advice to a virgin writer

I can still remember back when I was a virgin writer. I was in high school, and very unfamiliar with the process. The thought of all the work that went into it really overwhelmed me. I didn't have a plan and just kind of made it up as I went. Now that I am a little older and have a dozen or so papers under my belt, I feel like I control the paper and the paper no longer controls me. The advice I would give to someone writing their first paper is to pick a topic you are passionate about. If the topic is given to you, then put a spin on it that makes it unique for you. Next I would say make ample time for each step in the process. Don't try to cram all the research, drafting, and proofreading into a day or two. I believe the professor will know you have done that anyway, it's pretty obvious. Lastly, I would suggest reading as much about the topic as possible. Even though you may not use all of your research, just having a widespread knowledge of the subject will ensure you get that A you are striving for. Oh....and have someone proofread your paper, preferably a friend who isn't afraid to hurt your feelings :)

It's Christmas time...so let's wrap this term up already

I'm not going to lie, as much as I have enjoyed the writing process this term, I am ready to finish proofreading and turn my paper in. This has been a re-learning experience for me. I enjoyed writing term papers in my first round of college years ago so I assumed I would do well in this course. I have proved my self correct. I love putting my thought together on paper and seeing the final project. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment knowing the words on the screen are my thoughts...and only mine. No one did this for me. I had some great advice along the way but ultimately, I can take pride in the finished product. I want to say thank you to a wonderful professor who is always available and gives in abundance. I am sure we can all agree on that. I have absorbed so many tips and tricks from her this term. I am sure those will stay with me through my journey as a KU student and beyond.

Will I continue my blog after this term?

Although I really love to blog, I don't think I will find time to after this course. Since it required for class, I have a good reason to blog. My time is stretched so thin these days between school work and family, I am doing good just to make five minutes to do this blog each week. I have enjoyed the process of blogging though. It is kind of like therapy for me, a short, uninterrupted therapy.

Peer Reviews

I have to admit I was a little nervous about posting my rough draft to be reviewed. But it was a good kind of nervous because I wanted to see if my hard work and thought process came together in the way  I had planned. So far I have had one review and this person pointed out some very important things I overlooked and I think after making these changes, my paper will be much improved. I am just thankful that I could keep her attention long enough to get through all the pages. My hopes were that my paper was not too boring and informational. I am looking forward to the next review.

The Writing Process

So this week I have been writing my research paper on the Lap-Band surgery v.Gastric Bypass. This is something that I am passionate about and already have a lot of information on so it made it easier to write. I found while I was writing that my paper was very informational and less of my opinion. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not since I need to persuade the reader to think like me. But nonetheless, I am enjoying the writing process. It feels good to put my thoughts together after these past five weeks of wondering how I was going to do this and what exactly I wanted to say. But I can say that the professor was correct when she said to pick a subject your are interested in or want to know more about. I definitely made this process flow a lot smoother than writing on a subject that I just picked from a list  or something.

I'm back....in more ways than one

So this week's blog I have decided to write about how school has influenced my life so far. For the last 13 years I have regretted dropping out of college. By coming back to a formal education at this point in my life, I feel like I have direction and purpose. I have been at a dead end job for the past 3 years and I didn't know when things would ever change. Then one day I said ...you know what Jessica, you can't sit around and wait for change, you have to make it happen. So I have taken control of my life and my future again and it feels great. By continuing my education, I feel empowered and to put it simply, I feel smart again. Not so long ago, I didn't feel this way. I was allowing other people and outside influences steer my life down a path that I was not proud of and that was not who I was. Now I have taken the wheel and it is an amazing feeling to be in control again.

Plagiarism

So this week we are leaning about plagiarism and citing our references. It is important to give the original author credit for their work and to also provide the reader with the information needed to research further. I know that I would be very upset if someone used my words without permission or giving me credit. I know how much work goes into writing something I am proud of. So if it was actually good enough to publish, I would definitely want my name mentioned. I can see already the paraphrasing is going to give me some trouble. I always feel like I either change the original sentence completely or end up using too may of the same phrases. I am going to have to seriously work on this part of creating my research paper. I am enjoying the process so far but I need to invest a little more time. My fear is that week nine is going to sneak up on me and I am going to be cramming. I need to utilize the scheduler on doc sharing as soon as possible.

Week 3 Post

So it's week 3 of this composition course. I am having a little trouble participating in the seminars because the screen moves so quickly and the conversation changes just about the time that I want to say something. I don't know how this will effect my seminar grade. Hopefully the professor understands, which i think she does cause she seems a little hurried because of so many people typing. Other than that, everything is going great. I have decided to write my paper bariatric surgery, specifically the Lap-band. I am actually having this surgery soon so I enjoy doing all this research. Most of the factual information i have already read before...a million times. But the opinions in the articles are very enlightening. People feel strongly, either for it or against it, so the reads have been interesting. I need to start keeping a log of all the sites I have visited so I can really get down to business soon. Hopefully next week I will have a little more information to share after I have done some more work on my paper. Until then....

Hi everyone. Thanks for visiting my blog. I guess I will start by sharing a little bit of background info. I am 33 years old. I live about 10-15 miles west of Atlanta. I have lived here my entire life by choice because I think the Atlanta area has so much to offer. I am a mother of two children and going through a separation with my husband. I work full-time and I am taking two courses. This is my second term with KU. I can't complain so far...except for getting in touch with financial aid, but that's another story for a different blog. Anyway, this is my second time around going to college. I attended Emory University here in Atlanta when I was 18 and then transferred to Georgia Perimeter college when I was 19-21. I had big dreams to be a psychologist when I was younger but I had a child at age 20, and well....my priorities changed. But I am getting back on track 12 years later. I have a new major (Medical Office Management) and my focus is unstoppable at this point. I am enjoying my classes and feel so appreciative to be able to do this. I am making so many changes in my life right now, almost like a transformation. They say you come into your own in your thirties. I totally agree and I can't wait to see where the next few years takes me.

As for this comp class, I was looking forward to writing again. I really enjoyed it years ago and felt a great sense of accomplishment when I completed a research paper or any type of writing I was required to do. I just hope that this time, I am more focused. I have a lot more life experience under my belt and I have more to say. I am deciding between the topics of childhood obesity and bariatric surgery for my paper this term. I am passionate about both because I have struggled with my weight since I was a kindergartner. I could probably write this paper without any references...but I won't. I am excited to get started and see where my research takes me. Who knows? Maybe I will even learn something new.

I look forward to reading everyone's posts and getting to hear your stories. I wish you all good luck and happy blogging!