Process Writing

Through writing reviews I found that having a strong opinion on something helps me write. So, even though many times I didn't feel as strongly as I appeared to in my review, I wrote that way because it helped me get my thoughts out. I don't know if I like this, because I feel phony on the page, but at the same time if I didn't at least feel part of what I put into the review then I wouldn't be able to write it.
I went through a lot of this fake writing with my final piece. Even though I really loved my idea about stereotypes in children's television, I found myself writing a really feminist paper, which is strange for me. Although I don't hate feminists, I generally feel like they take small examples and blow them up into bigger deals than they are. During workshops in class I told my group how I felt and they suggested giving both sides of the story: how stereotypes affect boys and girls, instead of just girls. This idea was probably what I gained most from the workshops, and I was really pleased when they could understand where I was coming from and offer me a solution.
The workshops were probably my favorite part of class because I was more able to talk with the small group than I am with the whole class. At the beginning of the quarter I wrote that one of my goals was to talk more in class, and I'd say I failed. I'm not really sure why I find it so hard to talk in class, it's not that I'm not paying attention or not interested, but I think that I take a longer time to form an opinion on anything so when I have something to say, we've already moved onto a different topic. Either that, or I don't feel like I have enough authority on anything or know enough about music or art or film to make a statement that I feel comfortable with.
Because I spent so much time reading the newspaper this quarter, I realized that I really want to read more. Not necessarily the arts section, or even the newspaper, but I just miss reading for pleasure. With all of the homework I constantly feel like I'm catching up on I never have a chance to just sit down with a book, and I plan to make a real effort to do that next quarter.
I also realized that I must have a strict deadline to get anything done. In my other classes the teachers offer a 3% grade drop for each day late, which just allows me to procrastinate longer and longer. I need to set real deadlines for myself if I'm ever going to get anything done.
While watching some of the films for this class, I found myself evaluating the meaning and different elements of cinematography or mise-en-scene to support various arguments made about a film. Instead of critiquing a film, I wanted to evaluate it. From high school I learned how to write AP Literature papers that only analyzed, not criticized. It's one thing to be able to write a mean analytical essay, and another to be able to write a mean any kind of paper. Diversifying my writing style and abilities was another difficult but rewarding aspect of this course.