I Know You Haven't Started Your Essay

     Yeah...

    Finals...

    They're tough. I bet you're very stressed. I know I am. You know what's even more stressful? Writing a 4-7 page rational argument essay in 3 days.

    I think I've mentioned that having a month to write an essay is far too much time and I WILL NOT finish it until I absolutely need to. I need that little extra push. There's something about doing an essay at the last second that gives me a rush of adrenaline(like I need more of that right now).

    Anyway, I know you are far from finished with you essay. This is just a friendly reminder to either sit your butt down and pump that thing out OR just relax and write a little bit everyday. 

    I've taken a new approach for this essay. I'm working through a little bit everyday. I'm constantly writing new material and revising what I already had. I find that this method is much less stressful than panic writing it all at the last minute. Go figure!

    This isn't just another essay that you have to write. This is our final essay. This is the last grade that we will get in the class. This could determine your letter grade, change your GPA, this is something to spend time on. I've done my fair share of procrastination this finals season, but not for this essay. I know exactly what I need to do to finish it.

    Again, writing an essay on the day that it's due is my specialty, but maybe try and start tomorrow? Just a thought:)

Should There Be Warm Weather For Finals?

    I can't be the only one that got way too excited for the warm weather last week. Everyone was outside, I was wearing shorts, the sun was out. It was a little preview for summer and it made me so happy. I loved spending time outside and getting some vitamin D. 

    But, it wouldn't be Illinois if it didn't drop 40 degrees and start snowing the next day. We can't have it all. Honestly, I'm almost glad that the weather got cold again.

    Once the weather gets warm, my mind goes straight to summer. School gets pushed to the back of mind and I go outside instead of staying in and studying. The weather being cold helps me focus on what really matters right now. Finals. 

    The cold weather makes for the best mindset. 

    Agree with me or disagree with me, but think about this. You are less likely to go out or do other things while it's cold out than when it's warm out. Warm weather=summer. Cold weather=school. There's less to do when it's cold and more time to think about what needs to get done. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather and I want it to come back, but not right now.

    No. There shouldn't be warm weather for finals. It throws off my motivation and makes me want to leave school. Studying and staying focused is more helpful right now than getting a little sun.

I'm Tired.

     I'm tired. Physically, emotionally, academically. I'm ready for school to be over. I'm ready to have no responsibilities. I'm just burnt out.

    But I'm not done. Not even close. I have a million things to think about and to do. Border grades, spring season, finals, I don't know where to start. 

    This semester I started strong with academics. I made them a priority, managed my time better, put in more effort. I put my LIFE into my studies this semester and I find it hard to keep my drive going for just one more month. The weather is getting warmer, the sun is setting later, and summer is just calling my name.

    I feel like this final paper should stress me out more than it does. Maybe because I have so much time to complete it. Regardless, I will definitely get most of this essay done the night before it's due. It's my job as a second semester freshmen to slack and procrastinate. Obviously I know I should manage the work and get it done as early as I can to focus on other finals. But where is the fun in that? I can only write an essay under extremely stressful time restraints. That's just how it works. I mean, is it really college if I don't turn in my last assignment at the last minute with seconds to spare? 

    Okay I kind of lost my point there, but I'm not going to delete it and write something else because...well...just read the title.

A VERY Rational Argument

    Usually when I find out that we are writing an argumentative paper, I internally groan. It's not something that I particularly enjoy doing. Why would I have to prove a seemingly obvious point with evidence that I spent FOREVER looking for?

    That's when I discovered that-shocker! Some people have different opinions than I do! WOW!

    This rational argument paper is a way for everyone to express their stance on a controversial topic rationally. Notice how I say rationally. This little word at the beginning of the title is pushing the narrative that you MUST be fair. I'm talking scholarly evidence and reasonable points that support your thesis. Not the rationale of "because it just makes sense,".

    I've chosen the topic of, should dietary supplements and weight loss items be allowed to be promoted through influencers. I feel that this topic affects many people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. As a women, of course I get sucked into the black hole that is influencers shoving body issues down your throat. It's inevitable at this point.

    As the gym and being a "gym rat" grows more and more popular, women and men alike may be affected by these influencers as well. It's not just the instagram models now. We can't escape. Body issues obtained by promotions of supplements only scratch the surface of what I'll be discussing in my argument.

    My goal for this final paper is to rationally and effectively defend the claim that dietary supplements and weight loss items should NOT be allowed to be promoted through influencers.

I Take Free-write Very Seriously and You Should Too.

    I look forward to free write every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. I use it as a journal entry to jot down some things I need to get out of my head. 

    After reading my early free writes, it's clear that there's been some improvement. I can remember back to the beginning of the semester when I would write very formally. No emotion, no tone, no personality. It wasn't personal to me and it wasn't exactly my style of writing.

    As my free writes went on, I could see my personality come out more and more with each one. I'm using exclamation points. I'm using purposeful fragments. I can sense my emotion through my writing.

    It might have something to do with my chosen topics. Now that I know we won't turn them in, I write about things that I wouldn't necessarily share with others. I write about things that make me mad, things that make me upset, and things that I'm grateful for. I write about how I'm exploring different aspects of life. 

    I'm creating something special with my free writes. I'm learning more about myself through my free writes than I was before. I had no idea how much 5 minutes spent writing every week would impact me and my mood for the day.

JUST START IT

    Sometimes-no, all the time. I have trouble with essays, or projects, or assignments. I know how to do it, I just don't. 

    It all has to do with actually starting the dang thing. This isn't about procrastination. I could sit in front of my computer for an hour without typing something. I have a very difficult time with just sitting down and starting it. Once I do start though, it's smooth sailing.

    I think that I have a fear of putting something down that I won't like and have to revise. Although revising is good, I have a problem where I want my original draft to be perfect. In a perfect world that would be true, but unfortunately that's not how it works.

    The documentary project was especially hard for me to not only start, but continue. Once I submitted my summary draft, the paper dropped to the bottom of my priority list. I feel as if I physically submitted something, it was finished.

    It took me a very long time to even open up the document again to first, revise my summary, and second, add my analysis. I didn't exactly know where to start, or what to write. It's hard for me to continue writing something when I don't have a ton of guidance.

    I like following a rubric. Something precise that I can double check to make sure that I have every single thing. I didn't mind using student examples to compare and structure my paper. I had never done it before and it is definitely a good skill to have. I think that I was just thrown off by the fact that I had no way of knowing that I was on the right track. 

    I'm curious to see how I will react to the Rational Argument paper that we have coming up. If I choose my topic carefully, and choose something that I am passionate about, I think I will be okay. I have to be smart about it though...

Writing=Revising?

     We have been taught that writing is revising. Do I agree with that? Can writing be truly perfect? Can you revise something to the point where it's worse than the original? Does revising get rid of raw, initial thoughts, feelings, and opinions?

    These are all questions that I think about when writing. 

    Whenever I am writing something, my method is usually to sit down and just write out the entire thing. I don't think, I just write. The result is an extremely rough draft that I end up going over hundreds of times.

    I like this method because it allows all of my thoughts to come out naturally without room for second guessing. If I know that I'm going to revise it anyway, I write better. I do enjoy having the opportunity to submit drafts and getting feedback. It helps me assure myself that my first draft won't be my last.

    Writing my summary analysis has been a little difficult for me because its hard to revise a summary. If a summary is all stone cold facts, then how can they be fixed? I know format can always be fixed, but is that still considered revision?

    So, do I think that writing is revision? Yes and no. Writing can be revised and revised and revised as many times as you can or want. But the question still stands: at what point is too much? I do enjoy revising because it gives me the opportunity to connect ideas better, or frame my words in another way, or change things to fit the tone. Housekeeping things. Not full paragraphs.     

    Writing is revising to a certain extent. Do you agree with this statement?