Reflection on Project 1

In the following post, I will reflect on the process of making my own Quick Reference Guide, focusing on the strategies I found most effective, and similarities/differences to my other writing experiences.

Ramdlon. "Writer" 1/24/2015 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain License. 

What challenges did you face during the Quick Reference Guide project and how did you deal with them?
My biggest challenge revolved around the broadness of my topic. I chose the topic because it interested me, but soon learned that it was maybe not the best for the project's purposes. However, I found that I was still able to successfully portray information simply by providing a variety of specific examples.


What successes did you experience on the project and how did they happen?
I believe I was successfully able to provide a full, intellectual portrayal and analysis of my chosen controversy. In the process, I also successfully learned a lot about my degree. This was all the result of detailed and prolonged research. I spent a lot of time searching through different sources for different views and stories on my topic.


What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find the most effective for your project? Why?
For this project, I found that strategies that I have not previously used in writing classes to be helpful. Rather than state my opinion and provide support for that opinion, I simply stated the facts in an intelligent, to-the-point manner.

My design choices were meant to be aesthetically appealing. I always separated large parts of writing with pictures or changes in the layout to keep the paper visually interesting.


What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find were not effective for your project? Why?
I refrained from giving any sort of opinions, or at least any very strong opinions. The opinions that are beneficial to a QRG are the opinions of the public. I wasn't exactly sure what the exclude as far as design choices went. My main restriction was to not put too much, but just enough.


How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences you've had in the past?
Research! That's all I have to say. Many of the experiences I've had in writing involved a heavy load of research. This project was very similar in that respect.


How was the writing process for this project different from other school writing experiences you've had in the past?
It was different in more ways than it was similar. The process itself was much more extensive than any of my other writing projects. My previous writing classes in large part consisted of in-class writing analyses, rather than prolonged writing projects.


Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework? Why or why not? 
Yes; I definitely believe the skills utilized in this project can be viable in other coursework. Research is important in practically every field and, though it may not be applicable in specific classes, will be very important in the "grand scheme."

I'm also a firm believer in the benefits of being a good writer. Being an apt writer is beneficial in every class.


Reflection
I read Savannah and Isabel's posts on their own experiences writing a Quick Reference Guide. I was reassured by their own reflections, as we all seemed to have similar views on what was effective and ineffective as far as the construction of our QRGs went.

I also read something particularly interesting and relate-able in Savannah's post. We both had difficulties with the technological aspect of this project, researching deep within the web, posting blogs, using google docs, etc. I found this the most challenging part of this project, even considering I had never had any experience writing a QRG. It is nice knowing I am not the only one behind the times of my generation!