Reflection on Project 3

Reflection on Project 3

In this blog post post, I will provide short but detailed answers to the nine items in the numbered list on Writing Public Lives page 520, and I will directly quote from your project where appropriate.

What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

I mostly revised my visual elements between drafts. For my rough draft, I was presenting in front of a blank wall. It would be more beneficial and personal if I filmed in a more personal space. This works better for my final draft because it allows the reader to feel as if I am just like them. Additionally, I added questions to appear on the screen that were the same questions that I posed to the audience. I think this was a good addition because in case the viewer missed hearing me say that, it is provided for them. It also provides some visual variety. For this same reason, I added graphs and images related to childhood obesity in order to break up the video. I felt like the reader might get bored or distracted from my video if they only had to pay attention to me talking the entire time.

Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

I did not need to reconsider my thesis. I think I needed to focus more on organization. Due to the limited visual elements that I provided, I think I needed more in order to improve my organization. I think my visuals help with the organization because it breaks up my video into segments instead of it being one video of me only talking.

What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

I reconsidered my audience because I pretended to be them. As I watched my video, I realized that my personal story stands out the most. However, I got bored of just staring at myself talking. The addition of my visual elements helps with my organization and helps keep my audience's attention.

How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

These changes emphasize my credibility as an author because not only do I have experience in childhood obesity, but these changes help my video look more professionally done. Due to the professionalism of my video, the audience could deem me as even more credible. I think that this helps my credibility as well because if the video is well put together then it is also easier to focus on the information that is provided.

Auregann. "OpenYourMind.png" 6/9/12 via Wikimedia Commons.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

I had to reconsider the length of my video. My video was almost three minutes long, and I felt as if the video was strenuous to watch. In order to make it less strenuous, I made my wording more concise and I added the visual elements which acted like a page break. This gave my video spacing and allowed for better transitioning.

How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

These changes will assist my audience in understanding my purpose because they will be able to maintain focused on the context. The shortened video will keep their attention, and the transitions/pictures will create a variety of visual elements for the viewer which will hopefully better hold their attention.

Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

Yes, I had to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which I am writing. I had to reconsider how I needed to add the questions to appear on the video. I was unsure how to do this in my previous draft, but I made sure to add it in the final draft. Lastly, I needed to change my background to something more personal. In the first example of my genre, the woman is in a clothing store. Even though this doesn't relate to her topic, it provides the audience with a better insight on her own life. It is almost as if she is inviting us in for a sneak preview. I also wanted to convey this in my work. Therefore, I recorded myself in an everyday surrounding.

Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

The process of reflection helps me feel more confident. The fact that other writers also have to answer these questions is so reassuring to me. I feel like everyone has edit their work, but reflecting helps me grasp why I did everything that I did. Sometimes I think that people edit their work without purpose, but reflection helps you reevaluate your own editing. This helps in the long run because if you don't think that it helped your writing in any way, then there if more work to be done. Overall, reflection gives me more confidence as a writer because it helps me consolidate in myself that I do write with purpose, reason, and appeal to an audience.