My Writing Process

Although the teachers in high school always advised against procrastination, I use it as an advantage to help me write better. Because of my competitive nature, I have found that my writing is alot better when I feel under pressure, kind of like sports. If I feel that deadline in the back of my mind, I push myself better to get the job done to the best of my ability instead of feeling like I am doing just another boring assignment. In addition to that, I feel the need to take breaks from writing so I don't have an overload. I simply write for 30 minutes or less, watch TV or play Xbox for a little less than that time, and then get back writing and then take another break. This gives me more chances to better develop my thoughts into an effective, formal paper with all the right requirements. While I am writing I like to have lots of light but absolutely no sound, usually with the TV on but muted. I do think about my writing alot and gather my thoughts in my head, so it is not completely spontaneous. I also revise as I am writing and sort of use a filter from the thoughts in my head so what I put into a word document is the best writing I can come up with at the time. One new writing process element I want to use is definitely having someone immediately proof-read my paper before I even read the final draft as it comes out of the printer. This will give me the best chance of having my mistakes caught quickly so that I still have time at the computer to fix all of the mistakes I made in the first draft. Overall, my procrastination is the reason why I end up writing better on the final draft.

Advertisements

There are a variety of advertisements that seem to always get my interest. All of these ads have the same elements in common. First of all, the ad must have one single image (or the ad as a whole) that stands out from the page and really catches your attention. After that, the colors I notice must be somewhat geared towards me as a male or else it will lose my interest. These colors include darker shades of blue, green, red, as well as black, silver, or any exotic color. Next, there must be some sort of eye-popping visual or motion-implying image that portrays what the object is or what your life would be life with that good or service. For example, a blurry car that shows it is going very fast or a giant football in the middle of the ad. After that, the product itself must be something that I am interested in such as cars, sports, or products that I use daily. Furthermore, the ad really keeps my attention if there is something informational about it or if the ad makes you try to figure something out such as a question that is verbally or nonverbally asked in the advertisement. If there is a paragraph description about some new Nike football equipment, I am going to read the entire thing. I really want to buy or use the product if it really triggers my emotions and interest at the same time with a combination of a reasonable price listed, an easy place to go get the product, and an item that I will get my money's worth at least every week. An advertisement stays in my memory especially if there is humor added to it in addition to the elements already stated. Finally, if the company is able to use a celebrity or athlete that I easily recognize then it is even easier to stay in my memory because then, whenever I think of that person, that particular product pops into my head right alongside them.

This Fall

I am truly excited for the rest of this semester and all of the activities I will continue or will begin to be involved with over the next few months. First of all, Powerhouse (which is the name for Junior High worship at my church, Second Presbyterian Church, here in Bloomington-Normal) is starting up again along with my third year being an official leader for the worship and fellowship time on sunday nights. I get to help all the kids who are getting ready for high school (and trying to handle junior high drama) get ready for the next big stage in their faith journey, high school.Second of all, I get to be a mentor to one of the eighth-graders, whom I have considered to be the "younger brother I never had", for the confirmation class which all members-to-be in the church must take. In addition to that, I will probably be participating in childcare services for the preschool or nursery at Second Pres. I am also pumped because football is officially back and I am a HUGE Packer fan so I am glad to see them start out another potentially dominant season with a win. Football is almost half of my life so whenever it's fall I am almost always happy, unless we lose. It feels weird not being on the field for the first time in 4 years but I think I will be able to get used to it. Furthermore, I am even more happy because my classes are settling down and I am starting to get into a rhythm everyday between relaxing and my studies. However, now that Halo Reach came out, and Black Ops is on the way, that balance I had will almost surely shift more towards "relaxing". My brother is turning 21 tomorrow which should be awesome so I am looking forward to a great week and amazing first semester!

Peer Questions

1.What does the flow of my front cover look like in your opinion? In other words, what would you guess would be my interests and main focus for the novel?
The purpose for this question is to get the other person's point of view on who they think I am and who I am trying to reach with this cover. Also, I want to see if they think that the images blend together with the color scheme and to see if I can improve the artistic side of the cover.

2. What is the impact of the imagery on the cover as a whole?
For this question, I want to see if the different pictures and colors I am using are either bringing together the main idea of the book or putting too much together and drastically changing what the reader thinks this book is about. In addition to that, I want to see if they have any ways for me to arrange things differently so that the novel is peaking the interest of the right people.

3. What do you think the quotes add to the cover?
The reasoning behind this question is so that I get an idea if the people and statements I used on the front are individuals that others think would have a positive effect on the novel from their front cover comments.

Book Cover

I am currently working on the covers for the novel that will be more of a "guide to life" sort of book for high schoolers rather than a full biography of my life so far. As of right now, my front cover has alot going on but I will hopefully be able to successfully arrange all of the images and color patterns that I want to be shown. First of all, the color scheme is going to be red and black and will have a wordart font for the main title and subtitle that will be twisted or slanted so it does not look completely bland. Next, I will have images that represent me which will be a picture of a football, pictures of the states i have lived in, and the emblems of my church and other organizations I have been a part of. Next, I will put quotes from different people who I admire at the bottom so that they can support my novel. As for the back cover, I will be keeping the same color pattern but will tone down the imagery and put more of an informative summary as well as a "Book of the Year" award towards bottom. I will incorporate a barcode as well as many other quotes from inside the novel so that readers have an idea of what exactly they will be getting their hands on. the quotes I will show will be in different fonts that will emphasize the meaning of the quotes themselves. I learned alot from the book cover activity we did so I will try to use most of the elements that we learned in class. Hopefully I will be able to blend all the elements of the book and my personality into one successful, appealing cover.