When I first checked the syllabus for my composition course, I was beyond happy to see that there was no final. I was happier to see that there wasn’t even an essay due for the final, only a blog.
Source: Wikimedia
Basically, I thought I was going to get away with an easy final project which I could finish without much thought. In short, I was wrong. Really wrong. Our prompt was to convert a research-type essay into a more casual blog, which meant I had to change my voice to become more casual. This was by far one of the biggest hurdles, and I’m still struggling to adapt. I have never had to support a thesis using a casual voice, so I felt like everything either came out too robotic or too try-hard.
Source: PublicDomainPictures.net
What I did
With that aside though, I feel like I didn’t do as bad on other elements of blogging or the assignment. I narrowed my targeted audience to college students who share similar political beliefs with me. In turn, I had to make more stylistic changes to my writing. But to a certain extent, my ideas became more genuine. What I said was more politically oriented and very biased, since I was trying to appeal more to leftist minds. Additionally, I focused my whole argument on how our economy is affecting students the worst, even though students are the backbone of any thriving economy. In other words, I made my arguments directly relatable and personal to my audience.
And since I would be included with you in my targeted audience, I felt like it was actually me talking about what I strongly believed in. I was able to hear my thoughts and actually know that they were something I would say outside of an assignment. I felt invested in what I was saying, it was nothing like talking to a void. It was fun to see my vision grow, but it was also an issue, since I could only write so much.
Source: Pixabay (Geralt)
I had to cut out a lot of what I initially intended to put in, alongside the new ideas that popped up as I went into details. Since my argument was more focused around the economy and not social circumstances, I had to completely get rid of my arguments on how minority groups are unfairly tied to their economic status, and how that affects minority students and minority communities. Being a minority, this could have only added to the personal connection I felt with what I was writing. But for all I know, that argument can be another story for another time.
Where am I now
Obviously, I’m still not an expert at this, not even close, but I feel like this isn’t a golden standard for being an “expert” at either. Sure, there are ways to improve your voice, or tools to make sure you can find good pictures which are licensed for reuse, but blogging is about speaking from the self. I feel like I did that well.
I definitely have to practice compressing my ideas, using transitions in such short paragraphs, and finding my casual voice, but I feel like I learned a lot about both the blogging community and myself. I see now just how sloppy blogging can be, but how effective it can be to brainstorm new ideas. I can see myself doing a blog-esque routine in the future to help think about and solidify ideas/arguments.
I’m still new to this, and probably not the best, but I look forward to using this blog more to learn about myself as a person, as a student, and as a writer.
Source: Pixabay (Tumisu)
Photo Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canada’s_fireworks_at_the_2013_Celebration_of_Light_in_Vancouver,_BC.jpg
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/hledej.php?hleda=stress
https://pixabay.com/p-741507/?no_redirect
https://pixabay.com/p-494153/?no_redirect