"Writing, Technology, and Teens "

1. Sixty percent of students surveyed for this research study said they don't consider text messaging, email, or IM to be "writing." Why do you think this is the case? Do you consider these forms of communication to be writing? Why or why not?
- I think the sixty percent of students that were surveyed don't consider text messaging, email, or IM to be "writing" because teens use the internet and cell phones is to exploit their communication features. They feel it's a difference between "writing" at school and "writing" outside of school for personal reasons. I consider texting, emailing, and instant messaging to be writing. I consider them to be a part of the writing because writing represents language through signs and skills.
2. Sixty-four percent of the teens surveyed for this study said that they sometime use informal writing styles in their school writing. Do you do this? People like James Billington, the librarian of Congress, think electronic writing this seeps into formal writing like this is "damaging the basic unit of human thought --- the sentence" (para. 2). Do you agrees or disagree that this is the case? Why or why not?
- I have once before one time used informal writing styles in my school writing. James Billington feel that the quality of writing by young Americans is being degraded by electronic communication. I agree because using electronics, whatever you type, goes. Electronics don't help with writing, it doesn't have your sentence structure right.
3. The teens surveyed for this study explained what motivates them to write. List their answer then your own: what motivates you to write?
- Teens write to get a good grade, stay in touch with friends, share artistic creations with people or put they thoughts to paper. Some things that motivate me is to show of my writing skills, let my opinion be heard, express myself, my teachers, and to improve myself.

"Texting and Writing"

3. In her description of methods, Cullington argues that a good reason for using one's best friends as data sources is because a researcher can better interpret the responses of participants she knows intimately what are the benefits to interviewing participants a researcher doesn't know? is it clear whether the advantages of interviewing one group outweigh the advantages of interviewing the other?
- The benefits to interviewing participants a researcher doesn't know is being able to give the interviewer a different mindset on things he or she is receiving from the person they are interviewing. It gives the interviewer time to realize how people looked at things from a different mindset and perspective. It allows them to have a wide array of thoughts and opinions as Ms. Cullington stated in her story. Michaela Cullington was cautious about the groups because she didn't want too many assumptions being told.
4. People debating an issue often forget that issue itself can shift beneath them with the passage of time, so what they were arguing at the beginning might be irrelevant several years on. This can be especially true in relation to issues of electronics, networks, and social interaction, because the technology itself moves so quickly -- something that was a problem just last year might be a complete non-issue with the next version of software or hardware. Can you think of any ways the "texting-and-writing" issue could have shifted between 2004 (the date of Cullington's earliest source) and when she studied the problem five years later?
- The "texting-and-writing" issue could have shifted by taking positive about texting because texting really can go hand and hand with writing. With people texting so much these days, it tend to have them write more and speak more on a certain subject. When people text, they tend to be more expressive and can express themselves better. But one downfall with the texting is that people tend to sometimes forget they are writing and would use acronyms for words in their writing because the texting is so addictive.

"Comparing Writing Processes"

          Over the time we've been learning about our partner's writing process, I discovered a lot of things I didn't knew about my partner. I always thought that some steps I did or the process I went through was the same as everyone else's. My partner is Ali Alroani and his writing process is kind of different from mines.We also had some things in common as well but not as much as our differences. One thing we do have in common is that we have to be in a quiet place or in a quiet environment in order to write. An exact spot for me is in my bedroom in my queen sized magenta pink bed. My bedroom light has to be on because I tend to be more alert and alive. Ali has to have bottled water, tea or a soft drink as his beverage but I just prefer a bottled water.
          An important step I do that Ali look over is the pre-writing or brainstorming step. This is the most crucial and important part of writing. Ali feels that its an unnecessary step but it is not unnecessary because its like a blue print of your entire paper. It gives me the chance to jot down all of the things that come to mind and gives me an idea of how my entire paper will flow. Whenever I write, I spend around four hours and Ali spends roughly an hour because he says he tend to get bored easily. When I write, I write on and on because so much come to mind and I just get carried away a bit. Writing gives me a chance to express myself so that's maybe why I can write for that long.
          We both go back through our papers and insert bigger words because it tend to make the paper lengthy and more interesting. Ali tend to wait to the last minute to write and he's no different from many students because procrastination is a huge thing that goes on with us all. I'll admit, sometimes I do wait to the last minute but the work I do turn in, it doesn't exemplify last minute work. Ali and my writing processes are somewhat different and the same but Ali's writing style remind me of my writing process from the past.

QDJ page 608 #'s 1,3 & 4

1. What was your impression of Murray's writing processes as they're described here? How do they compare to yours? What do you do the same or differently?
I think his writing processes is actually the perfect thing to go by since all he does is write for a living. He has the time for all of his revising and planning. It only make a lot of sense that Murray would plan everything out before writing it out or making any official things. I feel that is something Murray and I have in common. Before I make anything official, I have to write it out and I spend some time planning.
3. How did this study change Berkenkotter's understanding of writing processes, particularly planning and revising?
She was very much surprised that the time for planning was so much. She then began to realize why there was so much time because planning and revision some times go hand and hand. She also found out that just because you finish drafting doesn't means you're done because it can be re-did to be something greater.
4. What problems with existing methods for studying writing process does Berkenkotter identify? If you read Perl, did you notice any of these problems in her methods? What do you think they might mean for Perl's findings? In what ways is Berkenkotter's newer approach to studying writing processes able to solve the weaknesses in other methods? Do any weaknesses remain?
A problem I see will have to be time management. I say time management with the editing and also with the revising stages. He states some problems that goes on with editing papers people go through. Some of the things he said about editing a paper, I tend to feel the same way, such as there should more editing or revising than actually writing a paper and with that being said, there will be weaknesses still because people will tend to just write and write without taking time to edit or revise.

"My Specific Writing Process"

My writing specific process is almost always the same every time whenever I write. First of all, the environment I’m writing has to be quiet and I have to have my pink earphones in listening to music. There cannot be no television on because it just is irrelevant for it to be on because I rarely watch television anyway. Majority of the time I be in my bedroom or at the dining room table where the lights are bright. When I’m in my room, I always be sitting up on my pink bed with my laptop on my lap with my pink blanket and I have to have my ceiling fan on high. I also have to have a bottled water near me as well.

            Whenever I write, I take some time to brainstorm and get my mind running with ideas and I have to write down how I would start off a paper. The materials I use is always a black ball point or gel pen because it flows well and doesn't have an annoying sound as a pencil. I write on college ruled because I write kind of big and it gives me space. I write out how my paper would be set up with an introduction, body, and with the closing. I make a draft or multiple drafts depending on how I feel about my writing. My writing means a lot so I put in my time and I always turn in quality work.

            When I write, I do take breaks to give my brain some time away from all of that thinking. I give my brain some time to refresh and think of other ideas. By that time, I’ll grab another bottled water and may play with my nieces or get on twitter then get back to writing. I also tend to play in my hair whenever I write as well, it seem to help me brainstorm more. Music really motivates me more whenever I write and majority of the music I listen to is rap and R&B. Music keeps me in my zone whenever I’m writing or doing homework period.  

"Rose" QDJ 1,2, & 4

1. Create a list of all the rules that, according to Rose, interfere with “the blockers” writing. What rules, if any, do you find yourself forced to follow that seem to get in the way of your writing?

List of rules:

1.  A good essay will always grab the reader or reader’s attention immediately.
2. If sentences aren't grammatically ‘correct,’ they aren’t useful.
3. If the first paragraph is good, then the rest of the essay will be good
4. Always have at least three or more points in an essay.\
5. Elements of a story or poem must have some sort of linear structure and clarity, or bringing people closer to the issue.
6. The analysis of a story or poem must provide clarity that may appear to be absent in the writing.
7.  Humanities papers must scintillate with insight, must present images, ideas, ironies gleaned from the literature under examination.
8. The writer must have a plan, a strategy of some sort in order to solve a problem, when the plan is created, it becomes an exact structural and substantive blueprint that cannot be violated.
9. Somebody who achieves some sort of “flow” in one’s writing through by using adequate transition.
10.  Someone who achieves substance to someone’s writing through the use of evidence.

Rules I’m forced to follow:

1.  An essay will always grab the reader’s attention immediately
2.  If the first paragraph is good, then the rest of the essay will be good
3. Always have at least three or more points
4. The writer must have a plan or some sort of strategy
5. Someone who achieves some sort of flow
6. Someone who achieves substance to someone’s writing through the use of evidence

2. Describe the difference between the rules that blockers in Rose’s study were following and those that non-blockers were following. What accounts for the difference?

Non-blockers

1. Use as many ideas or reasons in your thesis paragraph as you can and then create paragraphs for each idea.
2. Always try to keep audience your intended audience in mind.
3. If a rule conflicts with what is sensible or with experience, reject it.
4. Whenever you’re stuck, just write.
5. If your original thought will not work, then try something different.

4. Based on Rose’s study and descriptions of writers and their rules, write a “rule” explaining what makes a rule good for writers, and what makes a rule bad for writers. You’ll get bonus points if you can tell whether your rule is algorithm or a heuristic.

                One of many good rules for the writer or writers is to have correct grammar and punctuation and correct structure throughout their entire paper and out of algorithm and heuristic, the good rule is algorithm.  A bad rule is whenever you’re writing, make sure to take out or remove points so the audience will get a full and detailed picture of the outcome of what is being explained rather than being confused and this is an example of heuristic.

"Writing Process of Famous Author"

Most authors have rather interesting writing processes or habits. Some do some weird things but the outcome be great novels, stories, books, and other things in that group. An author I found that has an interesting writing process was Maya Angelou. She had a quite interesting way of how she wrote and it does involve hotels…. Well not hotels in that sort of way. She can go to a hotel to clear her mind and think more clearly and vent. She’d be inside the hotel room with her head scarf, or head tie she calls it, on. She was married a couple of times and she had a husband that was some sort of jealous of her writing. She says he was jealous of her writing because when they were at the hotel, he’d accuse her of writing as if it was some sort of bad thing.

When Maya Angelou write, she’d tend to twist her hair and that is something her and I have I common. Her husband at the time could tell she had been writing because of the way her hair was. She learned to hide or cover her hair with some sort of turban. She always had kept a hotel room in her hometown and she’ll pay for it by the month. She’ll go by 6:30 in the morning and the room would consist of a bed, table, and a bath. Also, she would have a Roget’s Thesaurus, a dictionary, along with the King James edition bible.

On the desk she’ll have a deck of cards and some crossword puzzles to occupy her. She would work crossword puzzles out or play Solitaire to get deep into the subjects she wanted to write about. As time passed, she’ll keep the room. She’d have all the paintings and any decoration taken out of the room and she would ask the management and house-keeping not to enter the room, just in case she had thrown a piece of paper on the floor, she don’t want it discarded because she may go back to it and get more ideas from it. She would leave the hotel by 2 then go home and read over what she had wrote that morning, and try to revise or edit it, tweak it or critique it. Her writing process is different because not everyone is the same. She had to get a room in order to write, other people sit at desks, some lie down, some write, and some type. Everybody has different writing habits and that’s what makes us all different.