Comp\Post

Loop of Images from Jackson's Patchwork Girl

Revised Wreading

Revision, as we have emphasized in each of the writing projects this term, is not so much “fixing” our writing and reading as taking it further. In that sense, like the Patchwork Girl, it represents a continual feedback loop of fragmentation and recombination. There is more we can do, or might do, or should do, or would do–if only we had more time. The final project obliges you to take that time. This is your final exam. The components are:

• Essay: You will write a 4-6 page (double-spaced, standard 12pt. font, etc) essay that revises and expands upon something you have already begun in one or more of your previous writing projects.
• Focal Point: Revision. Your task is to revise this essay: go back and go further with your reading, your thinking, your writing. The revision should reflect substantial development and change, not merely editing. Revision involves taking a risk with your thinking and writing. I will be looking for this when I read the project.
• Publication: Portfolio. You will publish your final project on your blog, in a new category called “Portfolio.” This portfolio will include: your final revised essay, the earlier version of the writing project you are revising, a 1 page self-reflection. Since you will be publishing this final project in the blog, you are welcome to consider ways to “remediate” your writing effectively and imaginatively using digital tools at your disposal. Perhaps consider a brainstorming session with Nancy Cross in the Beck Lab.
• Self-Reflection: Your reflection is like the introduction to your portfolio. In it you should reflect on the work that went into the revision–what you have attempted to do with the essay, why and how you revised it, what you believe you have achieved with this writing. It should also reflect briefly on your progress and achievement as a writer and reader this term overall–what you have worked on (that to-do list I keep talking about), what you have achieved, what you want to keep working on in the coming semesters at Washington College.

This final project in revised reading and writing tests your progress with the three main objectives of this course (remember those?): developing critical reading; developing thoughtful writing; developing effective writing. Those objectives, of course, are ongoing; but your final project should demonstrate your development in those areas–in contrast, say, with the last ‘paper’ you wrote in high school or the first essay you wrote in this course.

The project also provides an opportunity for publication–what we do and want to do (in different forms and forums) as writers. For example, you might consider submitting this essay for publication in The Ferry, a new digital magazine on campus I am editing that will feature the best writing from first-year courses (English 101 and CNW). There are also student publications to consider as additional media for publication and work in progress: The Medium, The Colophon, and for completed work, the Washington College Review.