To read like a writer is to build like an architect, I know you may ask yourself how are the two comparable? How does building help me to “read like a writer” ? In The article “How to Read Like a Writer” author Mike Bunn discussed techniques you can use to construct your own writing style and to better help you understand what you are reading. There were many great tips he gave in what to look for when reading, but i will only list the technique i feel are most useful in the beginners stage of “reading like a writer”. Recording your personal reactions by writing down how the reading made you feel; that way it allows you to connect with the author's purpose of writing. once you understand the author's purpose you can understand what genre
Reading and writing should be seen as interactive subjects rather than just reading or writing words on paper in ink. John Beans suggests that individuals should look at both reading and writing as conversations. In his article “Reading and Writing as Conversations” Bean states by envisioning yourself having a conversation with the author, referenced individuals, and characters, readers are more likely to better understand the text. Texts are seen as different conversations each text has a connection to another text. Such as if you were referencing a particular article,book,or quote in your text. Many people have a reason for reading different types of text. Some reasons could simply be because the individual wants to, needs to, discover new
“Harrison Bergeron, “a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., takes place in a totalitarian society where everyone is equal through handicaps forced on them by the government. Harrison, the main character, attempts to save the broken society, but ultimately fails to change anything. Vonnegut uses Harrison as a Christ figure in his novel ironically, to make a statement about our own society today and how we are blind to many political things happening around us. These ideas can be explored through analyzing Thomas Foster’s novel How to Read Literature like a Professor.
The essay written by Michael Bunn, entitled “How to Read Like a Writer” conferred the main outlook that someone as a writer needs to examine, and keep in mind while reading any kind of written manuscripts far beyond the typical reading set of mind.
These essays show me how much I lack when it comes to descriptive writing. I often use simple vague words to get my point across quicker rather than taking the time to write about the details about the situation or the people or whatever I may be writing about.
While reading “The Writer’s Way”, I began to realize several aspects associated with the context of the material and my own experiences in the academic world (Rawlins and Metzger). The first connection I discovered came when I read section “two Learning Equals Changing” (Rawlins and Metzger 3). I am no stranger to “experiencing and reflecting” in any part of my life (Rawlins and Metzger 3). When I take part in conversations, I analyze the content for long periods of time. Contemplating what happened, the conversation, what I could have done differently and many other questions occur in the process. In an academic setting, sometimes I process the information the same, however, I am not consistent with such a pattern. Academically I have found
What goes through your mind when you read? Do you read deliberately, looking for certain aspects, or do you read as a blank slate? When reading, professors expect a deliberateness that will help you to uncover meanings that are not readily apparent. Thomas C. Foster in his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” expands on this concept. He endeavors to instruct his readers in the way he believes they should read, in order to get the most out of each book. He concedes that, “When lay readers encounter a fictive text, they focus, as they should, on the story and the characters” but to truly read like a professor you must also divert a portion of your attention on
In Kevin Clarke’s essay from Speaking of Reading, the greatest obstruction faced by Clarke in learning to read was his own negative mindset and way of looking at himself as a reader. When Clarke was young and had just commenced reading it was evident that he had struggles and even says himself “I was too afraid I wouldn't be able to understand another book” (4). Clarke saying this illustrates that he created his own negative way of thinking by fearing failure and not understanding something which is a major obstacle for him in learning to read. In addition to this, Clarke feels as if he doesn’t have what it takes to be a superior reader and goes on to say “I assumed I was wrong...I don’t trust myself to read it right”
When I was reading Writing is Easy by Steve Martin, I was thinking if writing was actually that easy. Then I finished the article and realized that writing will never be easy. Mr. Martin examples on how to make writing easier make no sense. His tip to getting over writers block gets the writer nowhere. He says “got to an already published novel and find a sentence that you absolutely adore. Copy it down into your manuscript” (Martin). What he is saying is plagiarism. If I was to use this method to overcome writer block I would be thrown out of college. I still believe that writer block is real because even the greatest authors struggle with writers block.
While reading a well written story I am conscious of the atmosphere the author creates through the particular style they choose to use. As a reader, I am able to admire the way in which the writer presents their characters and setting, and be conscious of the overall voice used in their writing. The "voice" used in the writing is often the most obvious aspect of an author's style to detect. The author's "voice" is the way
Mike Bunn’s article, “How To Read Like a Writer”, simply does what the name implies: it is trying to encourage readers, students for the most part, to ‘read like a writer’. Bunn briefly reveals how he came acquainted with ‘reading like a writer’, and then goes on to explain to his audience how to ‘read like a writer’ themselves. From the opening sentence, to the closing statement, Bunn is encouraging students to analyze how a certain texts were written and why they were written that way. Bunn claims that by using this way of reading, you not only understand the text better, but you also become a better writer as you learn and develop the skills you analyze. Bunn is hoping that, after reading his article and adopting his methods, students will
As a reader and writer I always faced given assignments with the intent of doing exceptional jobs and take a sense of pride in my work to complete my tasks. As a reader, I will bore myself through out an entire book and realize I didn 't understand a single thing. Although as a writer, I can go on for so long losing myself on a topic because it feels more interactive. Reflecting on my experiences as a reader and writer have been very bold, I never really found a joy or an interest to become the exceptional student who stands out amongst others because, I always felt ok with myself and my results with the way I did things.
In “To Read like a Writer” Mike Bunns introduces how writing is “a series of choices” with an account of his past as an employee at a theatre. As he was trying to concentrate on his reading, he had an epiphany that literary works are all “a series of choices”(Bunns 72). He then transitions to his main claim of how reading like a writer allows for the reader to determine whether or not to adopt the same style as the piece that the text may have. He breaks this down into subsections that readers need to observe before they tackle the writing, such as context, genre, and publication. Additionally, he points out the necessity to makes notes while reading the
Thomas Foster is an english professor from Michigan he his the author of How To Read literature like a professor. How To Read literature like a professor is a how to book. It guides readers to get better at reading non fiction books. Each chapter challenges its readers to look for different things in stories. The novel Insurgent written by Veronica Roth that has a few connections to How To Read literature like a professor. When reading Insurgent you `can Identify nice to eat with you, Or the bible and it all political.
In conclusion, what I discovered about myself about the demands of reading different genres is that each genre told a story behind it. Even though the genre can be simple, it can express more than it may look. It's necessary to know what category of genre you're reading because then you'll be able to understand the message it conveys, as it may have certain expectations. This knowledge can support my reading and writing in the future because now I won't look at one specific genre, but more than one so that I can gain more information and understanding.
Two of Baird's writings really resonated with me. The first on page 169 number 1. Part of what he writes " you do not have to be perfect absolutely perfect in order to help people". That will be something that I will have to remember when trying to help a client. I could waste valuable time trying to come up with the perfect solution and delay the help my client needs. I like that he writes " your own most difficult struggles can help you find insights that will serve your clinical work well". That suggest to me that there may be times when I will can draw on some of my own life experiences.