1. Blog 7:Seeing as how we are just about halfway through the course, I want you to take a step
back and reflect on the progress you feel you've made thus far. What has been the hardest thing
for you? What has been the easiest? How has your writing process evolved, changed, or stayed
the same? What is one thing you feel you still need to work on with your writing/communication
skills? Be specific and as detailed as possible.
(My Response)I feel that I have definitely made some progress in this class, but one of the hardest things
for me was adjusting to being back in school. This is my first college class ever, and I haven't been in
school since high school, 5 years ago. I progressed in the field of time management. I am normally
the type of person who waits until the last minute to do everything, especially homework. However,
this class usually requires one fairly long paper a week, as well as 3-4 mini writing assignments that also
require a decent amount of time and thought. Therefore, I have progressed in the sense that I do my
assignments in a more timely manner.
My writing process has also evolved. I normally wait until the last minute to do an assignment, so I
usually jump write into it without any planning. Since most of the papers due for the class are usually
between 3-6 pages, and a lot of information is needed, I started making outlines. The outlines are not very
formal. I usually make a web diagram or a diagram with bullets and roman numerals for key ideas and
details. Also I usually only make one draft of a paper unless it is required. Rough drafts are required for
this class, but I now understand the purpose of them. The fact that we must past the rough drafts in for the
professor to make comments has also helped me greatly. I realized that a rough draft is necessary so that
someone else can read it and add their input. Not only is it useful when someone else reads it, but I found
that after I waited a day to go back and look at my rough draft, it was easier for me to see what was
missing or what needed to be fixed. Another aspect of my writing process that has changed is that I now
give myself at least a day to research my topic. This is helpful because I can make sure I will have enough
information for my topic and make sure I am using creditable sources.
As far as material in the class and assignments, the hardest thing for me has been the rhetorical
essay. I am still getting it confused with a persuasive essay. It is hard for me to analyze an advertisement
without trying to persuade the audience why it has a negative or positive impact on its society. Another one
of the hardest things for me is incorporating sources into my essays. I usually use a direct quote; however I
am not quite sure how to use it otherwise. The last problem I have is citing sources correctly. These are
things I need to work on the most. I also need to work on knowing when to use first person in the essay or
leave myself out, and work on analyzing the assignment to see what kind of essay I need to write.
The easiest things for me were the descriptive narrative essay and the prompt forums that were my
reflections, thoughts, and feelings. I liked the narrative essay because it was something personal and was
like I was telling a story. The forums that I thought were easiest were the ones such as this one or the one
that asked for my thoughts on college. These were the easiest for me to write about because they were
asking about how I felt. It wasn't something I had to research or cite sources for, just something to reflect
about.
Blog 8:Answer the following questions as thoughtfully as you can to help guide you toward
refining a topic for the Inventing Arguments Essay.
First, state the specific topic, position you are arguing for, and why you feel it is important (for
example, "Video games, specifically, I am arguing that violence in video games increases the
likelihood of violence in children. This is important because research studies -- such as.... -- have
showed that exposure to violence in early childhood and adolescence can lead to deviant
behavior in adulthood). Next, what do you know (or think you know) about this particular topic?
Be specific. Where did this knowledge come from (i.e. was it family, school, friends, media
outlets, etc.)? Explain. What are some possible counterarguments to your position? Name them.
Who is the intended audience for this piece? In other words, who do you want to get this
message across to? Who will it help or who's mind do you want to change and why?

2. (My Response)My topic is Energy Drinks. I am arguing that energy drinks are unnecessary because they
cause a variety of health problems and in some cases death. This is important because the market for
energy drinks has dramatically increased over the past decade. Everyone is always in a rush and try to get
as much as they can accomplished in one day. When people start feeling like they are going to fall asleep or
"crash", they reach for a boost from an energy drink.
I know that energy drinks are loaded with caffeine and other harmful ingredients just from the
nutrition facts on the drink at a convenient store. I know from media outlets such as newspaper and
magazine articles that people have reported feeling dizzy, have had headaches, heart attacks, and even
died.
I have also seen teenagers mix alcohol with energy drinks, which led to intoxication. Some
possible counterarguments would be that we are too busy to get enough sleep, so in order to stay awake,
energy drinks are helpful. This maybe true, but the side effects can be damaging. Also, someone could
argue that if energy drinks were really that bad, they would be illegal.
The intended audience is young adults and teenagers who are the most prone to buy energy drinks.
Young adults are the most likely consumers because they are always on the go playing sports, doing
homework, hanging out with friends, and running around. I am trying to convince them that energy drinks
shouldn't be consumed because they are very harmful and have many negative side effects.
Blog 9: I was re-reading a fantastic book this week titled (Re)Writing Craft: Composition,
Creative Writing, and the Future of English Studies and the author Tim Mayers has some
excellent questions directed toward student writing that I would like you folks to answer for this
week (particularly as they pertain to your Inventing Arguments Essay). So, please answer the
following questions, which I have slightly modified, as thoroughly as possible:
Describe how you planned the Inventing Arguments Essay up to this point. Did you
outline? Create summaries of sources? Just start writing?
Did this planning (or lack thereof) work out well? In what places did it not work well?
Did you discover anything new about your topic as you wrote?
What is your biggest concern with this particular assignment and how might you
address/remedy these concerns?
(My Response)First, I chose my topic-energy drinks. I did some minor research basically typing my topic
into google to see what immediately came up. I did this because I wanted to see what I could argue about
energy drinks. I realized that energy drinks generally have negative effects on the body and that there is no
real need for them. The way I outlined my paper was I first answered forum # 8 pertaining to my topic. I
then started gathering information using online websites and the Endicott Library database, EBSCO, saving
all the sources to my computer that I felt were sufficient. Next, I jotted down a few key ideas and noted
where I found that information. This planning has worked out well so far. When I started writing my paper, I
looked at my notes and starting making sentences, referencing the sources. The only downfall of me doing
the research first was some of the pages that I saved from the online library database I saved as favorites in
my internet. When I went to retrieve these pages it brought me back to the library database homepage, so I
had to search the database again. Somethings I learned about my topic were that the drinks are considered
dietary supplements. In turn, they do not have to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. That
surprised me. Also, I didn't realize how many cases there were that reported heart attacks and death from
energy drinks. My biggest concern with this paper is the length. I need to find more information. My other
concern is not using as many website sources. Websites are usually my go to source for mostly anything.