Strategies for Reading

In chapter 38 of The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings, it talks about different reading strategies. The first paragraph explains how there are different ways to reading. I thought there was just one, you read and that's that. But reading a newspaper or a cookbook is a lot different than reading a chemistry or history book. The book states, and I agree with this, that before you start reading you should skim the text to get a feel for what you're going to be reading about. For me, it helps me focus on the text a little more and I won't have wondering thoughts. I'll be able to comprehend what I'm reading. The book also states that you should write down your first reactions to the text. I've never done this but I can see how it will help with writing an analysis. I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the word "annotating" I had no idea what it was. When I found out what it meant, I realized I do it all the time when I read for school. It's basically just highlighting and taking notes. I had never heard of the believing and doubting game before. Where you act like you believe everything the author says, and then you doubt everything the author says. I can totally see how that would create new ideas and questions. Thinking about what the text says/does and summarizing are ways to create new ideas, questions, and perspectives also. Some things the book says to consider when analyzing a text are the claim, support for the claim, evenly addressed issues, oustide sources used, and how the author addresses the reader. The book also addresses issues with fallacies. Some things to look out for are ad hominem, bandwagon appeals, begging the question, either-or arguments, false analogies, faulty casuality, hasty generalizations, and slippery slope.

Text Analysis

Rhetorical analysis occurs in our lives everyday. Whether we are reading the newspaper or a magazine, watching the news or a television show, or just simply having a conversation with someone. We analyze it and interpret it in our own ways. We have different points of view and a different stance of the topic. We also have reasons that support our way of thinking about the subject. Writing a rhetorical analysis is pretty much the same thing we do in our heads, only we put it on paper.

The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings states that it is good to analyze a type of text that "suits the demands of the assignment." You shouldn't choose a text that is too large or too brief. In my own opinion, I think it is best to go with something that interests you. Even if the audience knows about the subject, I think it is still good to do some kind of summary on it; just so it is fresh in the audience's mind when they read the rest of your analysis. I agree with the book in that you should put a part of the text you are analyzing somewhere in your paper. The next step seems pretty simple. All you do is tell what you think of the text and give an interpretation of it in your own words. Of course, use reasons and examples from the text to support your way of thinking and feelings about the text. The book also said something about doing more research on your text. Look up information about the author and his or her feelings about the subject. The book also said that it's better to write the body of the paper first, then go back and write the beginning and the ending. And of course, the whole revising and proofreading deal. Have someone read it, or read it to him or her, and get a response on how to better your paper.

Editing and Proofreading Papers

Editing and proofreading are the "polishing up" part of the whole writing process. When editing, it's good to edit paragraphs, then sentences, then words. Make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence or main point, or at least relates to the previous paragraph. It's best to put the most important information either at the beginning or end of the paragraph, that way, the readers will remember what they read. When editing sentences, make sure every sentence is complete. Be sure to use the appropriate voice. Begin your sentences with a variety of words. When editing words, be sure the reader will be able to define all the words you used. Make sure you're not too general or too elaborate, and use pronouns clearly. Try not to use any cliches and don't use words that could be sexist or taken offense to. When proofreading, read it aloud to yourself and in front of other people. Then have someone else read it aloud to you. Use the spelling and grammar check but also go through it yourself. This is the most important part of the writing process. It's a chance to clean up your work and make it shine!

Assessing One's Own Writing and Getting Repsonses

Being able to assess your own writing is a good skill to have. People are constantly assessing your writing whether is be a paper, a speech, a poem, or even just during small talk. Sometimes, the best thing to do when assessing your own writing is to not do it. A lot of us tend to write in our own ways; ways in which only we can understand. When reading over your piece of writing, it's good to see if it makes sense to you as well as the audience. This goes back to considering the rhetorical situation. Know the purpose, who the audience is, the genre, your stance, and your design. Make sure your thesis covers the entire piece in one sentence. It's basically an overview of what the writing is going to convey. If the audience doesn't know much about the purpose, be sure to explain yourself and help them understand in every way possible. Make sure it is organized, easy to follow, and clear.

To get a response to your writing, it's best to have another pair of eyes look it over. The title and first sentence really need to jump out at the reader to get their attention. Once you get a response, it's time to revise. What can you do different to make your writing even better? more clear? or more interesting? Reread the writing yourself and think of ways to rewrite it. Rewrite a narrative to a dailogue. Rewrite a report to a different audience. Rewrite a draft to make it into a story, a letter, or a comedy sketch. There are many ways to write a certain topic. It's up to you to decide which will be more appealing and draw in the audience.

Helpful Hints to Writing a Narrative

Writing a draft can have a lot of writing to it, such as outlines, notes, and lists. It's important to set up a schedule and have a certain amount of time for each step in writing a paper. Your best writing will come out when you're in a comfortable setting. To start a draft, it's best to freewrite about the topic. It's good to write the entire draft in one sitting, that way all your thoughts and ideas will come out at once. Sometimes you have to write one paragragh at a time, or one sentence at a time. The good thing about writing a first draft is that you can go back and change things. If you have writer's block, go back to trying to freewrite, or make a list of what you want to say. Having specific detail and descriptions, I think, is crucial in a piece of writing. It's what brings it to life and gives the audience a mental picture. Organize your descriptions in a way that the audience can alomst feel what you felt at that time. When writing a narrative, writers usually order events in chronological order, reverse chronological order, or as a flashback. Time markers and transitions help keep the reader on track. Narratives are a good way to begin or to end an essay. It draws the reader in. Another way to keep the reader interested is by using dialogue. As the book states, "Dialogue is a way of bringing in voices other than your own, of showing people and scenes rather than just telling about them."

Coming Up With Ideas/Narratives

Freewriting seems simple but difficult at the same time. Writing about anything for 5-10 minutes can hard if you have nothing to say. Looping seems easier just because you know about the subject you're writing about. I think I like listing the best. I'm better at just writing a couple words down, then adding sentences from there. Clustering is like what I always had to do in elementary, middle, and high school. It's just another way of organizing ideas and putting things together. Cubing has six sides to it; describe, compare, classify, analyze, apply, and argue. Answer the questions what? who? when? where? why? how? I always like to make an outline before I start writing. It keeps me on track. I also like the formal outline better just because it seems more organized and easier to read.

All the literacy narratives we had to read had a clear purpose. Some began with stories, others began with a little bit of background information. In all these narratives, you got to know the author. It was easy to identify the author's significance of his/her story. The stances were different in each one also. In the first one, written by Tanya Barrientos, I could tell that she was very distraught for not knowing any Spanish. She felt very out of place and seemed determined to "become" Latino, even though she already was, but didn't view herself that way. Once again, all the narratives had vivid details, which is part of writing a narrative. Some were hard for me to comprehend at first, probably because I wasn't the "right" audience for it.

Important Situations to Remember When Writing

Writing is more than just putting words onto a piece of paper. It requires thought and a lot of inventing ideas in one's head. There are many aspects to consider. Any piece of writing has a purpose. There will always be something that strikes the reader, even if it's not very strong. Taking into account who will be reading one's writing is also a major factor. It probably won't be a good idea to write a horror story for little kids. There are so many different genres to choose from when writing. For me, it's all about tone when choosing a genre. I try to pick one that will get my point across in a positive, but straight-forward way. It's good to know who the audience is, that way, one will have a good idea on how to present her ideas or thoughts. Every once in awhile I like to get a little creative and add photos to my piece of writing. It seems to bring a little something extra to the table.

Narratives are, in my opinion, the most unique and intriguing genre of writing. Stories, whether they be true or fictional, always seem to catch my attention, especially those that keep me waiting for an answer. Vivid detail, which is one of the key features to literacy narratives, is my favorite part. I love being able to create images in my head based on the author's words. Writing a narrative is a systematic process. You must choose a topic, consider the rhetorical, create ideas, outline what you're going to write, write a rough draft, consider the design or layout, revise, edit, and proofread, then write the final draft.