Too Many Days Since Thursday!!

One of the most difficult aspects of this class (for me) is that I want to provide you with an adequate amount of background for each essay, enough information so that you feel as if you have a set of training wheels as you begin to tap-dance your fingertips across the keys. The truth, however, is that I can talk to you about writing your essays until I'm hoarse and you're asleep, but until you finally take action (think Nike commercial here: "Just do it!") nothing that I say will matter. No matter what I say or do, you'll be nervous about your first essay. You won't know what to expect until that paper is written, evaluated a couple of times, revised, and finally submitted for a grade.

Writing is not easy--not even for those who make their living by it. True enough, writers, journalists, and any others who make a living by the written word do so because they have found a certain niche that suits them, but . . . it's still work. Stephen King (yep, him again!) makes the comment that talent is may be an "almighty" gift, a huge one, but that the talent alone will not make a writer. The only thing that makes a writer is working at the craft, the talent that he/she possesses. Talent, intelligence, ability alone will not garner success (which translates to an "A" in college); whatever talent and intelligence you possess MUST be combined with work.

On Tuesday, I'll give you the "rubric" or the guidelines that have been established by Macon State (much like other colleges & universities) which outlines the criteria for papers. You'll have a chance to self-evaluate and you'll get a chance to post it on your blog, as well as offer comment on other essays. We'll also look at something in the Brief Bedford Reader that relates to grammar, mechanics, and the like.
Finally, you and I might both discover that if we work on posts shortly after class that our memory is much more fresh than the night before we see each other again. I find myself vaguely remembering last Thursday, knowing that it is connected to what I have to do now and what we will discuss tomorrow . . . hmmmmm. "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow . . ."

Daily Writing Assignment - Paragraph Description & Preview of Our Next Class

Below is an example of standard MLA format. The only difference is that I added "descriptive paragraph" to designate what it is you're writing, to specify. I've adapted the assignment on the top of page 155. Rather than write 3 paragraph, just write ONE GOOD DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH on one of the topics suggested. Make sure you print your paragraph & you're done for the day.

Your Name

Mrs. S. Aiken

English 1101 – descriptive paragraph

August 25, 2009

A ________

Try to use all your senses in your description:

Sight
Sound
Taste
Touch
Smell

It may sound odd to begin with . . . but give it a try. Aim for roughly a half page paragraph.

THEN . . . print it out!

Go to File – Select Print –
IF you are in H/SS 124, MAKE SURE THE PRINTER IS SET ON m124-lpt1
If you are at JCHS, hand in your paper, & if you're in PSC 107, copy and paste to your blog.

Make sure you read pages 117-143 before our next class. We will continue to discuss the use of description AND prepare to begin your first essay.

Purpose and Audience

Now that you have your own blog, you can go to it when you come to class, if you like. I'd like for you to post at least two times a week--and keep in mind that:

*YOUR blog can be as useful or useless as YOU make it
*It will be public; I won't be the only one to read it, any more than I will be the only one to read your papers.


PURPOSE and AUDIENCE are vital concerns in writing. Why we write is just as important as to whom we write. Even though you may be asked to write a variety of different essays, each will have its own purpose in addition to being a particular "type." For example, a descriptive essay can do much more than simply describe a scene, a person, a room. A good description is often part of a comparison/contrast, an element in telling a story, or support to clarify an argument.

In addition to PURPOSE, your AUDIENCE--the readers of your blog or your essays--should be kept in mind. If the only writing you ever did was academic, then all of your writing would be expected to be formal. There would be no use of personal pronouns, no contractions, no colloquial expressions, and you would be expected to sound like a "starched shirt" or textbook in everything you write. But the world we live in today is not as formal as the one twenty or even ten years ago. Today, we have a wide range of readers, just as we have a wide range of purposes for writing. Yes, the GRADE you receive for this class eventually comes from me, but I am NOT the only reader of your work. Look around the classroom the next time you come in--here is your audience. You want to write clearly and coherently to capture and maintain their attention, not just mine. You will be reading their writing as well, assisting each other in developing unified papers.

It all sounds good on paper and cyberspace here, doesn't it? And we all know it's not that easy.

We've got to start somewhere, though. And so today, we begin the study of the descriptive essay.

Blog #1 for English 1101

On the first day of class we went over the syllabus, covering materials, books, expectations, etc. Primarily the focus was on what I had to say and what YOU had to read. There was little opportunity for you to interact.

The blog you establish on the second day of class should take care of that problem. On you have created your blog (or gone to the one you already have) think about WHAT YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS CLASS. What are YOUR expectations? What do you hope to accomplish? What are the strategies YOU would like to see us deal with in this class.
Are there any particular types of writing you know you will be expected to complete in your area of interest or discipline?

How can this class assist you in accomplishing your aspirations or goals?