Archive for month: February, 2016

In the essay, “How to Read Like a Writer” it explains what it means to read like a writer. When you read like a writer you are supposed to work to identify some of the choices the author made, so that you can better understand how such choices might arise in your own writing (72, Bunn). Some of us ask ourselves why is this really important or why can’t I just read “normally”? the answer is because RLW helps you to figure out the text you are reading while helping you to build on your own writing (74). Using the famous poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, I am going to go over the concepts of what it means to read like a writer.

In order to RLW you must start asking yourself questions about the text before you begin reading. To start off you might ask yourself the author’s purpose for writing this piece, you could start off by doing some historical research about Angelou. After conducting your research, you would learn that Angelou was a civil rights activist and also spoke on the behalf of women’s image through her writing. So with this information you can interpret that her purpose for this poem was to increase the self-esteem of all women and to inform men that all women are “phenomenal” and they are all very different, but that does not make them less beautiful or phenomenal. The text is a published one instead of student-produced, which makes a difference as to the way it is written. The intended audience would women in the sixties and seventies to demonstrate to them that it is ok to be proud of who you are and to be a woman.

RLW also means answering questions as you read, such as: the author’s purpose for this piece of writing and who is the intended audience, the type of language the author uses and the effect it has on the piece, what type of evidence does the author use to back up his/hers claims, are there pieces of the text that you are confused about, and how does the author transition between ideas (79-81, Bunn). As we discussed prior the intended audience is women during the sixties and seventies. The diction used throughout the poem is very simple and dull, but it reflects the well-defined text. For example, she uses words like “fire” and “eyes” which are very simple words, but they convey that Angelou is proud of who she is and to be a woman. Angelou uses own personal experiences as her evidence to assert her ideas. There is only one piece of the text that I got slightly confused about, it was: “Men themselves have wondered, what they see in me. They try so much, but they can’t touch my inner mystery” (4, Angelou). These lines may be very confusing because of the diction she chooses, but the words choose are what make the stanza so interesting. Once the reader reads the rest of the stanza they are able to interpret that she is saying that she has yet to find a man that accepts her fully with all her faults. The author transitions between her ideas by putting each main idea into a stanza. While reading you should also take notes and highlight throughout, so you can later reflect on what you read and incorporate into your writing. The goal to RLW is to ask yourself all of those questions to clearly evaluate the piece you are reading and transfer it your own writing and to develop questions as you read based on the text (82-85, Bunn).

Works Citied:

Bunn, Mike.”How to Read Like a Writer.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 71-86. Writing Spaces. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.

Angelou, Maya. “Phenomenal Woman.” Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women. New York: Random House, 1994. N. pag. Print.

February 16, 2016

Cindy Mijangos

One University Dr.

Camarillo, California 93012

Santa Cruz Village Rm D209 B

Dr. Stacey Anderson

CSU Channel Islands

Camarillo, California 93012

Dear Stacey,

I am writing this letter so you are able to come aware of the different types of genres we expose ourselves to by reading and later on using when writing. It is amazing how humans learn more indirectly rather than directly. We use those genres later on when we write depending on the topic and who our audience will be. There are reasons on why we understand genres and thesis statement from previous readings that we use in our writing without noticing. In the reading, Navigating Genres, Kerry Dirk states,

“It is quite rare that teachers of writing get to write so directly to students in such an informal manner. Although textbooks are directed at students, they are often more formal affairs meant to serve a different purpose than this essay” (p. 251).

Some of us can not read a textbook and automatically understand what we are suppose to know. If someone is able to read information and understand it without any examples, in my opinion, they are geniuses. In order for me to understand something I need to see more than one example. Then I either discuss it with myself by writing notes or discussing it with a colleague and eventually come up with my own example. Also, in order to understand the type of genre being used, you must first understand the thesis statement. Dirk refers to the following quote in his article

“Location may not be the first, second, and third most important qualities of writing, as it is for real estate, but location is surely among the situation elements that lead to expected genres and to adaptions of those genres in particular situations” (p. 255)

All this quote means, depending on who you are writing to or who your audience will be should be what your genre revolves around. But that is only stating the obvious, your thesis statement should revolve around the genre along with the examples you use in your writing. This is so as soon as the audience understands the thesis statement and hopefully connect it with the genre then make sense of what persuaded the author to write their book, essay, quote, music etc. If the reader enjoys the genre of what they read, then they will either read more articles etc., based on that genre or use it as I explained.

Sincerely,

Cindy Mijangos

Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres.” Writing Space: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West La-fayette, IN:  Parlor P, 2010. 249-262. Writing Spaces. Web. 12 Feb. 2016

There are novels that go into depth on the structure of the authors message and how they convey it can be through technique, style, organization but there are also readings that transcend this. There are readings that elevate these structures by having detailed descriptions of what they want the reader to see or understand. By understanding these key elements it becomes not only easier to grasp as a reader but as a writer, there is a saying that says that you are only as good as writer as you are a reader and I believe that is true. They correlate immensely when there is that realization of what the reader is trying to convey and what you will convey in your writing, when you are able to read like a writer.

Being able to grasp this understanding is the first step but once you have shifted your reading habits to analyze the key points where the author has deliberately added detail words or dialogue to shift your perspective you will be able to add that to your writing. When I realized this I was able to re-read my  favorite novels with a different sense of understanding, for example: ” She sat on the chair instead, hands limp in her hand, eye staring at nothing, and let her mind fly on. She let it fly on until it found the place, the good and safe place, where the barley fields were green, where the water ran clear and the cottonwood seeds danced by the thousands in the air; where Baba was reading a book beneath  an acacia and Tariq was napping with his hands laced across from his chest, and where she could dip her feet in the stream and dream good dreams beneath the watchful gaze of gods of ancient, sun-bleached rock.(Khaled Hosseini)” This excerpt exemplifies the use of imagery and rhetoric, the use of senses further illustrates the setting and the narrators’ sense of self. The ability to have a sense of placement within the reading adds to the visualization and the understanding.

Having the ability of reading like a writer is essential to becoming a better writer because having the understanding as to why a writer uses certain techniques to create certain understandings and findings furthers the realization of the true meaning behind the readings. This will add to your skill set and writing techniques and it is something that I would like to perfect in my writing.

Immediately after I read author E. Shelley Reid’s article, “Ten Ways To Think About Writing:Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students” I analyzed the various difficulties I must over come in order to write a substantial piece of work. I came to the conclusion that just like myself, many other authors face not only similar issues but identical ones as well. Reid addresses these various difficulties in her article, therefore making it very relatable.

One of the very first concepts addressed in this article is the many rules and limitations that one must conform to in order to write a grammatically correct and appealing piece (Reid pg.3). I have always felt the pressure of following the rules of writing just as Reid addresses. For example, as I produce this response I am continuously rereading and rewording my thoughts and sentences. I admit, although I will reorganize and rewrite these thoughts continuously, when completed I will do it once more. Now, although this brings forth additional work upon myself, this is a beneficial quality to have. One can never be to sure about something. Based on prior knowledge, I know that at times, the thought you possess makes complete sense in your mind as well as the moment you write it down. As soon as you are to read it aloud to yourself, it makes absolutely no sense. Reid states that when you write to the rules, it seems more like a chore than a connective process (Reid pg.4) I agree completely keeping up with these rules makes the experience less appealing, although one may make these rules a habit and apply it at all times.

Details have always been a large issue for me. While writing I ask myself whether or not I am over explaining. Is it concise enough? Is it vague? How can I make this better? This is what Reid means by the little green ball  metaphor (Reid pg.6). I am capable of getting a basic point across, now, whether or not someone interprets it the way I displayed it is completely based on the way I detail it. I could easily write “my red dog jumped over the fence”. Now someone else could assume it was a certain type of dog based off of its ability to jump over a fence. Now if I wrote “My maroon chihuahua jumped over the 1 foot fence” I have completely changed the whole dynamic of the sentence. Then other things come up, such as, what was the purpose of telling you that the dog was maroon, is that too much detail? There is a balance we have to display with detail.

Keeping a reader interested throughout the story is a difficult task to do. I commend any author that is capable of doing so. As a reader, generally I wouldnt pick up a book that does not interest me within the first few pages. Nor will I continue to read one if it begins substantially and degrades in excitement from then on. Reid writes of this metaphor “Pink houses and Choruses”, describing that although we are told not to repeat ourselves, a small introduction or “heads-up” would be beneficial to the reader(Reid pg11). Many authors and public speakers face this issue repeatedly. This happens to be the most difficult issue for myself. I consider myself to be a storyteller, in my life I feel there is always a story for every situation. Not only does it keep the conversation flowing, there’s a chance i’ll get others to open up. Now, telling your story is difficult, what details are important and which events do have to get across? I dont want to bore my audience, but I do want them to understand while also making it short and concise. The issue I face for example, consists of me telling one of my dreams to my friends and then steering off somewhere. I begin telling them about the moment there is conflict in my dream and then continue to a background story or continue to justify why something is. I dont have to justify nor have they asked me to do so. It slows down the excitement I have built for the  entire dream. I developed the habit now to tell them before hand, who is in my dream and what it consists of, therefore there arent any weird surprises or justifications that need to be later addressed.

There is always a difficulty limiting your piece. How much is too much, but is too little too vague? Some like to limit one topic into one paragraph as I am doing so now. I come to the realization that some of my paragraphs may be quite long so I should probably split them into two paragraphs. Wont that make two extremely short paragraphs though? Reid explains this as “doing your laundry with paragraphs”(Reid pg15). Trying out new things, making your paragraphs concise but also stretching them a bit is not a bad choice to make. I have this strategy I use when writing. I write down every thought that comes to mind anything I think is relevant or important. Once I am finished, I read it out loud and then begin to add or delete any information I think is relevant or irrelevant. Reading out loud broadens your understanding of your piece. For example, once I am finished writing this post, I will go paragraph by paragraph making them more concise and to the point. I may even add to them if I feel the need to.

The final concept I feel is important when writing, is using outside information. No matter where you get it and who you get it from, you must always give credit to your source(Reid pg16). Not only are you benefiting from other writers, youre helping this author expand their ideas. It’s a win win situation indeed. Although the idea or thought is not solely yours, it will broaden the field for further ideas. Someday someone might use your piece as a source. As long as credit is given where credit is due.

Reid, E. Shelley. “Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students.” Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 2. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2011. 3-23. Writing Spaces. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.