Avery Trendel
Writer, Charlotte, NC
English 1102-061 Andrews
Welcome To the Jungle
Checking Out the Daybook
Entry # 1
Date: April 2nd, 2013
Prompt: What is your usual process for research? Where do you usually get the information? How do you use it? What do you know about Atkins Library? Are there typically open computers for you to use at all times during the day?
What I Said That Day: “My usual process for research includes compiling information, organizing it the way I see fit, and then putting it all together like a puzzle. I find the information from trusted websites, and I usually like to bullshit my ‘print source’ by only using, like, one or two lines from it. They just aren’t always as specific and up to date as the internet. It’s the 21st century. I know a lot about Atkins Library too. It’s open 24 hours, 5 days a week, and it’s open for more hours on the weekends. There’s a bunch of helpful people and computers in there for you all the time. It’s a great place to work and learn.”
What I Think Now: I love when I go back and re-read my old entries and find them filled with sarcasm. I answered all of the questions the prompt wanted me to answer, but I can tell I thought the questions were stupid. This isn’t my greatest piece of writing by any means, but it is what it is. I think it’s funny, open, and honest. Anytime I can find writing with personality in it, I like to read it. I feel like people my age could relate to my feelings on print sources, and having to squeeze them into research papers. Also, most readers wouldn’t catch it, but when I said I knew a lot about the library that was kind of sarcastic too. I tried to demonstrate that by giving lazy facts about it afterward. Gotta milk those participation points.
Entry # 2
Date: February 12th, 2013
Prompt: What are your past experiences with peer editing? What are your thoughts on it? How has it helped you as a writer?
What I Said That Day: “With my past experience peer editing, I’ve always tended to just help people with spelling and grammar because that stuff tends to be more “black and white” and doesn’t really hurt anyone’s feelings. Sometimes I feel like a dickhead if I change too much of somebody’s paper because everyone writes the way they write; their own style. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever found any help with peer editing to this point in my life.”
What I Think Now: I seem to be questioning peer editing. It’s terrible because it makes me feel arrogant, putting this entry in my portfolio, but it shows an example of a time I was relatively engaged with the prompt and gave a strong opinion. Many people find peer editing to be the best way to improve their papers, but not me. It was the basis of both English classes I took this year, so it’s only right that if I include an entry where I “question something” it would be about that. If I could go back and add something to that daybook, I would add a sentence asking for more teacher revisions.
Entry # 3
Date: February 19th, 2013
Prompt: What did you think of Into the Wild? What were your favorite (or least favorite) parts?
What I Said That Day: “I really enjoyed Into the Wild. Diving deep within the personality of a figure that seems to have reached a cult-like status with some people was fascinating to me. I saw a lot of my own traits and tendencies within Chris McCandless, as I’m sure many others have as well. I wish he had lived to tell his own story, but then again, I guess then it wouldn’t have become the phenomenon that it is. There wouldn’t be a book about him if he hadn’t died is what I’m trying to say. Overall, though, I’ll give it two thumbs up.”
What I Think Now: That sound you hear in the back of your mind is me, clapping for myself slowly. For a simple daybook entry, I think on February 19th I showed I was on my game. The thinking was critical. The vocabulary was large. The review was gripping. I don’t know about the last one, but you get my point. I took the time to give a thoughtful and insightful response, free of sarcasm. As much as I love showing off my personality, it’s good to get an example of a robotic entry too. That way, readers can see all the different tools I’ve got in my pencil box.
Entry # 4
Date: February 21st, 2013
Prompt: If you were going to create a film production of Into the Wild and keeping in mind that a film must offer a condensed version of the text, what do you think would be the most important things to include? What would you focus on? What would be your opening scene? Your final scene?
What I Said That Day: “If I was making a movie for Into the Wild, I would make it a point to visualize areas that the book didn’t always do such a great job of, such as the encounters with different people on his journey. By visualizing these people it sort of gives them their own identity, which in turn, helps you to understand what their influence on Chris was. My opening scene would only feature some music played over a nighttime version of the bus scene. It would be just showing the terrain, opening the viewer’s mind, making them wonder “what could be so important about this place?” My focus would be on Chris, the person, and would detail significant events in his life. The ending would be the parents’ visit to the bus, tying it together with my intro.”
What I Think Now: This makes me sound like a top-notch amateur film-maker. I’d say this would have to be one of my favorite daybook entries (along with the one showcased in “My Writing”). You could say I did some critical thinking here, but what I see is my imagination running wild. I guarantee that while I was writing that entry, the entire fake movie was playing through my head, faster than I could write it down. My brain’s crazy like that sometimes. Maybe I need to go talk to Stephen Spielberg or one of those guys and see if they need some help. I’m broke.
Entry # 5
Date: March 21st, 2013
Prompt: After reading the piece, I want you to use your daybook to do two things: 1) React to what you read. What did it make you think? Do you agree with him? Disagree? What would you say to him? Imagine that you are commenting at the end of his article—what would you say? 2) Try to explore how this article is an example of the inquiry that we have been talking about. Think in terms of the purpose of research writing that Ballenger gives on page 19 (#2). If this piece were your initial working through of your inquiry question, then how could you envision it to go in the bigger piece? Where would you enter and extend the conversation?
What I Said That Day: “DISCLAIMER: I’M COMMENTING SOLELY ON THE ARTICLE ITSELF, NOT NECESSARILY MY OPINIONS ON THE TOUCHY SUBJECT OF RAPE. When I read Henry Rollins’ article about the Steubenville rape case, it made me wonder how he could twist this into women’s equality. I feel that by recognizing that a crime of this nature took place, where the perpetrators were punished for it with a high price, it shows that our society definitely views women as equals already. I feel like honestly, he just wrote a generic ‘I feel sorry for the victim’ article. Not to sound like an asshole, I understand why you’d feel bad for someone that was raped, but you could write the exact same article about any rape that’s ever taken place. Just substitute ‘Steubenville’ for any other city where this could happen. The only question he was really asking was whether or not the boys’ punishment can ever really be fair. He then concludes by asking if our society still views women the wrong way. I think his paper sucks.”
What I Think Now: Well, this one sure is heavy, isn’t it? The big “R-bomb”, deployed in full force when you least expected it. I greatly apologize for that, but this entry just has so much passion in it. I spoke candidly and gave a real opinion on Henry Rollins’s paper. I said I hate being rude when I peer edit, but Henry Rollins isn’t my peer. He’s a guy with a lot more money than me who gets paid to write for a living. This entry has a real world connection to it with the discussion of the Steubenville thing, so that’s pretty helpful to me in terms of getting my grade. All in all though, the entry itself was pretty entertaining. If I could play critic and say one thing to myself it would be: “Come on man, don’t get your panties in such a bunch.”
"Milkin' It"
"Peer Editing...To Me"
"The Unofficial, Official,
Into The Wild Review"
"Makin' Movies"
"A 'Me-NN' Serious Report"