"Shitty First Drafts"- Lamott, 26 February 2014

Lamott’s article is all the first draft to any writing whether it is a magazine article or full length novel. Any writing process begins with a really, really bad first draft she proclaims. The first draft should be all about writing down any idea or imagination on paper. She says it does not matter if it is childish or unkempt as most likely no one besides you will ever read this. It is meant to be the basis to move stuff around and eventually the final draft. To begin writing though, you must silence all the opinions or voices in your head so it just you the writer and your voice on your paper. 

Genre Analysis Three Texts- Space Exploration

1.   The first text I chose is a peer reviewed article by Edythe E. Weeks and is titled Science, technology and imaginable social and behavioral impacts as outer space develops. It is a formal and well put together article that wishes to let people know that space travel is possible with our current technology and is not some far out idea. One of the ideas it advocates is a contagious desire for knowledge and a universal consciousness regarding newly emerging trends. This idea is reminiscent of the scientific approach to space travel in the universe of “Star Trek”.

2.   The second text I chose is a grand picture of the International Space Station, or ISS. The beautiful sphere of the Earth is in the background. This displays a very surreal and majestic view of a presence in space today. The ISS is humanities largest structure in space currently and will most likely be the starting point to any surge into the stars from my understanding.

3.   The third and final text I chose is the NASA website. It is central location for NASA’s history, innovations, discoveries, and future plans. It is very exciting just to look at the website and see pictures of far off stars and stellar formations. Reading it gives me more and more excited about the possibility of space exploration and the beauty of the universe. 

Draft 3- Personal Literacy Narrative

A person’s history is always a starting point to understand them. Literacy history is comprised of reading, writing, and communication profiles. The profiles are records of abilities and skills in those areas. These profiles can be affected by any event or experience in the person’s life. If the goal is to understand the person’s literary skills, then their literacy and personal history must first be understood.

One of the first ways to get to know someone in college is asking them what their major is. A person’s major is a good way to start a conversation and find out their interests or ambitions. My major is civil engineering which focuses on pretty much every structure society uses such as dams, roads, or buildings. Civil engineering is such a broad field that it has many sub-fields such as environmental engineering, structural, water resource management, geotechnical, and transportation. I chose civil engineering as it is a very honorable field and is so broad that I will never be out of work and can go anywhere in the world to work. A civil engineer is very knowledgeable about the world around them and I want to have that same insight.  Another very big reason I chose civil engineering is that I love architecture because I think of every structure as a monument to all of our achievements as humanity. So much thought and technology goes into every standing structure that they represent human accomplishment in general. It is going to be a lot of work and time before I become a civil engineer, but I believe it will all be worth it. The only way I am going to get there though is by using all of skills I have learned so far. Reading, writing, and communication will be my most invaluable skills in college and life. Nothing has influenced those skills and me as a whole more than football.

            Football has taught me more lessons and skills than anything else. I think of football as the greatest thing in my life and I would be a different person without football. The sport gave me confidence and a lifestyle of athleticism and leadership that I will have for the rest of my life. (New paragraph) I defined myself as a football player and was proud of being a part of something bigger than myself. The person I am today is all due to football. To be a football player in my small town can only be described as a dream and it felt like a five year long dream.

The impacts are so far reaching for me that I do believe it has impacted the way I read and write. In football, I had to memorize formations and plays extremely fast. When I read or write, I do it just as systematically or confidently as if I was in the weight room. I break things like books and essays into parts or just jump right into them. Just grinding away on a book or essay feels just like working out. (New paragraph) The confidence to keep striving and trying new things with my writing is all thanks to football.

Then football has greatly influenced the way I communicate with others. If I had never done football, I would probably be extremely shy and not socialize with people at all. I made so many friends and met so many people that everywhere I went, I met someone I knew and that is beginning to happen here at Sacramento State as well. I meet people from my high school and then all of the friends I made last semester. I am constantly trying to do my best and make new friends here at school. The confidence to just start a conversation and get to know somebody here at school would not exist without football.

            Reading, writing, and effective communication are very important in college and life in general. I need to master those topics in school to become a civil engineer. They are so important in the field of civil engineering that they are the cornerstones right beside technical math skills. Instructors in the civil engineering department and prominent engineering figures in the Sacramento area continually preach how important reading, writing, and communication skills are in civil engineering. Civil engineers need to read through piles of local and state building codes, bid orders, and technical drawings in their career. They must have clear and precise handwriting and language in any document they touch as discrepancies may lead to huge financial costs or even loss of human life. A civil engineer must always do their best work because their projects may be used by millions of people annually and if that project was to fail then people may be hurt. Then finally communication skills are imperative to a civil engineer. They must be able to communicate ideas from those building codes, bid orders, or technical drawings to anyone they deal with whether it be customers, other engineers, workers, or politicians. It is often said that even if a civil engineer is a math genius and that is all they do then they will not advance that high in the field. The civil engineer that has good communication skills will always advance further and faster than the math genius. Those three skills will be my greatest skills to develop throughout my career. (New paragraph)

Civil engineering, football, and all of my lessons and skills define who I am. Football is a team sport and one of the many lessons it taught me was that life is a team sport as well. There are going to be times when I need the assistance of those around me and I have not found a better example of that lesson then college. The only way I am going to make it through a tough major like civil engineering is through support from friends. I have learned about so many resources and seen new places on campus thanks to communicating and spending time with friends. Football impacted everything in my life including my reading, writing, and communication skills.  These skills and experiences will define me throughout my career and the rest of my life. 

Personal Goals

1. My first goal for this class is to obviously succeed and earn an adequate grade for the work I will put into it as to maintain my hardworking reputation. The only way to succeed is to put in good quality work all the time.
2. My second goal is to further my writing skills to be more creative and more persuasive as writing will be crucial in my life. Applying myself to my writing and trying new things with my writing will be the only way I improve.
3. The third and final goal I have for this class is to meet new people and encounter more ways of thinking to broaden my own. Talking and socializing with all the people in the class will be only way to get to know them.

Football Highlights - Sports Banquet

Draft 2- Personal Literacy Narrative

A person’s history is always a starting point to understand them. Literacy history is comprised of reading, writing, and communication profiles. These profiles can be affected by any event or experience in the person’s life. If the goal is to understand the person’s literary skills, then their literacy and personal history must first be understood.

One of the first ways to get to know someone in college is asking them what their major is. A person’s major is a good way to start a conversation and find out their interests or ambitions. My major is civil engineering which focuses on pretty much every structure society uses such as dams, roads, or buildings. Civil engineering is such a broad field that it has many sub-fields such as environmental engineering, structural, water resource management, geotechnical, and transportation. I chose civil engineering as it is a very honorable field and is so broad that I will never be out of work and can go anywhere in the world to work. A civil engineer is very knowledgeable about the world around them and I want to have that same insight.  Another very big reason I chose civil engineering is that I love architecture because I think of every structure as a monument to all of our achievements as humanity. So much thought and technology goes into every standing structure that they represent human accomplishment in general. It is going to be a lot of work and time before I become a civil engineer, but I believe it will all be worth it. The only way I am going to get there though is by using all of skills I have learned so far in my life.

            The one thing or experience that has taught me the most lessons, skills, or impacted me the most is football. I think of football as the greatest thing in my life and I would be a different person without football. The sport gave me confidence and a lifestyle of athleticism and leadership that I will have for the rest of my life. The impacts are so far reaching for me that I do believe it has impacted the way I read, write, and communicate with others. In football, I had to memorize formations and plays extremely fast. I then had to communicate those topics to others out on the field in split seconds before the ball was snapped. When I read or write, I do it just as systematically or confidently as if I was in the weight room. I break things like books and essays into parts or just jump right into them. Just grinding away on a book or essay feels just like working out. Then football has greatly influenced the way I communicate with others. If I had never done football, I would probably be extremely shy and not socialize with people at all. I made so many friends and met so many people that everywhere I went, I met someone I knew and that is beginning to happen here at Sacramento State as well. I meet people from my high school and then all of the friends I made last semester. I am constantly trying to do my best and make new friends here at school. The confidence to just start a conversation and get to know somebody here at school would not exist without football. Football is a team sport and one of the many lessons it taught me was that life is a team sport as well. There are going to be times when I need the assistance of those around me and I have not found a better example of that lesson then college. The only way I am going to make it through a tough major like civil engineering is through support from friends. I have learned about so many resources and seen new places on campus thanks to communicating and spending time with friends. Football impacted everything in my life including my reading, writing, and communication skills. The lessons I learned will continue to serve me.

            Reading, writing, and effective communication are very important in college and life in general. I need to master those topics in school to become a civil engineer. They are so important in the field of civil engineering that they are the cornerstones right beside technical math skills. Instructors in the civil engineering department and prominent engineering figures in the Sacramento area continually preach how important reading, writing, and communication skills are in civil engineering. Civil engineers need to read through piles of local and state building codes, bid orders, and technical drawings in their career. They must have clear and precise handwriting and language in any document they touch as discrepancies may lead to huge financial costs or even loss of human life. A civil engineer must always do their best work because their projects may be used by millions of people annually and if that project was to fail then people may be hurt. Then finally communication skills are imperative to a civil engineer. They must be able to communicate ideas from those building codes, bid orders, or technical drawings to anyone they deal with whether it be customers, other engineers, workers, or politicians. It is often said that even if a civil engineer is a math genius and that is all they do then they will not advance that high in the field. The civil engineer that has good communication skills will always advance further and faster than the math genius. Those three skills will be my greatest skills to develop throughout my career. Civil engineering, football, and all of my lessons and skills define who I am. They will define me throughout my career and the rest of my life. 

"Everyday Writer" pg.58-122 Summary

The reading is about the writing process as a whole and opens with chapter 6 which is choosing ideas to write about. It discusses brainstorming, free writing, and others possible methods to explore topics. Chapter 7 then talks about planning and drafting an essay on the topic you have chosen by creating an outline of your paper. Next, chapter 8 is all about developing the paragraphs in your essay. The framework of paragraphs is always the main idea followed by good supportive details. Then chapter 9 is about aesthetic appeal of the essay such as type of font, headings, and images. Once you have finished creating your paper, chapter 10 discusses revising methods. The first and most important methods are rereading your paper and having a peer read it to offer suggestions. When the suggestions and corrections stop rolling in, then it is time to edit and reflect on your paper. The point of this is to turn your essay into a memorable one. Right after you have finished everything, reflect on your paper to truly comprehend its purpose and development throughout this process. 

Straub- "Responding" Summary

Straub’s article is basically an instruction manual or a guide on how to be an effective peer editor. It offers many helpful tips and guidelines. The tip that stuck out to me most was don’t just be their best friend because you have to challenge them to be a better writer. The guide is pretty much how your instructor grades on your paper, but if you were grading then use your words.