REFLECTIVE LETTER
Dear Readers,
You may have some questions about this portfolio and my writing in general. Fortunately, I have had the foresight to predict them and have provided you with the answers.
What’s all in here?
As this portfolio is specifically for English 458, Advanced Writing Workshop, the majority of the works here are assignments from the class. First of all, are my Rules of Writing. In a stress-induced and sleep-deprived haze, I compiled my best advice for all the writers of the world and potentially my future students. I did my best to explain my points without getting too carried away with the metaphors. Next are my literacy narratives. For the Little Things are Big assignment, I reached back to eighth grade to recount my first major undertaking in my writing career: a book for a first grade buddy. For my Life Literacy Narrative I reflect on my experiences in education through a series of four letters to four former teachers, the best and the worst of my K-12 schooling. My next piece is my Argumentative Blog (or not-so-lovingly known as a ‘blarg’) that was based on a previous research paper relating to introverts and education. Keeping the core ideas, I revamped the presentation to fit the blog genre. Finally for Eng. 458 are the more creative and unique assignments of the semester: the Audio Essay and Digital Writing. For my Audio Essay, I bring forth a difficult and personal challenge of dating someone with depression in an invitation to dialogue around the topic. For my Digital Writing, I crafted a testimonial of sorts reflecting on my experiences in the Dakotas United Methodist Camping Ministry. Additionally, I have included my final papers for English 271 (Literary Analysis), English 340 (19th Century American Fiction), and English 435 (Young Adult Literature). Each of these papers provides a different approach to literary analysis.
How do these work reflect English department outcomes 2 & 6?
English department outcome 2 sates, “English majors will be able to read (analyze, interpret, critique, evaluate) written and visual texts.” The three additional works I have included in this portfolio are most applicable to this outcome as they are all variations of literary analyses. My Literary Analysis paper, ‘Fangs and Feminism,’ takes a feminist lens to Bram Stoker’s Dracula to analyze the roles of women and how they succeed or fail at creating agency throughout the novel. ‘Enlightenment or Entertainment’ was a product of a semester-long project that involved researching scholarly articles, digging into the historical archive, and close reading of Kate Chopin’s Athenaise. Using these three aspects as well as a comparison to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I interpreted and critiqued Chopin’s motivation in writing Athenaise as well as providing a commentary on the gatekeepers of literacy. My final inclusion, ‘Diary vs Diary,’ is a departure from my previous analyses in that it takes the form of a teaching resource. Using critical multicultural analysis, I drew connections and examined differences between Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.
English department outcome 6 sates, “English majors will be familiar with literatures as culturally and historically embedded practices. This outcome includes goals such as familiarity with major writers, genres, and periods, and technologies of writing.” For this outcome, I turn back to the English 458 assignments, specifically the Blog, Audio Essay, and Digital Writing. Each of these is a genre that I previously had limited experience in and are representative of the modern era and writing in the 21st century. Blogs have become a huge part of 21st century communication, especially for discourse within a community. For my blog, I chose to use a topic that I had addressed in a formal research paper for a previous class, introversion and education. Going in, I felt confident as I was familiar with the content, but I quickly realized that translating the well-researched and critically-presented ideas into a casual and conversational form of a blog was much trickier than I imagined. I worked to fulfil the conventions of the genre, including a more informal tone, summarized ideas, and providing visuals. For my audio essay, I toyed with several ideas but kept coming back to dating and depression. I found that the genre of the audio essay worked really well for this topic as it allowed me to build an atmosphere and express emotion in a way that words on a paper simply cannot. The final of these new-age writing genres, the digital writing assignment, was the one I was most familiar with. I’ve spent too many hours to count immersed in iMovie over the past two summers creating camp videos, so I was familiar with the creation platform I used for my video. I also pulled from my script writing and video production skills developed in Communication 245, Principles of Broadcast Production. My previous practice in video production helped me in creating my testimonial-esque piece. I feel I have a sturdy understanding in how to communicate using videos and have a solid grasp on using the genre effectively.
What are my strengths?
Adaptability has been one of my strongest assets throughout my education. For me, this skill was on full display in this course. I ran headlong into the fray of the new genres presented to me this semester and came out rather unscathed with a strong basic-to-advanced understanding of how to effectively use each genre. As I previously addressed, the blog and audio essay were foreign to my repertoire before this semester. Despite this, I created products that effectively used the genre, and while they definitely have room for improvement, they were a benevolent first attempt. With the help of mentor texts for each assignment, I was able to form a foundation to build upon with my own works.
Another strength of mine is my storytelling ability. I was able to exercise this skill most through the literacy narratives. Using my imaginative nature I was able to recreate my younger years via narration and apply a layer of reflection to give meaning to my stories. For Wizard of Words, I focused on physical details – the book, my first grade buddy, the thank you card – to build the stories of my past. In Letters to my Former Teachers, I focused on my emotional journey as I went through each teacher’s classroom. I pinpointed moments that had an incredible impact on me emotionally, like the moment Mr. Stewart sentenced me to a life of hating math and Mr. Bradley’s daily journal that broke through my façade and opened a door of caring. These were the moments I most enjoyed writing.
What are areas in which I could improve?
While many of my project had opportunity for revision and growth, my time management skills did not allow for such a thing. Procrastination and poor time management have always been my greatest faults, and this class was no exception. Had I planned better and allowed for time to revisit my works and improve them, my works easily could have taken on a much greater and more meaningful form. In the future, I will work harder to give myself the best possible chance for improving my work and growing as a writer.
Another struggle I faced in this course is a fear and refusal to face works that I have determined to be finished. I have a tendency to take a ‘one-and-done’ attitude with my writing and not look back. What exactly causes this, I am not yet sure. However, I do know that it limits opportunities for growth in my writing. Moving forward, I must learn to embrace the recursive process of writing. I must use the feedback provided by teachers and peers to move beyond ‘good enough’ and achieve greatness, because as the back of my high school track t-shirt proclaims, “Good stops at good enough, but greatness never stops.”
Final Thoughts
Well I hope you have enjoyed this little adventure through this small compilation of my writing for Advanced Writing Workshop.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Rickertsen
You may have some questions about this portfolio and my writing in general. Fortunately, I have had the foresight to predict them and have provided you with the answers.
What’s all in here?
As this portfolio is specifically for English 458, Advanced Writing Workshop, the majority of the works here are assignments from the class. First of all, are my Rules of Writing. In a stress-induced and sleep-deprived haze, I compiled my best advice for all the writers of the world and potentially my future students. I did my best to explain my points without getting too carried away with the metaphors. Next are my literacy narratives. For the Little Things are Big assignment, I reached back to eighth grade to recount my first major undertaking in my writing career: a book for a first grade buddy. For my Life Literacy Narrative I reflect on my experiences in education through a series of four letters to four former teachers, the best and the worst of my K-12 schooling. My next piece is my Argumentative Blog (or not-so-lovingly known as a ‘blarg’) that was based on a previous research paper relating to introverts and education. Keeping the core ideas, I revamped the presentation to fit the blog genre. Finally for Eng. 458 are the more creative and unique assignments of the semester: the Audio Essay and Digital Writing. For my Audio Essay, I bring forth a difficult and personal challenge of dating someone with depression in an invitation to dialogue around the topic. For my Digital Writing, I crafted a testimonial of sorts reflecting on my experiences in the Dakotas United Methodist Camping Ministry. Additionally, I have included my final papers for English 271 (Literary Analysis), English 340 (19th Century American Fiction), and English 435 (Young Adult Literature). Each of these papers provides a different approach to literary analysis.
How do these work reflect English department outcomes 2 & 6?
English department outcome 2 sates, “English majors will be able to read (analyze, interpret, critique, evaluate) written and visual texts.” The three additional works I have included in this portfolio are most applicable to this outcome as they are all variations of literary analyses. My Literary Analysis paper, ‘Fangs and Feminism,’ takes a feminist lens to Bram Stoker’s Dracula to analyze the roles of women and how they succeed or fail at creating agency throughout the novel. ‘Enlightenment or Entertainment’ was a product of a semester-long project that involved researching scholarly articles, digging into the historical archive, and close reading of Kate Chopin’s Athenaise. Using these three aspects as well as a comparison to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I interpreted and critiqued Chopin’s motivation in writing Athenaise as well as providing a commentary on the gatekeepers of literacy. My final inclusion, ‘Diary vs Diary,’ is a departure from my previous analyses in that it takes the form of a teaching resource. Using critical multicultural analysis, I drew connections and examined differences between Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.
English department outcome 6 sates, “English majors will be familiar with literatures as culturally and historically embedded practices. This outcome includes goals such as familiarity with major writers, genres, and periods, and technologies of writing.” For this outcome, I turn back to the English 458 assignments, specifically the Blog, Audio Essay, and Digital Writing. Each of these is a genre that I previously had limited experience in and are representative of the modern era and writing in the 21st century. Blogs have become a huge part of 21st century communication, especially for discourse within a community. For my blog, I chose to use a topic that I had addressed in a formal research paper for a previous class, introversion and education. Going in, I felt confident as I was familiar with the content, but I quickly realized that translating the well-researched and critically-presented ideas into a casual and conversational form of a blog was much trickier than I imagined. I worked to fulfil the conventions of the genre, including a more informal tone, summarized ideas, and providing visuals. For my audio essay, I toyed with several ideas but kept coming back to dating and depression. I found that the genre of the audio essay worked really well for this topic as it allowed me to build an atmosphere and express emotion in a way that words on a paper simply cannot. The final of these new-age writing genres, the digital writing assignment, was the one I was most familiar with. I’ve spent too many hours to count immersed in iMovie over the past two summers creating camp videos, so I was familiar with the creation platform I used for my video. I also pulled from my script writing and video production skills developed in Communication 245, Principles of Broadcast Production. My previous practice in video production helped me in creating my testimonial-esque piece. I feel I have a sturdy understanding in how to communicate using videos and have a solid grasp on using the genre effectively.
What are my strengths?
Adaptability has been one of my strongest assets throughout my education. For me, this skill was on full display in this course. I ran headlong into the fray of the new genres presented to me this semester and came out rather unscathed with a strong basic-to-advanced understanding of how to effectively use each genre. As I previously addressed, the blog and audio essay were foreign to my repertoire before this semester. Despite this, I created products that effectively used the genre, and while they definitely have room for improvement, they were a benevolent first attempt. With the help of mentor texts for each assignment, I was able to form a foundation to build upon with my own works.
Another strength of mine is my storytelling ability. I was able to exercise this skill most through the literacy narratives. Using my imaginative nature I was able to recreate my younger years via narration and apply a layer of reflection to give meaning to my stories. For Wizard of Words, I focused on physical details – the book, my first grade buddy, the thank you card – to build the stories of my past. In Letters to my Former Teachers, I focused on my emotional journey as I went through each teacher’s classroom. I pinpointed moments that had an incredible impact on me emotionally, like the moment Mr. Stewart sentenced me to a life of hating math and Mr. Bradley’s daily journal that broke through my façade and opened a door of caring. These were the moments I most enjoyed writing.
What are areas in which I could improve?
While many of my project had opportunity for revision and growth, my time management skills did not allow for such a thing. Procrastination and poor time management have always been my greatest faults, and this class was no exception. Had I planned better and allowed for time to revisit my works and improve them, my works easily could have taken on a much greater and more meaningful form. In the future, I will work harder to give myself the best possible chance for improving my work and growing as a writer.
Another struggle I faced in this course is a fear and refusal to face works that I have determined to be finished. I have a tendency to take a ‘one-and-done’ attitude with my writing and not look back. What exactly causes this, I am not yet sure. However, I do know that it limits opportunities for growth in my writing. Moving forward, I must learn to embrace the recursive process of writing. I must use the feedback provided by teachers and peers to move beyond ‘good enough’ and achieve greatness, because as the back of my high school track t-shirt proclaims, “Good stops at good enough, but greatness never stops.”
Final Thoughts
Well I hope you have enjoyed this little adventure through this small compilation of my writing for Advanced Writing Workshop.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Rickertsen