ENGL 324 (Spring 2018) Writing the Radio Essay

What an interesting experience watching everyone listening to our nonfiction essays in class. For me, that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in college--and I've been doing college for 4 years now (I don't want to talk about how I'm not graduating just yet ;) ) It really helped me learn about making something that you are proud of. I've been blessed with just getting by with my work, I'm not a bad writer, so it's pretty easy for me to put minimal effort into an assignment and manage to pass. But this was different: I not only had to write, but also hear myself reading what I wrote. That gave me more of a sense of ownership over what I wrote, but it also gave me a greater sense of vulnerability that I've never experienced before. It's scary stuff that is happening in this class! In regards to genre, I have the "wonderful" opportunity to be taking 3 different writing classes this semester. This one, fiction, and nonfiction. I ...

We’re (mostly) done with our first project. There will be one or two more quick edits of our scripts, and we’ll step back into our recording booths, such as they are, for a final take, but we’re through the woods. The part most of us dreaded—hearing our recorded voices played for the world—is over, and we’ve survived. Speaking for myself, there were several parts that I found interesting. I enjoyed continuing to get used to Audacity. I realized during the Soundscape project that one of my video games actually has a function quite similar to Audacity built in, and it was fun seeing how that continued to translate to this more serious application of the software. I was able to do a lot more work finessing the sound clip to get it to sound how I wanted than with the first assignment, and this has been the rare sort of project that has engaged me with technology I’m not used to without bogging me down in needless complexity. This also fits the “rewarding” category, as I feel like I’ll u...

Welcome to the class blog for ENGL 324, which focuses on the radio essay.  We'll be using this blog throughout the semester as a way to respond to readings, extend class discussion, reflect on what you're learning about writing, and share your feelings and insights about the class sound projects.  Though I'll often prompt you to post to the blog, I encourage you to post whenever you want.  I'd also like you to keep up with others' blogs, responding to things you find interesting or relevant.  Your work here is a significant part of your grade in the class (25%); I hope it becomes a useful forum for exploring our experience together this semester. Since Blogger is a Google product, not a Blackboard tool, you'll soon receive an email invitation to join, which will allow you to post freely on the site.