User:Roger C. Byrd/NMAC 5108 Journal

March 16, 2019

Relevant to my entry yesterday is this quote I found on the subject of preparation. The quote is about speaking but the point applies to writing as well...

“If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now." Woodrow Wilson

March 15, 2019

After reviewing and reflecting on the Carroll textbook this week, one thing rings true for me. All writing is about telling a story and doing it well. The format is less important than the story. This may not seem like a revelation to many, it was important to me. Quality writing and storytelling influences the world regardless of the medium. Makes me want to step up my game.

@Roger c. byrd: Did you also think it interesting that most writing is only skimmed, so brevity trumps longevity...? Personally, it has taken me years to figure out how to eliminate the frilly foofoo words, phrases, and cliches to get to the point in my writing. I have to write, and re-write, and re-write some more. Writing a professional five sentence message at work takes me a good thirty minutes on average to get to the point. Last class we had to write a ten page paper, I can't even count how many hours and re-writes that took, and there was still a lot of room for editing.(Dmcgonagill (talk) 23:09, 16 March 2019 (UTC))

Interesting thoughts! Good writing is about what needs to be left out as much as what should be included. True for speeches, lectures, and sermons too!

March 9, 2019

I plan to post in this order for convenience. This should reduce the scrolling required to locate newer entries. I would also like to note that I have a second user page, (Rcbyrd) that I was unable to access so I ended up creating this page. I plan to use this page exclusively.

I spent this week familiarizing myself with the course materials. It is interesting and very new for me to be taking a course that is hosted on Wikipedia. This is requiring me to learn a new format that I have heretofore used only occasionally as a reference source. I am working on it and look forward to learning to use this medium. Setting up my journal was especially challenging; but if you're reading this, I must have finally figured it out.

@Roger C. Byrd: You did figure it out. Congratulations! You can use subheads for each journal entry. I have made the change for you. 🙂 —Grlucas (talk) 18:48, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

@Roger C. Byrd: I struggled too, with the sign up process and even somehow forgot to alert Dr. Lucas on his Talk page that I had signed up, so I know what you mean. I for one am going to have to keep me an HTML cheat sheet handy. I'm not used to using HTML at all, so fingers crossed! JVbird (talk) 12:13, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

@Roger C. Byrd: Ditto on congrats! I struggled as well, but new is a struggle until it is known, right?!?(Dmcgonagill (talk) 19:18, 11 March 2019 (UTC))