

Feature Article (Original vs Revised)

This piece started as an attempt to do justice to a story I wrote years ago for the newspaper, and didn’t get to what I wanted that time. (See: http://www.hamiltoncountyherald.com/Story.aspx?id=2358&date=6%2F24%2F2011) For the current piece, I interviewed Bentley again about a year ago and hoped this would be the first piece in a novel length type of work. Therefore, I knew going into the writing of the feature article that it was going to be too long to maintain audience interest. It was a constant battle from the forming of the article to the revision to “kill my darlings” and let go of the urge to write philosophically about a topic that held a strange kind of romance in urban decay for me. (see, there I go again)

On revision, I cut the multiple examples I had to illustrate single ideas. I also tried to take myself out of the article as completely as possible. My future hopes are to go on another exploration with Bentley and bring myself back into the story, but for now, it’s not there. I’d like to also add more interviews from others in the UE community, but I did not have time to compile these for this deadline. For this revision, I also worked on strengthening my organization and tightening focus. There are still some areas that falter, and I wasn’t sure whether to revise or cut these completely. They will have to be revisited with possible editorial assistance. I chose not to add too much about Bentley’s son and how much or little he accompanies Bentley on these explorations. One reason is that Bentley asked me to include his son as little as possible, and I certainly don’t want to get Bentley in any trouble if readers got the wrong idea about the care he gives to his son.

Overall, I like the direction my feature is heading. I want to try more to portray Bentley in a way that truly expresses his personality and what drives him on these explorations. Right now, the description is only surface level because I did not think I had the authority to push the boundaries of the explanation of who he is. I am going to work on this though and flush out his character more. I enjoy the topic of Urban Exploration and I think I can stick with it through multiple revisions to turn out something of publishable quality.

Profile (Original vs Revised)

This piece was a fun one to write. I met Barry a few years ago, and ever since then I have been interested in how he got into his business and how he keeps it all straight. I wrote many a profile when I worked for the newspaper, and therefore though I had a good hold on what writing a profile would be. Yet, after working with this piece throughout the semester, and even now realizing it can go through several revisions and still not be “done,” I have learned to what heights a profile can aspire to. Reading “Orchid Fever” gave me this perspective in full. One human can be so complex and interesting so as to write hundreds of pages about them. The profile is high art in condensing what you get into the most interesting and focused bit. To this end, I still struggle in my profile to maintain a clear focus. I get wrapped up in the story and allow the interviewee to lead the story. Further, I enjoy the art of storytelling too much and therefore embellish on parts in ways that seem gratuitous and halt the story. While I enjoy profile writing and the interview process, I have gained perspective of the reader in having my pieces edited this semester and I hope to carry this into the next drafts of the paper.

For the second revision on my profile, I went back to Barry and asked for more information on his Southern heritage and what he thought of it. He was reluctant to provide this, and I took that into account in my writing. I am aware of my slant in my writing now and am going to try and remain neutral in my writing and let the reader decide in future revision who the person I am talking about is, rather than telling them who I think he is. Also, in revision, I added my own experience of watching a wrestling match into the narrative.

Now, after third revision, this piece feels like it’s the closest to being done out of all of those I have written. I would like to interview one of Barry’s wrestlers to bring in more of that perspective of being a southern wrestler, and replace some of the less interesting details of Barry’s profile with this. I do like how my flow and tone has developed though, and was extremely pleased when the Southern element of the story was able to shine through. I hope I get to fix these minor things and take this one to publication.

Book Review (no revision)

I’m including my book review original submission in this portfolio because I am pleased with how the first draft turned out. There are a few instances where I could cut and make clearer with word choice, but overall, the first attempt was something I’m proud of. I’m especially pleased with how it turned out to have a nice and interesting flow, with a source material that did not. This is a piece I would also like to sit down one on one with an editor and hash out how to play with the language to make it more effective should there be an occasion to publish this.

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection

This assignment was the one that gave me the most difficulty. I’m mostly a creative writer, and this piece required me to scale that back in large part to focus on analysis. On my original attempt, I realize my sentences were not great, and I was oftentimes faltering to make my points clear.

For revision, I plan to rework the placement of the photos and reevaluate what photos are used so that they match my copy better. For the first draft, I found the pictures and then wrote the analysis. Matching pictures to analysis is a better strategy that I wish to employ in revision. Further, because the material got dense at times, I have several awkward phrases that I would like to rework. I’d like to go over the whole piece and find where words are not being used as I intended, and where the abundance of words I originally used is not necessary. In short, being more precise and concise as Dr. Jones suggested. As far as organization, on my rewrite, I would like to address all the features of the old magazine and then move to modern day magazine. This will offer the greatest insight and contrast. As it stands, the jump from older magazine to new confuses the reader on what is being talked about and compared. Overall too, I’d like to find more interesting information for this piece. I was uncomfortable talking about the rhetoric portion and getting that down, and by doing so, my paper was less interesting and more technical. This piece offers the most room for improvement, and is the one I am least fond of in this portfolio.

Ephemera Reflection

I’m including the ephemera in my portfolio, because it was one of the most enjoyable assignments of the semester. I think diversity in mediums used in a magazine is important these days, and people like to see the strange or forgotten items from archives or family histories. I talked to my grandfather for this piece and he told me everything he knew about Ophelia. Yet, there is maybe more to be said about his picture. I would have to do some heavy ancestry research to find out more about who Ophelia was, but this could make this picture and accompanying entry that much more interesting. I also enjoyed the opportunity to do some artistic photography. I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity to do more of this, should I be able to take the class next semester.

Reflection on Sample of Editing

This semester I learned that there are several different types of editing. Before, I was only comfortably aware of “copy editing.” Learning about developmental editing and getting the opportunity to practice this was helpful. It made me more aware of the steps and processes that editors have to go through upon receiving a piece and taking it all the way to publication. It’s an intensive and delicate process that many (my former self included) take for granted. In this portfolio, I am including one of my letters of revision that I gave to a writer during the developmental writing process.

For each editing session, I prefered to have the document printed out in front of me. I feel like I catch mistakes and am able to work with sentences better when they are literally under my pen. The process of sharing my feedback with the other writers in the class was enjoyable, and it always felt like we were listening and being heard in these discussions. Talking about writing and playing with writing to bend it to our will is already something I enjoy, but having experienced writers to collaborate on these pieces was a bonus. While I did not adopt all the suggestions into my pieces, I welcomed all ideas that could aid my writing, When suggestions were made to me, I also was conscious of the reaction I was giving as well as internalizing. I took these feelings that I had upon hearing my piece “lacked focus” and was sure to frame my comments on a similar issue to my peers in such a way that they might receive it best. I think our class was extremely polite, warm and helpful. I never felt disrespected or picked on.

Reflection on Job Letter

I have written many a job letter. The practice to write another one though was not a bad thing. I don’t always do the best job at promoting myself and my skills when I go into a job interview, but usually my cover letter and writing samples show my skill set fairly well. I’m on of those people who “looks good on paper.” My original job letter submission though, did not have a strong hook to get the employer interested in reading what I was about. Also, including the information about my time at Barnes and Noble could be cut as the least relevant piece of information in the letter. For revision, I might also throw in a fact I have run across in researching the company I am applying for. This could show a genuine tailored interest to this company.

Other Reflection

Overall, I have learned that I still have a ways to go to becoming the writer I want to be. Without feedback, I was alternating between thinking I was a great writer and that I was a terrible writer. The conversations in class, notes on my papers, and struggling through the process with the variety of different pieces in the class gave me perspective on what my writing is and where it could go.

Many of my papers share common issues such as lack of focus; long, awkward or highly poetical sentences; and shaky organizational structure. It was helpful to have these things pointed out again and again, because now I know what is going to trip me up in any kind of writing I might undertake.

I was first unsure about staying with this class because I expected something very different from the title “Writing Essays for Publication.” I am glad I stuck with it though. I am grateful to have been able to write so many different types of pieces in one semester, and for the practice in compiling and presenting them in a portfolio. The class feels pertinent and useful to my ambition to be a better writer and to find a full time job that involves these skills.