Differences in Writing Techniques: Essays 1 & 2

While my writing process for Essay 2 was similar to that of Essay 1, there were differences in writing styles when it came to my rough draft of Essay 2. Besides the fact that Essay 1 needed no sources but was based on my own experience, source introductions were introduced in our class as part of the writing process. Source introductions were an area new to me. That is, I had not used them in writing before. Also, I notice that each essay is more complex than the one before it. But this is not a bad thing; rather I feel that it enhances the learning experience and helps students to become better writers.

Sources for Essay 2

Both sources I will be using for Essay 2 are online articles from the following websites.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov.com/94Guides/Trials/Valid/

http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/effects.html

I believe that both are credible sources as they are both published by branches of the justice system (department of justice and county law) and both provide information from individuals who have adequate credentials. That is, they specialize completely or in part in domestic violence (which is my topic) and the effects it has on those abused.

Credible sources are important to academic writings because they back up the information the writer gives on a topic. This shows the audience that the writer has taken time to research his or her topic and find those sources that are credible. And, if the audience wishes to do so, they may look up the information presented themsleves to gain a better understanding of the topic.

An example of a source introduction and qoute is:

In his online article, "Long Term Effects of Domestic Violence", Steven D. Stewart, Clark County Prosecutor, states, "Battering is the single major cause of injury to women, more significant than auto accidents, rapes, or muggings."

My Writing Process for Essay 1

Well, my final draft of essay one is now turned in, and for the most part I feel pretty good about it. Due to advice from my instructor, I feel that the essay is much stronger than it was in its beginning stages.

My writing process included: brainstorming, outlining, freewriting (mostly done by hand), drafting, proofreading, and revision. I plan to use all of these in my writing process for essay 2. The one thing that I will change however, is thatI will expand my outline to include more examples rather than just generalizations. In doing so, I feel that my rough draft will be stronger for the next essay.

Drafting and Revision Process

My first step in my writing process was to think about which policy I wished to write about. Then I did some brain storming writing down everything I knew about the policy, what points I felt it was important to make, possible counter arguments, and rebuttals to them. My next step was to put my ideas in a more logical order (I had simply written them down as they came to me while brain storming). Once this was done, I began thinking about my thesis statement and opening paragraphs. I then wrote my opening paragraphs down by hand to get a more general idea of where to go with my essay. I later typed the opening paragraphs into a word document and used my outline to organize the rest of my essay.

Once the first rough draft was complete, I began to proofread it. I added ideas, and in some cases changed word positions and rewrote sentences. The object of course was to make my points as clear as possible to whomever may be reading the essay.

At this point, I am in the process of continuing to reread my essay and determine what changes may need to be made before turning in the final draft.