I would like to preface this blog post by explaining that I do not think this first project is correct in any way. With that being said, In order to produce my first draft I began by looking up examples of rhetorical ecology maps. I looked at how they were constructed,what they were about, and what they included. To be honest this confused me even more so I decided to say screw it and start making something that resembled what I saw online. As I was creating the map at the end of class, listening to other peoples questions really helped me get a general idea of what I was supposed to be creating. My draft in total probably took me about 40 minutes, most of that time being spent in the classroom with a few finishing touches being added while I was in my dorm room. This writing process was nothing like my imagined proces. I felt very anxious and uncomfortable in the beginning stages of creating it because I did not have a great grasp on what I was doing. Towards the end when my ideas started flowing and I had a general idea of what I was trying to create I began to feel a little more confident in what I was doing. All of these feelings are backed up by Lamott’s ideas of first drafts. She says “very few writers really know what they are doing until they’ve done it. Nor do they go about their business feeling dewy and thrilled.” I believe this sums up my feelings about my first draft completely.

I have two  ideal writing processes. In the summer, or when the weather is nice, I like to sit outside on our patio with my computer. I like to be outside working because it is nice to be surrounded by fresh air and our patio has a small koi pond so it is very nice to listen to the flowing water while working. If the weather is poor, and I can not be outside, I would be sitting at a desk typing on a computer. The room would be cold and I would have a coffee and would be playing country music in the background. I would want to be sitting at a desk because I feel it helps me focus and I can not work on a computer in bed. I like it when it is cold in my room because that also helps me focus. Coffee and music are for more energy when I begin to lose focus. I also like to sit down and write an entire assignment in one sitting and I usually only do one revision for most assignments. Giovanelli really drove home the idea that revisions are crucial to a good essay and with every revision the piece can get better. This does not mean that every time you revise the piece gets better but most of the time it does. In Lawsons piece she describes how she started writing face down on the floor with no arms and was using the dictation feature on her phone to write. This brings up the idea that you don’t need to be in the perfect environment to begin writing a great piece. I found that chapter entertaining and enjoyable to read and she started writing it face down on the floor which is pretty cool.

The authors of this text are Carl G. Herndle and Stuart C. Brown. Herndle is an Associate Professor of english at New Mexico State University. Brown is also a professor at New Mexico State University, he teaches rhetorical history and criticism. I believe the primary audience for this text is students because it was published by the University of Wisconsin and uses simpler diction and consists of easier to understand ideas. the texts definition of rhetoric is a tool which allows people to discuss different moral and social issues. I believe the main argument of the text is that there are three parts to rhetoric regarding discourse about the environment the Ecocentric, Anthropocentric, and Ethnocentric. All of these three parts relate back to their own mode of persuasion Ecocentric being Pathos, Anthropocentric being Logos, and Ethnocentric being Ethos. The rhetorical purpose of this text is to persuade and inform the readers.

The Author of this article is Jenny Edbauer. She was a writing professor at the University of Texas and is now a professor at Penn University. I was confused by the section where she was talking about location and site. I did not understand what she meant by “bordered sites” and “fixed place” and how those related back to rhetoric. The section From Situs to Distribution, even though it was supposed to explain why situs is important to rhetoric, further confused me.  I found the “Keep Austin Weird” bumper stickers idea very interesting. Aside from being a great marketing tactic it shows how just three words can cause such a movement in society. I believe the primary audience for this text is her peers because this was published in an academic journal. The purpose of this article was to persuade people to believe that most definitions of rhetoric are not fluid enough for today’s society. Edbauer describes rhetoric as “a circulating ecology of effects, enactments, and events.”

In Patricia Roberts-Millers “Rhetoric Is Synonymous With Empty Speech” her main audience was the general public. I believe this because this was included in a published book. Roberts-Millers describes rhetoric as the clothing on the idea. This basically means rhetoric is the addition of advanced language to cover up the meaning of a sentence. She also describes how there are two ways of forming sentences, Edenic which is the more straight to the point and when rhetoric is added to these sentences it begins to cloud the general idea of the author. The main objective of the text is to inform the reader of different philosophers ideas towards rhetoric and when rhetoric should be used. In “The Rhetorical Situation” by Lloyd F. Bitzer he talks about how rhetoric is used to influence an audience and persuade people. I believe the primary audience of this piece is again the general public. I believe this piece was created to inform readers how to properly use and identify rhetoric in order to get an intended response from an audience. He uses examples such as parliament and how when two or more situations are occurring at the same time the rhetoric may have less of an affect on the audience.

Rhetoric is the diction we choose to use in order to obtain an intended response from our audience. Ive come to understand rhetoric in this way because of my experiences in high school, at home, online, and in the business world. I would not use the same diction with my mother that I would with my friends or a business associate. each different scenario calls for a different type of diction and phrasing.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.