Purpose: To submit a piece of writing for me to examine, to get a sense of your general writing style and to have a baseline for comparison with later work.

Introduction:
Just as every person has a unique personality, every writer, no matter what the skill level, has a unique style that distinguishes him or her from other writers.  Your style is a mixture of what you say (diction) and how you say it (syntax).  You might not be aware of how much of your personality shows up in your writing.  Every element of your writing, from your choice of individual words to your methods of organizing, will tell me a great deal about you as a person.  I do read to assess your writing skills and identify potential challenges, but that’s only one part of what I do with this informal assignment.  I look for your personality in the papers, too.  What you choose to share with me will certainly give me hints as to the kind of person you are.  But equally telling is the way you choose to share information.  For example, if you’re a risk-taker, your paper’s organization probably deviates from the standard five-paragraph format taught to most students in high school.  If your paper’s format is pristine, down to the last aspect of MLA standards, I might guess that you are a person who values neatness and order.  These are only a couple of examples of how an integrated self is expressed in one’s writing – the variations are as plentiful and diverse as the people who write the papers.  

So be yourself in this journal, as much as you are able, and let your own uniqueness shine through. Don’t worry too much about grammar or organization.  I want this to be enjoyable for you, a chance to express yourself on your own terms.  However, this is not an excuse to shirk your proofreading duties!  As always, you must proofread and correct grammar and mechanical errors before turning the paper in.  Failing to do so wastes my time and yours, and that’s a cardinal offense in my book.

Directions: 

Note: The journals are intended to be a way for you to explore ideas that you might later wish to refine in a paper or a discussion.  I will not censor these journals in any way, nor will I grade them on content or grammar (though, like the seminars, they must be coherent and display some measure of critical thinking about the question at hand). You do not have to answer all the questions, nor do you have to confine yourself to these questions. Write about whatever is on your mind. 

Write a page or two about what you're looking forward to.  It could be something small that you're looking forward to today or this week, or a big plan you've been hatching that will take some time to come to fruition. Please provide as many details as possible.