Reflection on Project 1

What challenges did I face?

• At first, I knew nothing about a QRG, and originally thought it was similar to a tri-fold informational pamphlet. (Embarrassing, I know.) I was nervous because I had never done a project like this, and was scared my lack of knowledge was going to result in a poor grade. However, after seeing many examples and hearing tips from my instructor, I felt confident that I had the correct format, and my QRG would turn out just fine.

What successes did I experience?

• I did not think I was going to have enough information for a substantial QRG, but that was not the case. After planning what I was going to write and then actually putting it on paper, I realized I had more than enough information which came from my ten sources, and it resulted in a lengthy, but still easy to read QRG.

Writing practices I found most effective:

• For this project, I found looking at both sides of the argument was effective in getting the point of the controversy across, while maintaining a neutral side and letting each side's opinion be heard. I also found that sub-headings dividing my paragraphs in the form of questions was a great design choice that made my QRG have a more conversational feel, which made it easier to read and follow. I also found it very effective to plan out what I was going to say first, rather than type a lot, and do a lot of revising.

Writing practices I found not effective:

• I did not find it effective to write my QRG by listing many endless facts that did not reinforce the controversies. A few short facts were all that was needed to get the point and information across. Also, I did not find it effective to write this QRG in the standard 5 paragraph form, (introduction, body, body, body, conclusion) as a QRG is designed to be quick, informational, and most importantly, easy to read. Something that a five paragraph essay is not.

How was this similar to other writing experiences?

• This was very similar to past experiences in the fact that I had to research my topic thoroughly before writing about it, as well as properly cite my sources. Along with that, I have completed a few projects where the writing assignment wasn't to create a multi-page essay, but rather, a short summary of the information. That is exactly what this project felt like to me, a short summary.

How was this different from past writing experiences?

• This was different from past experiences because I have never written a QRG before. I'm very accustomed to writing full essays, or short, 1-2 paragraph summaries. This was the first time I was able to incorporate different formatting and design choices, rather than the normal "Times New Roman 12-pt font" throughout, in a genre I had previously no experience with.

Will the skills I practiced be useful in other coursework?

• I hope so! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this genre, and feel that it is much more informational and easy to read compared to a traditional essay. I never enjoyed writing, but I did enjoy this project and I hope my future coursework can incorporate this genre as well, so that I may actually want to do the work!

Wikimedia Commons. African Lion Resting, August 8, 2008, CC Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported

I chose this image because this is how I look after completing a long project!