In this post, I will reflect on the experiences I had while crafting my QRG.
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Schmid-Reportagen. "Alaska-Ice."9/23/15 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain
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- What challenges did you face during the Quick Reference Guide project and how did you deal with them?
The biggest challenge I faced during this project was getting us to all the blog posts. I think that in the beginning, I wasn't as efficient as I should have been because I was agonizing over them too much. Now, I'm much quicker when writing the posts because I know to get to the point without a lot of pointless elaboration. Practice made perfect when it came to my blog approach.
- What successes did you experience on the project and how did they happen?
I loved writing my QRG, probably because I was completely fascinated by my topic. When the whole piece came together- when my information melded seamlessly with my analysis and visuals- it was so satisfying. I'm very proud of my final project, and have been all along.
- What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find the most effective for your project? Why?
I found that the question subtitles were extremely helpful in organizing my information and guiding my piece. They gave my QRG a sense of purpose and made it tell a story of conflict and progression. I also really liked filling out the visual cluster (Coggle) because I could answer critical questions about my topic and connect these answers to the controversy as a whole.
- What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find were not effective for your project? Why?
When I tried too hard to fully incorporate certain aspects of the rubric because I feared that I would loose points, I started to completely destroy the work that I had already done. I learned that subtlety is key with these kinds of projects so that everything sounds natural. It is not like a stiff college essay.
- How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?
As with projects that I have created before, initial organization and extensive research was a major part of my process.
- How was the writing process for this project different from other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?
Honestly, the QRG was diametrically different from any project I've ever done. It was equal parts fun and work. Its not often that I get the chance to write about pop culture, so that was a facet I loved exploring and experimenting with.
- Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework? Why or why not?
The QRG has taught me to always be conscious of the conventions in a genre. This is important in future works, because if you are not following the rules of formatting and composition that the genre dictates, you've missed the point of the project completely.
I really feel the sense of completion you mentioned once the project was done. I may be a bit cynical, but I think you're right, that it was a really fortunate experience that we could write about a topic that deeply interests us individually. And, again, being cynical, I probably didn't give enough credit to what I truly got out of the project as a whole, like the research I did on my own major. I learned more about my field of study just because I had to for English class, which will definitely benefit me later in college.
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