Peer Reviews

Peer reviews are one of the tools any writer should reach out to embrace. As with any writings that you do, you want to know what people think of your writing. Will it help someone, will it bring enlightenment to a subject that concerns your reader? There is no negative review, if they are done in the spirit of the guidelines set forth my the instructor. The comments should be viewed as a opening to make your writing better. When I first was introduced to peer reviews, I was scared because someone other than my teacher was reading my work. It became a review that I needed to make my writing better. It also gave me the boast I needed to clarify those things I did not clearly reveal. I really like the video peer reviews. You get to see and actually hear what your reviewer has commented about your work. Great addition to Kaplan's peer review process!

The last 6 weeks...................

This time has been a transition for me. I moved from a townhouse I rented finally at the onset of this class after seven months of having Realtors come in and out showing the place I lived because the owner wanted to sell. He announced this decision exactly 1 year after I had lived there. Surely, he knew when I rented it 1 year ago that he was thinking of selling. The price was exuberant - $122,000 with no tract of land to call my personal own and no carport, house 30 plus years old and needs some update. It was beautiful in its hay day and was still quite appealing. I continue to work 2 jobs M-F, along with being the Minister of Music for my church. Most of my music comprises the weekend and church on Sunday. So, these last 6 weeks other than the move and on yesterday being told that my 2003 Chevy Impala needs a new Intake Manifold, $676.00 are all external forces to try to make me unsure of my direction and say, "too much is going on I can't concentrate." These things 2 shall pass. I have a new place, so that is awesome and I will get my car fixed in a couple of days. See what I mean? Internally, nothing is going to take my eye off the prize! An Associates Degree in Health Information Technology. Can I get a witness?

Personal Writing Style

I read a passage that musicians have good handwriting. This is explained as possessing a special rhythm in the stroke of their pen. Interesting! I have played since I was 6 years old. I never really experimented in the secular music world, but I have meet some friends that are dynamic from living in Southern California for about 10 years. My personal writing style is to project awareness. I especially gravitate to issues dealing with struggle or injustice to ALL people. I do beleive that writing is something that you must continue to practice. Just like music, practice makes perfect. I can see that through just a 2 year exposure to more writing on paper and computer, that I am beginning to feel comfortable (in my own skin). I like to use the outline method to organize my thoughts. If my outline is well developed it makes writing my paper so much easier. I want to develop each paragraph to its full potentional and leave my introductions and conclusions as the last areas to develop. Another thing that I would have to say helped me to express myself is writing in a journal or diary. I felt fortunate to have one at 8 or 9 and I wrote some of my thoughts in it. However, my mother got a hold to it one day and read my personal journaling. She was upset over some expressions I made, but they were my expressions and my feelings. From that experience, I gained a block for expressing myself on paper. Now, at my age, I can do what I want with my thoughts as long as they don't hurt anybody. Then, they might hurt someone not intentionally but as a form of awareness. Some people are not aware of the injustices and situations around them that can affect their entire existance.

Plagarism

I can share a story of plagarism that really upset me because I had placed a lot of work into a project for a nonprofit group that was attempting to extend their funding for an afterschool program. I wrote several components to a grant that was submitted to the State of Louisiana Tanif Funds Division for consideration. The past grantwriter was affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita and moved to Atlanta Ga. with all the records. The pastor of the church contacted me referred by some contacts he made in the area looking for a grantwriter available in this area. To make long story short, I wrote the needs assessment, program description, budget narrative (used a personal software program built for me by a computer engineer-my classmate) and outcome analysis for the program. Th draft information I submitted for review to the Pastor and his school administrator was taken and passed on as their own. To top it off, I not receive compensation or recognition for having completed the work. This was extremely hurtful and since this had happen once before to me but not to this degree, I decided that grantwriting can be a ruthless business if you do not have people that are honest or not forthcoming in their motives. Ultimately, the church did get the grant and to this date - 3 years later, I still have not been compensated for my work. I did receive a copy of the final grant submission, other than a few word changes, each component had indeed been plagarized.