Adriana Castorena RWS 1301 17526

9/14/14 castorenaa autoetnography code/ draft

SESSION 1: Home alone at around 1 in the afternoon. Just got out of the shower and
wearing comfy clothes. The only noise heard is that of the air conditioner. Sitting at
dining room table with a glass of water and cellphone by my side. Blackboard and
Pandora open on my browser.
1-5: Read assignment directions out loud. Begin typing on computer and start thinking
out loud. Pause after each sentence. Think really hard about the next line. [RD], [RQ],
[WoL]
6-10: Long stop to re-read what I have written. Plan on what topics I am going to focus
on and examples I will give. Keep looking up to the ceiling when I want to think of what
to say next. Decide to make an outline to better organize thoughts. Started writing in
notebook and separate into intro, paragraph 1, 2, and 3 and finally conclusion. [GP],
[RW]
11-15: Begin reviewing outline. Decide to make what I have already written the first
body paragraph. Start typing introduction. Choose upper vocabulary. [I], [EADD],
[EDEL]
16-20: Start talking about high school experiences with writing English became
favorite subject. Receive phone notification, stop to look at it, decide its not important
and put it down. [WoL], [CP]
21-25: Elaborate on writing strengths and weaknesses. Compare math to English and
why I prefer English. List the pros of writing. Talk about hatred towards repetition.
Stretch and yawn. [PL], [RE], [ZZZ]
26-30: Remember Miss. Ochoa, my junior English teacher and how her class gave me
a new perspective on writing. Talk about her method of teaching. Explain how she
taught us existentialism and transcendentalism. Forget what transcendentalism is, look
it up on Google to refresh memory. Pause between sentences. [RE], [I]
31-35: Get distracted and look at phone for about 4 minutes. Start humming a song.
Long silence. Pen falls, bringing me back to the essay. [SC], [S]
36-40: re-read last sentence to regain train of thought. Revisit Miss. Ochoas junior
English class. Label it as a free writing class. Stop to look at notebook. [RR]
41-45: pause to revise any grammatical errors noted by word. Look at outline again.
Think of next paragraph. Check snapchat to see any new posts. Refocus and begin
writing third body paragraph. [RW], [SC]
46-50: start talking about writing process. Do not like the way the first sentence sounds,
delete it. Think hard about next phrase and begin talking about my bad habits like
procrastination. [RF], [WOL]
51-55: compare small papers to big ones and time frame. Discuss responsibility as a
writer. Go back and read what I have just written and correct grammar. [WOL], [RW]

Adriana Castorena RWS 1301 17526
9/14/14 castorenaa autoetnography code/ draft

56-60: add more content to the previous paragraphs. Begin typing more frequently (no
more pauses). [WS], PL]
61-65: Begin typing conclusion and express my thoughts on what good writing is. After
about 4 sentences, I pause to re-read them. [WOL], [RW]
66-70: Flip through notes and then start typing again. Focus on the writing styles of
peers and how they differ from mine. Stop to re-read paragraph again. [I], [WS], [RW]
71-75: Return to slower writing again. Hear a car honk; look out the window to see who
it is. Sit back down and put heading and proper font on paper. Check any last minute
details. [LTT], [E], [RW]
76-80: Save document, close it. Go to blackboard, click on learning module, portrait of a
writer, browse computer, upload assignment, submit.

SESSION END

























Adriana Castorena RWS 1301 17526
9/14/14 castorenaa autoetnography code/ draft



Writing process is different for everyone, no one has a correct or incorrect form of
writing. After annotating my recording for this assignment, it helped me see all the
different techniques I use when writing. This allowed me to see myself as a writer and
the many habits I portray at the time of writing. I never really stopped to consider the act
of me writing when I write, I would just write. After this assignment I now think twice
about all the little things I do when writing. There are so many different things that can
make the writer focus or get distracted when it comes to working on an assignment.

An important aspect when it comes to writing is the environment which you are
in. When I wrote my Portrait of Writer I was alone with no noise and I still got distracted
occasionally, I cannot imagine the distractions I would have had if there was people
around me. My advantage was that I did not have any noise to lose my focus on so I
finished in about an hour and a half. On other occasions that I have worked on
something if I am in the dining room, the TV or the sounds coming from the kitchen will
distract me, like the blender for example. When this happens I usually put in my
earphone and listen to music but I can still hear the noise. Even when I work in my room
and the door is closed I doze off or start looking around my room and playing with things
or my little sister will just barge in and show me something on her iPad. Something that
was very clear in my video was that I go back and re-read my work after every sentence
which I think is very time consuming. I think that if I would just continue writing without
going back, that I would finish my work in half the time. But I think that I re-read very
often to make sure that my ideas flow.
Adriana Castorena RWS 1301 17526
9/14/14 castorenaa autoetnography code/ draft



Every writer has certain strengths and weaknesses but many are not aware of
what they are. I know that my strengths when writing are when I write about a topic that
I am passionate about rather than a research topic. Research papers would definitely
be my weakness when writing; they make me nervous because I feel like teachers
grade them more precisely as opposed to writing creatively where I am absolutely free
to write by my own rules. I would say that I have both good and bad habits when it
comes to writing. A good habit that I have learned to take advantage of is that when I
am in the mood to write, the words naturally come out. A bad habit that I have gotten rid
of is social media. Before I would always work with facebook on my browser and
instagram on my phone and I would take breaks every ten minutes to check updates,
which would take up an enormous amount of time.

After analyzing and coding my video and reading my Portrait of a Writer again, I
see how what I thought I would do when is very similar to what I actually do. There are
of course minor differences like the fact that I pause very often with what I call writers
block. I think that reading all the articles we have covered in class really helped me gain
a new perspective on how all writers have pros and cons but they all look for what
makes them better writers. One thing that will stick with me every time I write now, is
that an author should always know who their audience is and how to write for them. This
is very important because if I cannot keep my audiences attention then I failed my task
Adriana Castorena RWS 1301 17526
9/14/14 castorenaa autoetnography code/ draft


as a writer. One should write for themselves but always keep the audience in mind as
well.

I know that I have a lot to learn about writing but I just want to make sure I know
all the techniques that work best for my benefit. Like I said earlier, none of us write the
same but it is just a matter of accepting what we are good and bad at and working from
those discoveries. A writer should never stopped learning, no matter how educated he
or she already is. There is always room for improvement and we have to try new things
to see what works and what doesnt. No one should ever judge someone elses method
of writing because what works for me might not work for someone else. We all learn
from our mistakes and should want to expand our horizons and get out of our comfort
zones when it comes to writing.