Dear readers,

In this introduction, I will be discussing my theory of writing and course learning outcomes. I will be discussing the change in my writing theory that took place throughout this course. To make a better sense of it, I will explain the three specific course writing outcomes: explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations, develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing, recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.

My initial theory of writing when I first came to this class was that we needed a certain format and a thought process to construct a given writing assignment. Before taking this class, I was always given a format to follow consisting of an Intro, two body paragraphs with evidence and an explanation for each, and a conclusion. All my time in middle school and high school, I thought that was the only way to go about if we ever had any type of writing assignment. However, after this class, I have realized that it is more than just a singular format. When I was in high school, my essays were either straight to the point or required to have embedded evidence from anywhere, as long as it came from a legit website. Using four different sources wasn’t really a requirement. In high school, we were taught basic steps that made an essay. We never really had a range of things such as structures and text used in an essay. It was enough to use one source. 

Before coming to CCNY, I had never used this type of writing. As a beginner-level writer, I did not fully comprehend the influence rhetoric has on writing, so my earliest piece of writing (The Source-Based Essay) was very similar to the format I had been using for years before entering college.  Questions for Rhetorical Analysis such as: who is the author of this piece? Is this author credible? Why? Who is the author’s audience, and how do you know? What is the author’s tone, and how do you know? What is the purpose of the piece, and how do you know? What is the genre? What are the features of this genre? What medium is used to communicate? Are there other media available for this same piece? What related things were happening in the world around the release date of the piece? What does this say about the timeliness of the piece or lack thereof? What are the cultural expectations for where this piece was published? How do you know this? What appears to be the author’s stance on the topic? These questions specifically helped me a lot with my writing. It made my writing more detailed and full of information that would be helpful to the readers. We did an assignment “composition in two genres” and in that assignment, I realized how diverse genres can be. And that genres have different features that help understand something at a deeper level. Genres are ways of categorizing works that follow a consistent format or set of rules.  As an example, it is standard to address a letter to someone. Considering the genre, one will be able to better understand what the author is trying to portray. For instance, posters, magazines, poems, and other text-based or image-based works are examples of genres. 

I don’t really have a fixed way of writing. The moment I start an assignment, I start without any ideas, and as I keep writing it starts to develop on its own. Later I reread my work and fix anything that needed to be fixed, and in the end, it comes all together. I usually like writing in a quiet environment and preferably at night since I have a clearer mind and my ideas aren’t really clumped all together. Having a set of thoughts helped me outline what I need to write about. After my writing is done, I ask a friend to peer review and ask for help to see if I have any grammatical mistakes or sentences that don’t really make sense. When drafting, I use a strategy to have someone look over my paper with fresh eyes. That way, my biases don’t affect my judgment. I usually just make a couple of drafts and do peer review and fix whatever needs some fixing to do. My peer-review session in the class was very useful as I was able to act upon the edits and make my final draft much better. Grammarly also helps me with my writing. Other than that, I don’t really have any special way of writing. As I was doing research for my research paper, I needed to read sources to determine what I could use. By looking for certain things instead of aimless reading, I have learned to focus my reading. By understanding the source, I would be able to convey my ideas better and understand the text better. This is how my reading strategy evolved. 

Whenever I am writing, I like to practice key rhetorical terms and strategies. As an example, I began writing with the author’s purpose in mind and utilized repetition both in words and images to exemplify my point. The first time I did this was when Prof. Kylee Pastor and I discussed rhetoric. I had to write this essay in a specific format that would guide the people about the topic I was discussing. The more I worked on my writing the better it became over time, and because of this, my progress was much more visible toward the end of the course. While exploring the art of rhetoric, I also learned how to identify genres and how they can affect the intent of my writing. Therefore, in my assignment, “composition in two genres”, I was better able to choose the best genres to convey my topic. To engage my audience, I used specific language and genre, for example, a simple, analytical essay with fewer complex words and a straightforward tone: straight to the point to understand rather than get confused while reading the essay.

In this website, I have included all of the main three assignments such as source-based essay, inquiry-based essay, and Composition for two genres. They each are on different pages in this order. I have also added the peer reviews of my work just to show how helpful it was towards my assignments. I hope you will enjoy reading my work, viewing my progression, and enjoying the genres I have created. 

Sincerely, 

Nafisha Ahmed