Peer Review

I particularly like the idea of peer review. By letting others evaluate what and how I've written will help improve the quality of my writing. However, it's a little nerve wrecking for me to have my peers read my writing because I find that I have VERY little confidence in my writing. I feel that when people read my ideas, they'll think my thoughts aren't shallow or not 'smart' enough. I also have a habit of writing unnaturally. The way I talk and the way I write are very different. I admire people who can write eloquently and when reading their work know that it's coming from them. (I dont think that made any sense). As I was saying, I'm scared having my peers review my writing because although I know that I have to do it.
As a reviewer, I am honest when it comes to providing criticism but sometimes I find myself being too nice. You can say that I'm easily impressed. But to stop myself from doing this, it helps to have the a guideline of what you're looking for as a reviewer to help me stay on task. The sample worksheet that was provided: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/peerreview/worksheet1.html. I think would be helpful for me when I review another person's paper. As writer, I think this worksheet wold also be helpful because when you're writing, you know what the reader will be looking for and thus keep yo on track as well.

"Getting It Down on Paper"

I just read four entries on the process of writing each with different approaches to the importance of different steps in the writing process. The important point of the first reading was ‘PAFEO’. The author outlines different aspects of planning to write (Purpose, Audience, Format, Evidence and Organization) and what to consider for each part. An important idea that I got from this piece was the file card system. The author talked about writing single ideas of points on an index card. Then later, sort them out by ordering them in a way that satisfies the purpose of your argument.

The next readings, “The Writing Process” broke down the different stages in writing and the importance of each in reference to the time spent on each stage. What I got from this reading was that writing is a continuous process. You can’t just sit down and decide to write and the ideas just come out but ideas sometimes come up when you’re doing another activity. When this happens, it is important to note down these ideas for later use. Although each stage is important, the author notes almost half the time should be spent revising. The third reading, “The Direct Writing Process” also reiterates this point. The author says that when you are writing a piece, you divide half your time to writing and the other half to revising. The method of direct writing is when you write first and get the ideas down so that you don’t lose them and to avoid going back and correcting what you wrote and instead, correct it later all at once. The last piece focused on a different of writing. The piece asked its readers, when writing, to consider to purpose of the reader. The questions a writer should be asking himself or herself are “What should the reader know after the reading? What should the reader be able to do after the reading? What attitude should the reader have after the reading? How will the reader access the information?” Another interesting thing about this piece was how the author constructed a Project Worksheet on how to write. I think it is a good idea because it gives guidelines on how to write and provides a consistency. However, this Worksheet may hinder creativity in a piece of writing.

I liked reading these pieces because when it is time for me to write a piece, I know what to consider when thinking about how I am writing rather than what I am writing. The pieces were also helpful because it’s not just a guide for one discipline but for any time of writing that I may encounter in the future.