Dominguez 1

Jocelyn Dominguez

Professor Jerri A. Harwell

ENGL 1010-314 (Portrait Of My Writing Life)

29 april 2020

What rhetorical strategies do I use in my writing situation?

Over the past few weeks I have analyzed the way I use writing to communicate, to act in

different situations and how I apply writing techniques to improve my writing. This led me to

seek a better understanding of the structure of my writing techniques, collecting data from

certain textual artifacts: emails, lists, visual field notes, personal histories, work-related writing,

among others. In order to collect information that will help me in my search, I used a question as

a reference: What rhetorical strategies do I use in my writing situation?

In the research method "Visual Field Notes" I can make an approach in which the 4

images that project my writing process are based on the tools required to achieve fluidity in my

writing, for example: loneliness that I require to concentrate, as well as the important role that

music has to achieve a tranquility in my mind helping ideas to flow by themselves, my unique

personal space to mourn that my writing becomes a reflection of what my mind is trying to say,

my own space is the center of each of my ideas, stories and my style, and although it seems a

little hard to believe the lemon candies help me not to deconcentrate, to have energy.

In the case of the textual artifact "Personal Stories" I can see how the Pathos rhetorical

strategy becomes present. Through the correct use of words I try to connect with the reader to

project emotions. I find a path of sentimentality where I can find that impact in every word read,

that the reader can imagine and adopt each writing as his own, that he feels part of the story. I

realize that I like to gain credibility by the way I express myself.

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In the textual artifact "Collection of relevant textual artifacts" analyzing in more detail the

examples of textual artifacts: Text messages (Facebook), comments made by my classmates and

teachers, and finally schoolwork made by me (essays). My classmates and teachers elaborate

their comments towards me with an emotional touch, they praise my work and they always have

that subtle touch of trying to tell me when things are not well done. One of my teachers told me

personally that she always looks for a way to connect with one of her students through her

personality based on her written work. She was never wrong, we all get constructive criticism

but adapted to our own style.

With what I learned in these weeks I was able to obtain the necessary knowledge to be

able to analyze more closely my writing style, being able to identify without problem what it is

that conforms my style, like textual artifacts, rhetorical strategies, that give me a broader image

of "Why" "How" and "Where" I use each one of these characteristics in diverse situations of my

daily life, something as simple as sending a text

message to something more complex like an essay. Writing is a tool of choices, of actions,

writing is a tool of knowledge.

Visual field notes

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Personal histories
“It was hard for me to find my own style of concentration since for a while it was not
exactly the same; I am bilingual, I speak Spanish and English, but my native language is
Spanish; In order to find my way of writing I had to seek help from many teachers who guided
me to be able to use correctly what writing builds: Punctuation, spelling. After I realized that
music was my great ally to obtain ideas and a greater concentration, music became an
indispensable part when performing some rehearsals, or making simple notes. Loneliness is one
of my other best friends. Peace around me must be a requirement to achieve a level of tranquility
and to keep my mind from becoming clouded. It is strange how to find your space when doing
your work, it creates a harmonic environment full of creativity, like me, having my space just to
write gives me the comfort that my "fingers" flow by themselves more easily. And what can I
say? There is nothing better than a candy to sweeten my ideas, and help me to keep my head
from exploding from so many that come to my mind”.

Collection of relevant textual artifacts