Document Development Exposition: Instructions

Explain in detail your document’s development from planning to finish, describing your
challenges, how you overcame them, and what you learned.

Planning
 When planning this assignment, I knew that I wanted to create an instructional packet that
reflected something that I am interested in. I chose to create “Training Your Best Friend to
Walk by Your Side”, because I knew that it was something I am interested in and that I felt
like more people should know how to do.
 When planning, I wanted to also create something that was really visual, so I planned to
insert a lot of images so that people could see how the commands are supposed to look and
to give them an idea of how to train their dog.
 I also wanted to make the instructions simple enough for everyone to understand so that
they would be able to train their dog in the best way possible.

First Draft (for peer editing)

With my first draft, I had some grammatical issues and some issues with formatting my images in the
instructional packet. I also had some issues with the way that the wording in my packet was flowing.
To overcome these issues, I took the edits from peers (inside and out of the classroom) seriously and
worked to make my packet better. When I submitted it, it wasn’t perfect but from the process I
learned how to write in a way that’s more formal than conversational, and how to slow down and
really go over my work before submitting it.

Second Draft (for your packet)

From this second draft, I learned that when writing I have to remain in a professional tone, while also
wording my writing in a way that is original, and does not sound just like the research that I have
done. I had this second draft reviewed by peers outside of class, that helped me develop my voice
and produce the “final” product for the packet. Learning to write in my own voice while also keeping
it professional has definitely been something I learned how to do better over the semester.

Final Draft (for your portfolio)

For my portfolio, I really took in the edits made by the professor and those influenced my final
product. Again, I think one of the biggest things I learned through this final editing process for my
portfolio is how to write with my own voice as well. Before college, I took a break after high school.
Coming to college and taking writing courses that require me to combine my own voice with a
writing style I am not used to has definitely been a challenge. But this semester, I relied on the edits
and comments from peers and professors to help myself continue to develop that voice and create a
quality product. I also edited the formatting of my photos and other visual aids to make the final
product more attractive.