In popular writing, more than any other form we've written in for this class, I believe that writing should be treated as conversation. Why? Because in popular writing (writing meant for a large audience) you should be actively seeking to engage the other in a dialog of sorts. Granted, it is kind of a one-way street, since it you may never hear a response, but think about this: what are letters to the editor if not an engagement of the reader with your text as a conversation? You say something, your reader comes back with something else, something new.
So, with this in mind, you should be thinking of this piece, not as some assignment handed down from above for your teacher's eyes only, but as a chance to reach out and converse with as many people as you can on a topic you now know fairly well. What fun! Treat writing as a conversation.
Don't you hate it when you are talking with someone and they're clearly drifting off... you aren't engaging that person, so what do you do? Well, you spice it up, right? Add in some tidbit about someone you know in common, make a joke, provide an irresistible statistic or fact, shock the person with a powerful tale, make a compelling analogy. Do whatever it takes to get and hold your audience's attention. That's what treating writing as a conversation is about. Within the bounds of ethical reporting, engage and hold your reader's interest.
I think I might try to turn this into a "This I Believe" essay. I believe in writing as a social act! Writing is a conversation!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Planning, drafting and organizing, oh my!
What to say about this reading...
Well, it had many interesting quotes from various writing experts in different disciplines. It was helpful to see what they had to say about things, but sometimes confusing, too, when it wasn't clear where their thoughts ended and the new ones began (that is, when looking at the text in print friendly mode). It took me a couple of read throughs to get the concept behind using personal experience as evidence. I just wasn't expecting an example right there and it threw me off. It also seemed repetitive in places, especially when discussing focus and audience. Good night! How many times to we have to read that the two are related? I get it. Thanks.
But it is really a good piece, too, with lots of excellent tips on how to figure out what to write and how to organize information in a paper. I especially liked the part with the lists of ways to develop your writing, which included interviews and experiences as well as the usual suspects like library research and the web. I also really liked the various kinds of organization you can choose. It was interesting how it all tied back to audience and purpose. I am keen to see how people organize their lit reviews based on the audience outlined in the assignment.
Well, it had many interesting quotes from various writing experts in different disciplines. It was helpful to see what they had to say about things, but sometimes confusing, too, when it wasn't clear where their thoughts ended and the new ones began (that is, when looking at the text in print friendly mode). It took me a couple of read throughs to get the concept behind using personal experience as evidence. I just wasn't expecting an example right there and it threw me off. It also seemed repetitive in places, especially when discussing focus and audience. Good night! How many times to we have to read that the two are related? I get it. Thanks.
But it is really a good piece, too, with lots of excellent tips on how to figure out what to write and how to organize information in a paper. I especially liked the part with the lists of ways to develop your writing, which included interviews and experiences as well as the usual suspects like library research and the web. I also really liked the various kinds of organization you can choose. It was interesting how it all tied back to audience and purpose. I am keen to see how people organize their lit reviews based on the audience outlined in the assignment.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
10 report writing pitfalls? What is that about?
OK, so sue me. I love this piece. There are so many gems here, where does one start? Overqualifying? Writing to Impress? Dazzling with Data? Ignoring Your Audience?
The sins are many, but so are the fixes, thank heaven above! And, all are explored here in this text, which, thankfully is available to you from now on as you write. My favorites, if you didn't yet guess, are writing to impress and overqualifying. To me, these are the gravest sins of academic writers, whether just beginning our careers (as some of us are in this class) or well into them. We all fall prey to these two pitfalls now and again. Sometimes these two bloom from the garden of our minds, where that little voice resides... you know the voice... the one that says, "Hey, this doesn't sound very intelligent, now does it? Let's spruce it up a bit with extra phrases, some $2 words... hmmm.... a bit more, then. Now that's writing! Go! Turn it in before it melts into air!!" We all have that voice in our heads, the one that criticizes and second guesses... but we can't let that voice write our papers. No way. When you find yourself overqualifying or writing to impress, stop yourself. Reset, and start writing again. You can allow the critic back in during the editing process, and now you know what to ignore, so you can really get to revising well.
Remember, "If I understand your main point and I learn something from your writing, I am impressed. If you're busy 'sounding intelligent' and I fail to grasp your main idea, I am not so impressed."
Did I tell you how much I love this piece?
The sins are many, but so are the fixes, thank heaven above! And, all are explored here in this text, which, thankfully is available to you from now on as you write. My favorites, if you didn't yet guess, are writing to impress and overqualifying. To me, these are the gravest sins of academic writers, whether just beginning our careers (as some of us are in this class) or well into them. We all fall prey to these two pitfalls now and again. Sometimes these two bloom from the garden of our minds, where that little voice resides... you know the voice... the one that says, "Hey, this doesn't sound very intelligent, now does it? Let's spruce it up a bit with extra phrases, some $2 words... hmmm.... a bit more, then. Now that's writing! Go! Turn it in before it melts into air!!" We all have that voice in our heads, the one that criticizes and second guesses... but we can't let that voice write our papers. No way. When you find yourself overqualifying or writing to impress, stop yourself. Reset, and start writing again. You can allow the critic back in during the editing process, and now you know what to ignore, so you can really get to revising well.
Remember, "If I understand your main point and I learn something from your writing, I am impressed. If you're busy 'sounding intelligent' and I fail to grasp your main idea, I am not so impressed."
Did I tell you how much I love this piece?
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