Introduction

    Writing 39C. Phrases such as “busy work,” “way harder than 39B,” “kiss your life goodbye,” and “AVOID” accompany almost any discussion about this class. Granted, it is counterproductive to listen to the advice of others without a grain of salt. Nonetheless, I fell subject to the tormenting descriptions of this class. Maybe because my expectations were so low, or due to Professor Emily Liu’s kind and encouraging words throughout the quarter, I pleasantly enjoyed this class. Writing 39C did indeed throw multiple challenging routines in my direction. And I tried my hardest to grasp each one and interpret and execute it with 100% effort. I’ve learned the whats, whens, and wheres of researching, and found a way to express my voice and opinions, without fear of being judged. I struggled through finding appropriate sources, sifting through them for the most appropriate evidence, and deciphering the complex diction of scholarly articles. By falling and getting back up, I found the best processes for editing, ordering, and transitioning my essays that work for me with the right combination of ethos, pathos, and logos. I rehearsed and refined my researching and presenting skills that I intend to carry forward in future classes and careers. From a work in progress to a center stage spotlight, I began to find my footing and piece together the unkempt choreography of the creative process called writing, without losing my balance.

Composing Process

“I begin my writing process by figuring out the topic I’m writing about and what my point-of-view is on the subject. Then I will have a clearer idea of what I’m arguing. After that, I figure out what my main points will to prove. The thesis comes next. Once I have my thesis, and main points, my outline is mostly done, save for evidence of my thoughts. Research, or in the case of fiction writing, quotes come next. Every essay is a persuasive essay. This mindset keeps me focused on convincing the reader of my thoughts” (Self-Assessment).

    As seen from above, I am a planner—an indecisive one at that. Choosing anything prior to running through an entire scenario and outcome is difficult for me. Being the indecisive person that I am, I decided that I needed some assistance to narrow down potential topics. (Although, the theme of the class qualified as a definite plus, as I am majoring in biomedical engineering and am aiming toward a career as a healthcare professional.) I had a much-needed conversation with my aunt, who is an attending oncologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center, about everything from malpractice suits to electronic health records. During our conversation, we stumbled across the high cost of cancer drugs—something close to both our hearts. I knew I’d found my research topic, as I had seen first hand how my late uncle suffered from lung cancer and the struggles our family faced. With newly acquired motivation, I possessed the resources to find the causes and solution of this issue.

    My love for post-its is evident through my writing process. Post-Its let me arrange my thoughts on order of ideas, transitions, and sources. After finding sources, I summarize their content or thesis on post-its, which permits me to efficiently find the source to support a specific argument in a particular paragraph. I initially choose quotes that back up my thought process; however, as my thesis evolves so does my evidence.

    As I struggled with ordering the flow of my papers, post-its and hand-written proofreads helped me grasp more of how my brain works when writing. I enjoy what I’ve come to call the “domino-effect” thought process. My ideas and by extension writing make the most sense when I discover causes and effects, connecting the dots to larger implications of a situation. This keeps out the “filler” sentences by making sure each written word has a pointe. And when a train of thought turns into a this-leads-to-that-leads-that concept, I’ve reached a “light-bulb” moment. I experienced a particularly meaningful “light-bulb” moment during my AP conference with Emily, when I asked her to read a paragraph of current issues of prescription drug prices and their roots.

    To my surprise, my paragraph didn’t answer the questions I expected it to. Instead of being a comparison to past policies paragraph, Emily told me it was a better response to my opposition paragraphs. And it felt like I had just worn correct prescription glasses for the first time. I felt a little lost while writing the Advocacy Project, and that one defining moment provided direction and drive for my paper as a whole. All the while, I uncovered that the creative writing process is organic and raw. And from the mess arises something amazing.

Rhetoric/Argumentation/Multi-Modal Communication

   The journey to my final project was far from a walk in the park. I struggled to find multimodals that I felt really captured the essence of my problem and solution. Emily pointed out my rather abrupt entry into the introduction of my problem and revealed my lack of emotional appeal through her comment below.

    From this comment I realized that my paper was rather dry and perhaps didn’t do much to attract a reader in the first place. So I decided to follow Emily’s advice and add an anecdote as my emotional appeal. As I scoured the Internet, all the news in the media about Big Pharma exploiting people and the negative energy surrounding a Big Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli dominated my web search. But that wasn’t the direction I wanted to take my reader. My aim was to have the essay’s pathos mirror my own emotions and take the reader on a more personal journey, along the lines of my own story. I was largely influenced by how cancer physically affected my uncle while our family dealt with the finances. So I decided to specifically look for stories with families who were affected by high drug prices. And like that, the picture of mother and daughter, from my anecdote served the grassroots emotional appeal that I was looking for. The photograph and story provided me with the bigger picture of why I chose this topic, and why people should care; this aided my analysis because I gained a new purpose to writing my paper, beyond just a grade.

    I think I understand how multimodals can be effective in arguments and that they can really enhance a paper. Often during my research multimodals got me interested or really managed to prove a point to me, which proved the worth of multimodals. Working in conjunction with the message the words carry, pictures themselves can tell a story without a single letter. Rediscovering that charts, graphs, and photographs exist as some of the best proof anyone trying to educate others can use was probably one of my most profound “Aha” moments. In a world where technology has fueled the idea that “seeing is believing,” multimodals serve as one of the most effective mediums in both social and print media. The skill to utilize multimodals in conjunction with presentations, papers, and reports has already and will continue to serve me well beyond this class in being able to use various forms of evidence to connect audiences in different settings. First hand, I’ve noted that adding pictures of my reaction during lab into my organic chemistry lab report resulted in better grades.

Revision

   In progression of composition, flow and continuity is of vital importance, because my words on paper lag behind my spinning thought process. Starting with the paragraphs I’m confident with, I go through the essay and cut out sentences that do not appear to compliment my thesis or conclusion. But I don’t completely delete these sentences either. I move them to a “floating” word document exactly in the order they came from my essay. This exists as a place to run ideas, store possible conclusions, and come back to for inspiration.

    Throughout my composition classes, I’ve learned that I tend to assume the reader possesses prior knowledge of my subject, which results in minimal explanation on my part. Therefore I specifically design each paragraph to answer the unasked questions of the previous paragraph, to prevent misunderstanding because of lack of explanation or an unclear thought process. This way, I can walk through my progression of ideas and show the reader why I am drawing the conclusions that I am.

As seen above, my consciousness toward detailed yet concise explanations sometimes doesn’t pan out. I didn’t explain myself clearly enough. If I don’t explain myself clearly, then there’s no way my reader will comprehend the evidently important point in the issue I’m presenting.

Transferring What I Know

    My experience in Writing 39C molded a more constructive writer. Emily taught me to better articulate myself and guided me as I took readers step by step through my thought process. I’ve learned important presentation skills that I can apply throughout the rest of my life. I’m better prepared to deliver a pitch, self-time my presentations, and get a point across quickly because written-word exemplifies insight, but spoken-word forms life-long connections. As a result I’ve gained better communication skills. And while I’ve come far, I still have a ways to go. I definitely need to work on conciseness of my writing and phrasing more cohesive thoughts that don’t jump around.

    This new knowledge applies to other classes; the concepts behind research lies in researching smarter, not more. I’ve learned that I have access to some pretty amazing databases for research at my fingertips, which will come in handy with laboratory research, upper division lecture based classes, or even just for the sake gaining knowledge. The Writing 39 series focuses on formal writing technique which can be applied everywhere from a small response to a class activity, feedback in various situations, and formal email situations.

    From this class, I uncovered the importance of thinking outside of the box. I can now apply the methods of inquiry and research into my career as a future biomedical engineer and health professional. Before this class, I didn’t realize that engineers are just as much of artists as a dancers or writers; engineers are innovators and thinkers who must think outside the box. This class has shown me that the qualities I have just voiced are not characteristic of a single profession or area of study, but qualify any and every leader who thinks critically and innovates based on the needs of a situation; these skills have molded me into a better student and person. Emily provided me strength to voice my opinions and stand by my words. And now as the house lights dim, the stage lights come on, and the music begins to play, my creativity knows no bounds.