Nesta's Froggy Bloggy

Everyone has bad habits. Maybe you tend to bite your nails in stressful situations, or find yourself wiping your mouth on your sleeve when you eat. When it comes to writing habits however, the bad ones may not be quite as easy to spot. Whether it's a person's tendency to procrastinate on starting their process, failing to utilize enough pre-writing tools, or simply not sticking to a good routine, all of these can have a detrimental effect on the overall quality of one's writing.  Of my many personal bad habits, the one that has always affected my writing quality the most is my inability to stick to a solid routine. It seems that every time I have a new project to do, I intentionally go out of my to complete the tasks in a new order. One time I will start with an outline, followed by a rough draft, and finish by editing it and finalizing the completed draft. Another time I find it ideal to simply free-write the whole rough draft, then do a quick edit and submit it as the fin...

So far, from the few classes I have taken (outside my trade-specific courses) this class has shown itself to be a stand-out example of what I think most colleges lack: practical learning.  Beyond the courses a person takes that directly apply to their degree, I have always been of the opinion that the remaining ones have little to no actual career value.  Sure, they give a student great cultural insight and provide a balanced diversification of knowledge, but what about when it comes to what they are going to use in their everyday work life? Whether they end up working in an office, choosing to become a nurse, or going into a noble field centered around non-profit business management every student will find themselves benefiting from the skills developed through technical writing.  A key skill for any career-field is communication; being able to accurately convey information in a concise, formal manner will quickly set someone apart from the crowd.  We learned how to...

 The writing process-- a blessing for some, a curse for others.  On paper, it solves all the problems normally associated with writer's block: brainstorming ideas, mapping out the story's foundation, and organizing all the minute details that elevate a fantastic story above the crowd.  Yet, despite all of its positives it isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.  For myself, I never found its approach to be a perfect fit for my style of creativity.  Although I do use a lot of its aspects when I rough draft, the order in which I accomplish my prewriting tends to vary any time I write.  Sometimes I end up starting with a good idea coming in, and decide to just start writing right off theta.  Other times when I have trouble coming up with supporting points for a paper, creating an outline helps me break down the main points and fill in the gaps.  As a whole, the concepts the process embodies are crucial aspects to any successful writing.  While it wo...

 Skills are something I think people overlook a lot until they need them.  In my career as a line cook and eventually a sous chef, I spent a lot of time acquiring, refining, and teaching different skills.  I always was watching others around me do things.  Anything.  A lot of cooks are very set in their ways, and feel they really know their stuff.  I found that to be false almost 100% of the time.  Every so often however, I would see someone do something quicker, easier, faster, or better in some way than my method.  I would then try it myself and if it proved superior, I would adopt it as my new method and move on.  Any time I am working I am learning.  Learning to work faster, safer, more efficient (cost or time), makes you more valuable until you eventually become invaluable  to your employer.  So far in this class I can not say I have picked up any life-altering skills, however I have picked up some I plan to keep.  Un...

Writing has always been one of the things I don't look forward to until I start it.  I never have enjoyed the idea of writing as a class, but as a concept it always does end up being enjoyable.  As a kid, I always gravitated towards drawing, coloring, or other similar types of creative outlets.  It wasn't until I was almost done with high school until I realized how similar writing could be, with the right mindset.  I love  telling stories.  I grew to listening to my grandparents tell me stories all the time, and naturally adopted a lot of their unique ways of portraying these stories into my own.  Writing, though, still never dawned on me to be a way to translate this love of story-telling into a new medium.  I think the manner in which writing is taught never meshed well with me.  It was always seen as something very rigid, you must brainstorm ideas first.  You must create an outline.  You must make a flow chart or diagram.  ...

Discuss the importance of Technical Writing for professional careers. How can it help them in their career? What specific skills can be learned? Why is it worth the time and money? How can this class enhance a person’s resume? A person's success in any career-field is often underscored by their ability to speak and conduct themselves in a professional manner.  The ability to convey thoughts and feelings in an effective and intelligent manner leaves a lasting impression on those around you, either for better or for worse.  Writing is often an overlooked aspect of communication. A skilled writer has the ability to effectively consolidate their thoughts and ideas. Thoughts often come in jumbled, loosely arranged packages that need to quickly be arranged and organized if the person is to convey a complete thought.  Writing skills help a person organize ideas, creatively brainstorm, and explore higher level vocabulary than they otherwise would normally use.  Technical wri...

Discuss how you feel about being a college student taking a Technical Writing class. How do you feel? Why are you taking the course? What are your feelings after two days of class? Is the class what you thought it would be?