Katie's first blog

What is Style? part 2

2009-04-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have learned in this class that style is a broader concept than I gave it credit for. Before I saw style as something like how someone dresses, or an author's own writing style. I have definitely expanded my definition to include things we talked about in class, like comics and even movies from this latest collaborative movie project. If you look closely enough, anything and everything can have style. It's not just physical appearance; style can be seen or unseen. It can be concrete in nature, something black or white, or it can be in between.

It's difficult, because I've learned so much in this class that I don't have enough room to write about it. As far as writing is concerned, style isn't just how someone writes; it can include what they put in the writing, like what stylistic rules they subscribe to. Background and experiences can change style, such as word choice or things of that nature. This may sound confusing, but I don't know how else to word it. Style exists within style. Multimedia is a concept/style for movies and websites, and they have their own style within that. I'm sorry if this doesn't completely make sense, but I'm extremely tired right now:)

Peer review recap part 4

2009-04-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a slightly different post, because we all decided in my group that we were going to finish the peer review over the weekend. Everyone is in the weeds with all of the work we have to do, and we wanted to make sure that we had the time to give good comments on everyone's papers.

As far as the whole peer review process goes over the whole semester, I think I liked the format on Google Docs the best. Sharing them on the EMU-Online site is also simple, but I didn't like the wiki as much. It was ok for the rules, but it was hard to edit papers on there. Maybe it's just because many of the tools weren't compatible with Safari. Anyway, I had a relatively good experience with editing. I mean, a lot of the time we didn't get our papers posted on time, but it all worked out.

I think that peer review online was much more beneficial than in person, because (at least for me) I found that I was able to give more constructive criticism if I didn't have to say it directly to the person. It seemed like others were able to do that as well, because I got more helpful comments than I usually do in a face-to-face environment. I wish we did peer review this way in more of my classes:)

YouTube/ Low-bridge videos

2009-04-08T16:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is late, I somehow missed that we had a blog post due last week. Anyway, I'm going to start by saying that I don't think comparing writing to video-making is at all unreasonable. If you are thinking about it in the literal sense, movies are not really writing. They can feature writing, and they start as writing, but the actual movie isn't writing, it's acting.

The script is the biggest piece of writing involved in movie-making, because the whole movie really starts on paper. Without the script, there would be nothing to say (unless it was improv), so there would be no movie at all.

The movie-making process itself went really well. I was not involved in writing the script, but I was in charge of filming. I saw firsthand how small changes in the script can change the movie entirely, for better or worse. It took a bit of trial and error, but we got to a point where we all agreed on it. Now I'm just looking ahead to when the paper is due- writing in the most conventional sense!

Looking back on past readings, looking forward to the essay

2009-04-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to make this a fairly quick post because I have 4 papers to do between now and Tuesday, including this essay on the movie making process. I can especially see where the Writing as a Technology section fits in here. This combines real technology with writing. I mean, I guess the actual movie isn't writing, unless you add those text notes in it during editing. More writing occurs when making the script. The visual rhetoric section could be applied here as well, though not in the comic sense. It is something visual, anyway, though that could be a stretch. I think Plato would be happy about this, because the actual movie is spoken word:) I guess what I'm going to talk about in the paper is the relationships from texts to parts of the movie-making process, such as what I mentioned before about the script, and also thinking more outside the box. Hopefully I will be able to get all of this work done!

Reading and Writing about Comics ala McCloud, pt. 1

2009-03-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

I found a really cute comic on OnlineComics.net called Elf and Motorbelly. Here is the description from the site: "Elf and Motorbelly are cats who were genetically enhanced by a secret society of evil scientists. They were rescued from a life of testing by Frank. Frank hides them from the outside world and encourages them to develop their potentials and take long naps."

Here is the URL: http://elfandmotorbelly.smackjeeves.com/

I primarily looked at the latest comic, titled "Catman." This comic is of the simple cartoon type, and not the realistic picture type. I personally like the cartoon type better, because as Scott McCloud says in his book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, "[t]he ability of cartoons to focus our attention on an idea is, I think, an important part of their special power, both in comics and in drawing generally" (31). There isn't a lot of background and everything looks cartoonish, so it is easier to focus on exactly what is going on. Also, according to the book people can sometimes relate more to cartoon images.

This book also mentions how important the blank space in between frames is, both in time and separation. This comic has small space in between the frames, and the word bubbles lead us to believe that this is just a continuing dialogue. As far as the transitions between frames, I would guess that this one is moment-to-moment (I'm not that good at differentiating sometimes). It appears in the book that this type goes frame by frame, with no missing pieces or significant changes in time, and this comic seems to do that. I don't know if there is much more for me to comment on. Overall, I chose this comic because of its humor and whimsical cartoon feel.

Picturing Texts on the Web

2009-03-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

One website that I've always liked the design of is the Apple site, www.apple.com. The background and text color scheme is monochromatic with black, silver, and white, which lends itself well to the brighter colors of the products they are displaying. The products stand out and become the focal point. The site has balance with the navigation bar on top, a large section in the middle for the main featured products, and a smaller section at the bottom for more featured products. The amount of white space is generous, so that the number of products doesn't become overwhelming.

The Apple site looks very clean, which reflects their new, more environmentally friendly computers with simple and sleek lines. Some of the computers they show on the side have bright green grass for a background, which puts the association with green products in people's heads, sometimes subconsciously. I think that the site has a modern look that appeals to a wide group of people.

Peer Review Recap Part 2

2009-02-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

This time the peer review process was more confusing to me. I don't think the WetPaint wiki is as straightforward as Google Docs was. It didn't seem quite as organized, and that made it more difficult to find everything. I still didn't mind the WetPaint format, though it was more complicated when it came to the actual editing of papers.

Apparently some of the editing tools don't work well with Safari, so when I was trying to edit papers I couldn't change the color of the font. This meant that I couldn't find many ways to distinguish my comments from the actual papers. I would underline something so that it would show up, and then once I saved it the underlining would be gone. Plus, unless people posted a thread or wrote their name after their editing, there would be no way to know who was saying what. That wasn't crucial, but without the name how will it work for grading? When using Google Docs before, it would give the name and time right next to the comment, which made it more helpful. It also showed up differently than the paper itself, making it easier to see where the comments were.

The Wiki still did it's job in that I was able to give constructive comments, which I did to the best of my ability ( I would have been able to receive them as well if I had posted my essay). The online peer review process is proving to be just as beneficial, if not more so, than the traditional face to face format.

What Others Are Saying

2009-02-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Upon reading the Strunk and White vs. Williams blog posts, I found that I agreed with a lot of classmates in one aspect or another. Most people found that Strunk and White's book was one that they would refer to more, which I agree with unless it is something that needs a lot of detail or discussion. However, I agree with much of what Nicole has to say about preferring the Williams book overall. It gave more detail and while it was difficult to understand at times, it had more information that I wasn't as familiar with previously. Strunk and White's book is handy as a reference guide, but some of the rules were common sense.

A lot of people found Williams to be much harder to get through and stay focused on, and I agree that it was difficult to continue sometimes, especially when an example was especially complex or drawn out. Still I think that it was very worthwhile to read, because there is a lot of good information in there if time is taken to sort it out.

One last thing mentioned in Nicole's blog that I agree with is that these books are so different that it is difficult to compare them. We can all have views on which book we liked better and why, but both books address style in very different ways.

Strunk and White vs. Williams

2009-02-11T18:08:00.001-08:00

I'm going to start by saying that no, I haven't read as much of this book as I should have by now. I'm completely overwhelmed with the amount of work I have this week, and combined with being sick, I'm just going to do the best I can.

What I have read of Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is really interesting. I have found this book to be, as forewarned, much more complex than The Elements of Style, but even in its complexity I find it more helpful and more engaging than the latter. While the examples are long and sometimes very tedious, I think they are necessary to give an in depth explanation and give the reader the greatest opportunity to grasp the concept. I also like that Williams doesn't bark orders as much in his book, leaving me feeling less like I am in the military.

As far as whether Williams discussed some of the same things in his book as what I wrote about in the Strunk and White post, the answer is only a little bit. I talked about some specific rules and examples from Strunk and White, and Williams talked more about concepts. It is true that he went much more in depth with those concepts, but that isn't what I discussed. If I had written about concepts from Strunk and White, there would have been more overlapping.

Overall, I think that Williams is proving to be more helpful. I really just need to get caught up and finish the book on time! I agree with what was discussed on EMU-Online about the use of the word turgid, though; I once found it three times in the same paragraph!!!

Revising with Williams

2009-02-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

I'll admit, I am behind at the moment. I'm basically struggling though a flood of work. I will get this one posted as soon as I can, but I want to leave a space for it so I can post the next one.

Strunk and White: First Impressions

2009-01-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

My first impressions of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White were mixed. This book is great for reference purposes in writing, and for those questions of whether a sentence sounds better one way or another, but I think that a lot of it is objective. Also, for looking like a really short book it did take a while to read, but that was my own fault for not starting it earlier and reading it in sections.

The chapters of this book that I found most helpful were probably the first one, "Elementary Rules of Usage," and the fourth one, "Words and Expressions Commonly Misused." The first chapter is an especially good tool of reference when writing, since there are so many things to think about that it is difficult to remember all of them. I liked the first rule about adding "'s" to nouns because it was always something that I was told not to do if the noun itself ended in s. I see here that it is arbitrary, but recommended to use "'s" anyway. Another that I found helpful was the paragraph on "effect" from chapter four. This chapter told me that effect means the result, and affect is an influence (71). I have had difficulty deciding which to use, and those definitions should eliminate any further hesitation in choosing one or the other.

Despite most of the book's helpful nature, there were a couple of things that I found strange and also somewhat humorous. White mentioned this in his introduction, and it was also mentioned later in the book, that Strunk hated the phrase "the fact that...." I found that particularly amusing, because it is used in writing quite often. I agree that there are times when it is not needed, such as the examples in the book "the fact that he had not succeeded" and " the fact that I had arrived" (40), but there are also times when it can be useful. There are situations when "the fact that" can convey that what is being said is fact, and not just something assumed or made up. For instance, saying "my decision was based on the fact that..." can introduce an important fact. It is hard to explain exactly what I am saying, but I think that example will suffice.

One other part of the book that I found strange was rule number seventeen, "Omit needless words" (39). This rule seems more arbitrary than any other. By omitting words that aren't technically necessary, it is possible to remove all feeling from the writing. For example, I could have removed the word "technically" from the previous sentence, and it would have made perfect sense but wouldn't convey exactly what I am trying to say. It is necessary to make words earn their place in a piece, but not so much so that there is nothing extra to establish flow or the desired amount of formality or colloquialism. Strunk does mention that it should not be taken to the extreme, but even some of the examples seemed more concise than was necessary.

Overall this book was helpful and will most likely improve my writing. I purchased the illustrated version, which did help in making the material more interesting and the book itself more visually pleasing. I would recommend this book to other students and writers, though I would tell them to take it "with a grain of salt."

Peer Review Recap Part 1

2009-01-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

I have to put a disclaimer on this: I have only reviewed one paper and had one review, so I haven't had that much experience with the review process yet. However, since this assignment is due tonight I will have to complete it.

My experience with the reviewing process has been mixed. I like Google Docs and am glad to have started using it, because it does make sharing documents so much easier. The problem is getting the process down. Up until tonight, only 2 of us had our papers posted with the group members as collaborators (this includes mine, which I admit I did post late). Unfortunately, this means that I have only had one paper to edit so far.

I did find the editing process to be easier electronically, because it is both faster and more efficient. It is possible to insert corrections and suggestions where you want them, instead of in the margins of a hard copy where they might be more confusing. It is also nice to have the paper and comments right on the computer, since that is where the revisions and final copy will be made.

My paper has been edited by one group member so far, and the comments are very helpful. I'm hoping that other group members will edit it and those comments will go to good use as well when completing the revisions. I also hope that all papers get posted soon so that I can contribute and give feedback. Now that we're all beginning to get used to Google Docs, I think things will go much smoother the next time we use it.

Writing Technologies

2009-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

Hmm... it is difficult to think of all of the writing tools I use on a daily basis. I guess the most obvious that I'm using right now is my MacBook (well I guess technically the keyboard is the writing tool). I use it for everything from note-taking in some classes to writing stories, essays, emails, and countless other documents.

I also use pens and notebooks regularly in my classes for taking notes. I find that pens usually look more professional than pencils, and don't smudge as much if the document is something that I'll be looking at a fair amount. The only downside is that I have to carry white-out in case of mistakes because scribble marks annoy me if they are on any important assignment. I don't know if white-out is considered a writing tool since it technically removes the writing, but I guess it could be.

I use highlighters on occasion, mostly just for highlighting important things in my notes. I use all different colors so that things stand out (and it just looks nice:), though I can't say that I like the yellow ones that much because sometimes they show the pen or pencil smears.

My writing tools have changed quite a bit through the years. I basically only used computers in school until around fourth grade when I got my own, and that was basically for games. I got a regular desktop computer later on, then my first laptop, and finally this one. Now my computer is one of my primary writing tools.

I used to use the typical wooden pencil in elementary school, and then I'd have to sharpen them and they would wear down pretty quickly. I much prefer mechanical pencils now, especially the cheap kind that look a bit like a regular pencil and have a pink eraser (like the more old-fashioned type) that actually works. There is nothing worse than a crappy eraser that smears the lead all over the page.

The pens that I used to use were also different. Most were the plain kind-like the Bic ones- that were fine for as much as I used to use pens. I hardly used pens at all until 5th or 6th grade, and even in high school I didn't use them nearly as much as I do now in college. Now I like the pens with comfy squishy grips, since I sometimes have to write fast and they don't make my hand hurt as much. Also, most of them are refillable and that means less plastic in landfills.

Overall, I guess my writing tools have been essentially the same concepts; they have just evolved over time, as all technology does.

What is Style?

2009-01-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Style is an extremely broad term that can mean a number of things. It is formally defined as a "specific or characteristic manner of expression, execution, construction, or design, in any art, period, work, employment, etc." That is one of many definitions of style in Webster's New World College Dictionary, because it has many forms. Style is arbitrary; everyone has their own individual idea of what style is. I would define style loosely as how someone does something. It could be how a person writes, dresses, dances, etc.

There are many forms of style in writing. One of them is how the writing appears; each of these fonts is a style. Another style in writing involves things like word choice, the amount of formality, and other things like that. Style can determine a person's place in the writing field, whether it be in journalism, creative writing, or some type of professional writing, based on their chosen media.

Basically, style is something that everyone forms for themselves, through their background and interests. It takes a while to develop personal style, and sometimes even longer for a person to discover what makes something his or her own style.

"Getting Started" post

2009-01-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

So right now I'm just checking out the whole blogging thing, which is actually pretty interesting. The new semester just started, and it's been incredibly busy already! I'm sure it'll be fine once I get used to all of my new classes. I've added some pictures here just to experiment with formatting.

This is Cedric, my adorable and somewhat crazy cat. He will be sitting on our laps one moment, and running full throttle throughout the house in the the next.

Here is Dusty, my chinchilla. He is very difficult to photograph, because he doesn't usually sit still! I got lucky this once:)

-Katie