1. My thesis/main argument was analyzing the benefits and downfalls of social media and the influence it can have on people and society, aka the negatives and positives. I saw both sides of the argument.
  2. In my writing process, I like to just get the whole paper done in one sitting. Before, I had never really done more than one draft unless I was asked to. I would go back to just look for obvious spelling and grammar mistakes but I never really analyzed my whole writing piece and created an actual separate draft. I noticed that printing out my rough draft and making my own markings was more helpful than just rereading and editing as I go on my computer. I didn’t procrastinate, but I just made sure that I waited until I was comfortable with both readings and had a good understanding of the argument I was going to write about. Also, once I was finished I read my essay aloud. I read it aloud three times, not on purpose. I read it out loud the first time and edited things as I was reading, then I would read it again to make sure it was okay, but it still needs some work so I edited while I read it again. I followed that process until I could get through reading the entire essay without needing to make any changes.
  3. For global revision, I mostly focused on how my paragraphs were formed. I found myself switching around paragraphs to make the story flow and sound better. I also found myself adding more of my own voice in the summaries of each text, which was a bit hard for me. How am I supposed to put my own voice into a summary? It had never occurred to me before so it took me some time, but I think I did an okay job. Some of the revision tools I used were looking at my peer reviews, looking at my Professors comments and edits, doing local revisions (spelling and grammar edits) in each of the paragraphs, printing out my essay and physically editing it with a pen, and the reading technique that I described in the paragraph above.
  4. For my next paper, I think I will follow the same process because I felt extremely comfortable with my final draft when I handed it in. I might do a little more research on the texts that I use for my paper. I would try to focus a little more on global revision to make sure my thesis really stays true and is present throughout the ENTIRE essay. I will also use Rachel’s strategy of highlighting the different elements of my essay while I revise the rough draft. Doing multiple drafts will definitely be useful for me in the future, along with printing it out and editing, and reading it aloud several times until I feel it is complete.