Timetable
8/28 Assignment distributed
10/11 Mid-term collection of full log for feedback
12/10 10am Final submission of full log for final grade.
The Basics
Over the course of the semester, you will keep writing/thinking/research/exercise/annotating log. You will use this log to maintain a written record/digital scrapbook of what you read and write, keeping your research notes, story ideas, reading observations all in one place. You will include quotes of what you like, what you want to emulate, and what you don’t, and explain why. This log will be collected twice in hard copy—once at mid-term and again at the end of the semester. The idea behind the log is to give you a space to write often and without the internal editor turned on—use it as a place to experiment, try things out, and make note of the kind of writing you like and why.The purpose is to provide you a place where you can write freely, generate story/project ideas, keep track of readings, observations, research questions that arise in response to class discussions/assignments or things you read/listen to/watch on your own; practice different types of writing. You will create document in Google (to be shared with your professor using my same email except [at] gmail.com) named YourfirstnameLastinitial_WritingLog_WRD225_2018, so that I can browse around and comment/offer feedback easily. The log is worth 30% of your final grade. *Make sure you “share it with me” so I can comment in-text.
The Rationale
Writing is like any other craft or skill–you get better the more you do it. The idea is to contribute something writerly (even if that is critically engaged reading where you respond in writing) on a regular basis. This “digital intellectual scrapbook” will help you try out different genres, styles, audiences and to have something to point to when it comes time to generate ideas for course papers and projects.
Getting Starting
An easy way to get started is to simply copy your “daily questions” into your log, but don’t just leave them hanging there as questions. Try to posit and answer or connect them to what was said in class discussion. Here is the space to actually do the “suggested writing exercises” and keep track of them. If you follow-up on something from the suggested reading list or discover something on your own–detail what questions led you to seek it out and what you learned in the process. You are not limited to the exercises I suggest, in fact, if you like an intro and want to try the style out, just let me know what you were trying to do when you invent your own exercises. I.e.; “I wanted to rewrite the typical Lexington bourbon/horse visit for a parents visiting UK students or LGBTQ families,” and then follow your own prompt!
Evaluation Criteria
The goal of this assignment is daily practice, so A level work will include at least 3 entries a week of at least 250-500 words each.
Entries will not be evaluated on how “polished” they are, but rather how much insight you bring to them. For example if you do the “exercise,” you might not end up liking what you generate, and that’s totally fine. What’s important to do is pay attention to what you you think works, what doesn’t, and detail how and why you might revise it even if you don’t revisit the exercise.
Highly reflective entries will garner high completion marks.
Note–I will weigh in on your first few entries to let you know if the entries are working they way they should. I likely won’t offer a lot of comments until Oct. 11.