Chapter 14 and 15

Chapter 14 talks about revising drafts. One thing I learned from this chapter was the importance of identifying which revision changes to make with the time allotted. This appealed to me because of its usefulness in the workplace and life. You cannot have enough time to put all the effort you can into everything you can in school, work or life. Thus, it is very important to do the best you can with the time you've got. Furthermore, the decisions as to what revisions should be made should be made for the reader and not yourself.

Chapter 15 shows how to have people read your draft and see if it appeals/persuades readers in the way you desire. It is important to choose test readers who represent the target readers and find out what attitudes your draft evokes. Avoiding bias, although sometimes difficult, is necessary in creating writing that communicates effectively to your audience. These are what I would consider the most useful topics presented in this chapter.

In Response to Tayler Black's Journalism and Broadcast Media Post

Tayler talks about how the news often tries to keep you hanging on, waiting for the "most interesting story" near the end of the show. I also have noticed this. I for one don't like to be manipulated in this way so I rarely watch the news. I can understand that the news station needs ratings up and they need to keep viewers tuned in as long as possible, but it's not going to be this viewer.

Post on Journalism

Journalism is not just writing about what happens in the world around us. It involves deciding the ethics of printing a story. Personal ethics and business ethics both play a role in decide what stories to run and/or how much of the story to run. The ethics involved in these decisions are by no means black and white. In fact, there may be many opinions about one particular story. I now have a different outlook on the news programs, understanding that there are sometimes difficult decisions made on what stories to run.

In Response to Brandon Mitchell's post on freelance writing

Brandon is not the only one who thought of spiderman when they heard the word "freelance". I agree that freelance writing would be a great cover/job for a superhero. The idea that your pay is directly proportionate to your effort has to be rewarding. It takes a special person to do freelance writing as a sole source of income, but the possibility for supplemental income through freelance writing can be alluring to a variety of people.

Freelance Writing

I did not realize how much magazines used freelance writing in their publications. For some reason I just pictured a large staff doing all of the stories that appear in a magazine. This large staff always had to be coming up with new creative articles or else they would be fired. I was wrong. It's good to know that there is such a market for freelance writing. It seems to be a great field for those who thrive on independence and don't mind the variation of income that may come with the job.

In Response to Inna Drachan's Ch8 & 19 posts

I think Inna points out an important part of this chapter. She talks about how the book says to use strong, simple words to stress what's important and get your point across. Many of us need to keep this in mind when preparing a document. Too often we try to sound sophisticated by using big words, but this may hinder the effectiveness of the document.

I also agree with Inna when she discusses project management strategy. When you have a plan for a project it allows you to focus on the associated tasks at hand and get them done efficiently and on time.

Chapter 8 and 19 readings

Chapter 8
Based on the title of chapter 8, "Developing an Effective Style" I thought it would be about individuality. As I started reading I soon discovered writing style was a broader subject. It makes sense that style would also refer to scientific writing and legal writing as well. Once again, a main focus is about reader centered writing. Your first thoughts should be about the reader's expectations. I would summarize the guidelines for creating voice as thinking about the reader in every possible aspect while still "saying things in your own words". I would say these guidelines are meant to create an effective voice instead of just your voice. What I mean by this is that your voice after following these guidelines would be more persuasive, due to the reader centered approach.

Chapter 19
Chapter 19 was very interesting because it is related to my job, school, and my future job. At my job I work with a Construction Manager and have looked at such things as a critical path schedule with milestones. Our senior design projects for school have requirements such as a deliverable given by our industry sponsors. After reading about these I realize the project presentations had a very brief list for a deliverable. Finally, in my future job I will need to know and understand how to use the tools from this chapter to best serve my client's needs.