Writing can be a difficult craft to understand and even begin to master, so it was refreshing to have this fact adressed within the first few pages of On Writing Well. Zinsser's reassuring voice telling me that when given the right tools and knowledge, anyone can write, instantly made me know I was going to like learning from him. I had never before heard an author, or writer of any nature for that matter, tell me such a thing. This sense of understanding would continue on as I read, for this would be only the first of many useful tips I would be given while reading this book. Zinsser starts off by giving the basic principles of quality nonfiction writing. It was nice for once to have someone telling me that I don't need to sound like a know-it-all and that in fact, it was better for my writing if I avoided it all together. No useless words. Nothing that sounds too overbearing. That, along with the idea of writing for me and not an audience really stuck to me. After all, …show more content…
From interviewing to humor writing, there is an abundance of knowledge on how to master anything that you might be confronted with. I specifically like reading about how to write scientifically, as I can never wrap my head around how to do it well. Overall, this section succeds most in providing tips for writing in general mixed in with every specialization, which makes this book invaluable for any type of writer. After reading about the attitudes of writing, the only things I found bothering me about this book was just how repetative Zinsser was. I felt like every fact was being drilled into my head. This, along with the fact that at times I felt like I was being talked down to, started to bother me near the end. Still, I believe this is a comprehensive guide in how to be the best writer one can be, and I know I will be using much of what I learned while reading it in my future writing
2. What writing strategy does the author use that you think is effective, and why? For example, does he use examples, or does he make
Some of the top advice given to writers is to read prolifically. The more well-read a person is, the more they will intuitively understand what good, effective writing is. Moreover, good writing begins with critical thinking and careful consideration. Curiosity and open-mindedness aid in the endeavor and allow an author to think broadly about a subject. Careful reasoning allows a writer to logically organize information and thoughts and relay them in a compellingly clear way. In “College Writing and Beyond,” Anne Beaufort talks about how strong writers draw on five knowledge domains to produce good work. These five domains are: discourse community knowledge, writing process knowledge, subject matter knowledge, genre knowledge, and rhetorical knowledge. It is important to understand and consider what discipline and discourse community you will be speaking within in order to fashion your ideas into a well-received written contribution. Understanding effective writing processes and critical revising methods grants a writer greater ability to create succinct, effective, and enticing text. Understanding genres enables a writer to know what conventions of writing are expected of them and which best suit their purposes. Rhetorical knowledge facilitates the clarification of a text’s purpose and supports reader
2A) Each paragraph is related to Zinsser's topic and purpose because in each paragraph he talks about how Americans write and what a lot of faults is and also he is telling us how to write better paragraphs.
Throughout this course, I was able to assess and evaluate my weaknesses and strengths in writing. This class has truly brought out my ability to write, a skill I did not believe I had. I now know what it takes to become a college-level writer. Also, at the beginning of the course I did not particularly enjoy writing. Now, however, I have a greater respect for
Many college students find themselves struggling, while trying to write papers in their English classes. This book was written to help you though these struggles. They say/I say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein is a book that was designed to help students be better writers. I think that this book is absolutely a huge help to anyone in need of becoming a much more confident and better writer. This book has helped me learn how to write more structured sentences and how to form them in ways that sound better and are also more grammatically correct than before. I have learned how to properly demonstrate and use many writing techniques such as making quotations, playing the believing game, how to write strong summaries, how to plant a “naysayer”, and incorporate “so what?” and “who cares?” into my writing. This book can be extremely helpful to anyone in need of assistance or for people interested in
A typical high-school student struggles in learning new concepts, in AP Language & Composition many students learn new challenging concepts which make the class difficult.
In the article “Best Practices in Teaching Writing”, Charles Whitaker outlines eight points on helping students succeed as writers. The first
At the start of this course, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a goal for myself to improve and learn skills that would make writing less daunting for me. I have learned so many things about my writing that I didn’t think much about before. Another goal I had was to break the cookie-cutter mold that was set upon me throughout high school. During the process of revision, I discovered many things about myself as a writer and techniques that have been effective for me in the writing process.
Fortunately, writing is a skill that can be both taught and practiced to a point
Attitude: Writing has never been my thing, at least when it comes to essays and research papers. It can take me awhile to get my ideas flowing. I’m very excited to complete this course so I can become a better writer. Although I often don’t like writing research papers or essays, I don’t feel that any personal feelings towards writing will have any negative effects on my quality of work. I’m looking forward to what this course has to teach me.
Summer, I also found the advice provided on page three of the first chapter insightful and beneficial to my writing practice. Getting started is typically my weakest point.
I started Tang Soo Do when I was 4 or 5 years old. I was scared and I did not want to go onto the mat. I was told by my moms that I had to take martial arts but I did not want to. I stayed with my martial arts training and learned a whole lot of things. For example, I learned about courage, confidence, leadership, and more.
Throughout my time enrolled in this course, I have learned many valuable lessons. However, the most important lesson that I have learned is how to be a better writer. By completing the various assignments in this course, particularly the substantiation assignment, I have learned how to better explain my opinions as well as support them. However,
The reason this book influenced me in writing was because writing wasn’t really my strong side throughout high school. I really didn’t enjoy writing because my writing grades were always my lowest grades. I kept making the same mistakes with run ons, fragments, and subject verb agreement. I also, struggled with getting my ideas on paper and writing in descriptive detail. This frustrated me throughout high school because I knew their had to be something done to change my
To become a success in life, we all need to learn to become a good student in every aspect of life. Becoming a good student takes much work and self-discipline. There are many ways that a student can stand out from the rest of the class. These good students are distinguished by their attitude, intellectual skills, consciousness, and achievement.