The Big Picture: The Impact of Writing Solutions

As I have said before, there are many problems people face on a daily basis. While some can be solved quickly, others may take more time and effort. And, sometimes, even though efforts have been made to solve certain problems, little progress has taken place. Perhaps tried methods have failed, or maybe the methods being used have not brought the expected results. That is where fresh ideas can make a difference. After all, it seems to me that proposals for solutions to problmes are a fresh look at an issue - a new way to solve it. Writing proposals like the one we have been writing about in essay 3 is good practice for what we can do to make a difference in the real world. Without proposals for new solutions to old problems, things would simply stay the same, and no progress would be made, but with proposals come new ideas. And with new ideas often comes positive change.

Problems, Problems, Problems. . .

As we are all no doubt aware, life can be filled with problems that need solving. Here, I would like to discuss two in detail.

The first problem that I want to discuss is one that I am considering doing essay 3 about - parents who do not pay child support regularly and who refuse to work because they feel that not working releases them from their responsibility. This problem affects many children whose custodial parent is doing his or her best to provide for the child but could use extra finacial help from the noncustodial parent in order to do so more effectively. What can be done? To me, an ideal solution would be for judges who place court orders into effect to require the noncustodial parent (if he or she is physically capable of working) to seek employment. If the parent has not found employment within 30 days, I feel that it should be ordered by the court that the parent is required to go through a job placement agency to find suitable employment and that job placement agencies do their best to help the individual to do so. This type of order would give parents the opportunity to seek employment for themselves, and it would set a time limit so that children do not have to go without any needs met for a long period of time.

Another problem I would like to discuss is domestic violence. Even though restraining orders are given to domestic violence victims who ask for them, often, abusers do not heed these orders. The orders are not always strictly enforced either - that is, not until something truly devestating has happened (for example, an abuser defying an order severely injuring if not killing a victim). A solution could be that orders are more strictly enforced by police. Instead of giving a warning the first time an abuser violates an order, perhaps stricter measures should be taken (for example, incarceration). Will this problem ever be completely solved? Like so many, it is possible that it will not, but taking action can decrease the level of the problem.

My Thoughts on English 111 Thus Far

Well, we are almost at the end of week 7 already. It is hard to believe that so much can be learned in such a short period of time. My response to the class so far is as follows. I feel that all of the assignments and lectures we have had are quite helpful to the writing process. Already, I have learned much about how to strengthen my writing - from hooking the audience to source introduction use. I believe that as the class progresses, so too will my knowledge of how to make my writing more successful. I look forward to this opportunity. At this time, I do not have suggestions on how to make the class better. Things already move in an orderly fashion and the instructor is very helpful if questions do arise (whether they be about class assignments or technology).

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.