Reflection

I chose to do my reflection on my revision piece. Partly because I wrote it relatively recently (last quarter) so much of the process is still fresh in my mind, but also because it was one the more lengthy and extensive writing tasks that I’ve embarked on, giving me more to consider.

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Looking Back

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The topic that I chose I had minimal prior knowledge about. This wasn’t a big deal as I knew that there would be quite a bit of research online about the subject that I could draw upon. I began the research process by watching a couple of documentaries that I found online that explained the greater story surrounding the protests, this was a good way of being introduced to the topic without having to laboriously start going through longer texts. As far as writing the paper, I had experience writing one other paper of similar length, so I knew that it could be done. I began writing about two weeks prior to the due date, which was less time than I would have liked, however I still felt comfortable knowing that I work well under a deadline and would be able to get the paper in in time.

 

Looking Forward

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I was happy with the angle that I took in this piece, analyzing the connection between the protests, the politicians’ responses, and the results in the subsequent 1981 and 1984 elections. I think this enabled me to go into the different stories of the actors involved, whilst maintaining a political perspective. Any adjustments that I make moving forward will have to do with changing the genre of the piece in order to appeal to different audiences. I’m writing an op-ed for my revision but also think the story could be compellingly told through other mediums, like a podcast or a short film.

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Looking Inward

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I wrote the paper in a relatively short period of time and was largely focused on telling a coherent story, so never took much time to reflect on the writing in it. I don’t think it’s my best work. Somewhat predictably, I think that the quality of the writing decreases as the paper goes on, as I felt progressively more rushed. As is the case anytime I write a paper, I think I came out of it with a little more self-awareness of myself as a writer. My biggest risk was choosing a topic that had little connection to the content that we focused on in class, so I was unable to fall back on the themes that we worked on together. But I think this worked out, I wanted to write something that had a connection to New Zealand, allowing me to delve into a topic that would greater inform me about New Zealand’s history, and would also make for interesting reading for my professor. Ultimately, I felt proud of the piece that I was able to put together.

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Looking Outward

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As I sought out to write an academic paper, I think I conformed to the genre successfully. I have a tendency to get a little to colloquial in my writing, and perhaps that slipped through at times, but for the most part I am satisfied with how my piece slots into the academic conversation. I don’t think I ever spent much time considering the effect that I wanted my work to have on its audience. I certainly wanted it to inform and engage its audience. But beyond that it’s not something I spent much time pondering, perhaps moving forward as I continue to work on my op-ed I should think about how those intentions change as the genre does.