Process Writing Time!!

I've always kind of done my own thing with writing. I've been known to simply ignore the parameters of certain assignments simply because I get distracted when I start writing. When I am writing about a piece or an experience, my first draft will include a lot more of my own impulsive kind of writing. It will likely include lots of jokes, and chances are good some of them aren't really relevant or even that funny in the first place. When I revise, I like to make sure that everything in my piece is related by looking over the  writing style, my voice, what tenses (unless I'm trying to do something with it) and if I am connect all my support or body with my overall thesis or point. Often times, the content of my writing was shaped by what kind of mood I was in. When I was writing my review for Food Dance, I was in a particularly jaunty mood and I decided to make long, flowing sentences that required the reader to pay close attention to the piece. When I was writing Spice Rice anonymous, I was just trying to be funny. It all depends.
I think my favorite piece is my review of Food Dance just because the writing is so damn good  (ahem). I did a pretty solid job during the initial submission, but I spent a good amount of time on the revision and as a result, the final product is very polished. I felt like I covered everything I could have to the best of my abilities. Whatever I left out I simply didn't care about or didn't think to put it.
Readers comments were useful, but sometimes they seemed like they were just for validation or busy work even. When people told me what was wrong with my piece, I felt like I was actually getting feedback. If every piece was so good (according to all the comments) how come I didn't like them all? I know we are all nice people, so we don't say mean things. I just wonder if there is over a way to circumvent that problem? It was very rewarding to have people respond to my work though.
Revision really is the best way to improve writing skills. Good revision should make the writer cut and edit stuff that they actually like, that's the whole point, making the good better, and making the bad good.
I never really had any problems coming up with ideas for this class. Food is all around me, and there was not shortage of class material to ponder. Discussions were good, if occasionally a little stale. I will be honest, two hours is a very long time to talk about food sometimes. Maybe using class time to write (people don't even have to leave the class room, they can just write from their laptops or use the labs) or revise or do some writing exercise would work? And the blog got to be very irritating, although I did like the posting, commenting aspect of it. I think if the whole class had had to comment on everyone's piece at 3 different times, that would have been sufficient enough. Having to post and comment on it twice a week is kind of frustrating.