Unit 1 PWS

When I was 11-years-old, a friend of mine convinced me to join our middle school’s cross country team. At first I ran because my friends did, but I later developed an interest. I never came in first, or even tenth, I rarely won a medal that wasn’t merely for participation, my name was never in the sports section of the local newspaper, I hated going to practice every evening, and I certainly wasn’t a star athlete. But running did something for me. Every Saturday morning, instead of sleeping in, I’d put on my hideous blue uniform, pack my bag full of granola bars, water, and fruit, and drive nearly an hour away just to cross the finish line in the rear of the pack. I hated every single minute of those races: beforehand, when my friend (who was actually very good) received a personal pep talk from the coach, during, when I was always three strides behind the same girl, and after, when awards were being handed out and I was still just trying to catch my breath. Yet every single evening I went to practice, and every weekend my scrawny legs somehow carried me over three miles of hills.

So why did I do it? To be honest, I have no idea. Fall after Fall I showed up at the local park for conditioning, never understanding why. One by one, my friends all left. Except for the one I was constantly compared to, that was more amazing that I could ever hope to be. It wasn’t until my senior year, seven years later, that I finally appreciated all the sport did for me. That same friend had a stress fracture and was in a boot. The regional meet came up, and she wasn’t going to run until our rival team discovered that, without her, there wouldn’t be enough girls competing for them to place. She surprised us all when she decided to tough it out, over three miles in the rain. But I surprised myself that day. I crossed the finish line nearly seven minutes faster than I'd ever run, and about ten minutes ahead of her. When I saw her heading through the chute, I met her at the beginning and ran the 200 meters to the finish by her side. I still didn’t win a medal— the most I got was high-fives and pats on the back from my teammates and coach—but I learned that I wouldn’t be me without having run three miles every Saturday, not including practices, for a quarter of a year for nine years. Now, I know what it means to persevere through the most difficult of situations and how to manage my time efficiently.  I eat healthy and exercise at least three times a week. And most of all, I am in the (slow) process of training for bigger races, with the hopes of completing a marathon someday.  Looking back on all that time I thought I was wasting in “misery,” I am truly thankful that I stuck it out. 

I live for the mornings when I can lace up my neon-pink shoes and hit the pavement, but what does that mean to you? Get out there! I dare you to run a lap around the nearest high school’s track, or for ten minutes on a treadmill, or even just one mile through your community. You will hate it, every second of it, especially if you've never run before. But when you finish, and you see that you’ve reached your simplest goal, you’ll see what running can do. You’ll eat healthier, even if just to assure your run wasn’t in vain. You’ll feel more awake, more focused. Your legs will become stronger, your arms more toned, your lungs fuller, your heart more efficient. All you have to do is run for thirty minutes, three times a week— time that you would’ve spent in front of the TV or computer anyway.

Professional Writing Story Response

Reading the short stories in Tuesday's handout helped me get a better idea of how to write the Professional Writing Story. First and foremost, the most memorable part of the reading was the passage about Disney World. This  made me realize the actual meaning of "story". A story is not simply a beginning, middle, and end, used to describe what happened to you yesterday or to ease a child to sleep. It is a message you want to portray and revolves around a central theme. I came to this realization because of the statement that even maintenance workers at the amusement park are called "cast members" and are expected to communicate with children by coming down to their level, as any princess or character would. Furthermore, a friend of mine was lucky enough to intern at disney (as a princess nonetheless!), and she always had to say she was a "friend" of her character in order to maintain the "magic". I will use this knowledge and realization to maintain my theme throughout the story I write.

The next article that really sticks out in my mind is "Bang the Drum Strategically". This piece taught me that choice of words can make or break your story. I myself am guilty of using the Word thesaurus to spice up my writing, and I'm sure that it's been quite apparent in some of my papers. This article takes it further than that. I've learned that you must be a "wordsmith" and the words must reflect the theme, not just "intellect," even the kind that comes from your computer program.

Finally, "What Babies Know" was really interesting to read! I took a course on linguistics last semester so this article is very memorable for me. While the class taught me all about how words and sounds are made and why we say them that way, I never realized that certain letters and sounds are used intentionally, as in lullabies. I learned from this that if I am writing a mellow piece, I should use terms with soft letters such as "s" and "l," and when I am writing dramatic, harsh stories I should use harder-hitting consonants, such as "t," "p," "f," and so on.

Introduction

Dr. Gouge and Classmates,

Hi! My name is Corie Posey. I am a junior, but only a second-year student in interior design (it took five majors to get here!).

I am taking this class because I have a minor in Professional Writing and Editing. The job market is tough, especially for designers, so I'm doing everything I can to make myself more marketable. Because of my attempts, I feel lucky to have several options after graduation. I plan to either 1) attend graduate school for architecture, 2) obtain event planning certification the The International School of Hospitality (TISOH), or 3) work for a design and/or architecture publication. Either way, I hope to end up down south in a big city like Charleston, Savannah, or Dallas.

One interesting fact about me is that I am a busy-body! I currently hold the position of social chair in WVU's chapter of American Society of Interior Designers, am the design lead for the Solar Decathlon team, a Gold and Blue student ambassador, and was recently promoted to Lead Brand Rep at my job in retail. As you can tell, I juggle a lot but I wouldn't have it any other way. Because of these experiences, I feel that I have learned more about my field of study than I could just sitting in a classroom, have developed a better understanding of where I'd like to go with my studies, and have had the opportunity to interact with a lot of great professionals!