On Course By Skip Downing And 7 Habits

When it comes to reading and writing the two subjects go hand in hand. Every person is different and everyone has their own way of learning. How someone chooses to advance their skills in reading and writing all comes down to how that individual finds themselves learning best. I believe that in order to become a successful reader or writer you have to ultimately be strong in both. “How to Read like a Writer” by Mike Bunn, offers fair examples of various techniques on how to become more of an effective writer. “When you Read Like a Writer (RLW) you 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). This statement caught my attention almost instantly.

To live deliberately is to study one’s self, and live with purpose and intention. Living deliberately means living consciously, we should attempt to learn everything possible from our environment and the people around us. Living deliberately is the opposite of living passively. One must realize they have the choice to do as they please at any given moment and must not live out of habit. Making active decisions is a key defining point of living deliberately. Into the Wild’s Chris McCandless lived deliberately by living on the edge of society, gaining new knowledge from nature and the people around him, and fulfilling his overall purpose with a simple life.

It is essential to understand that classes taken in grade school do not give students a full understanding of each subject. With the topic of writing, there will always be a new lesson to learn, an aspect to improve, or a differing way to explain. Author Craig Vetter states in Bonehead Writing, “This is your enemy: a perfectly empty sheet of paper. Nothing will ever happen here except what you make happen.” Each story, essay, or response comes from a writer’s experiences. With each attempt at a new piece comes an underlying story of emotions the writer is facing. Each person’s writing is unique and the ideas people have are related to their past experiences and what they believe to be familiar with when deciding which writing style to use. As a high school student, I have learned many things about writing that helped me become the improved writer I am today, but the most essential advice I have received is practice makes perfect. Although there is no actual perfect way of writing, I have discovered that each essay I write, my writing improves. It is easier to spot mistakes, find areas to improve, and ponder elevated word choice to use.

Research types of writings at college helped me strengthen my writing skills because as I started to research on a topic, not only I learned more in depth, but also learned how to draw further connections outside of the course(class). I want to improve my writings in making correct connections and organizing ideas. Sometimes, I misunderstand the readings and end up making the wrong connections. In fact, my ideas are all over the place whenever I try to make connections, which does not clearly show that I have understood the assignment. These mistakes often led to downside of my grades. The most useful advice I received that helped me improve my writing is that “the word ‘writing’ actually means to put things together, so don’t be afraid of express your opinions in your writing your opinion.” This encourage me not to be afraid of writing and expressing my opinions.

“Start Where You Are But Don’t Stay There” by Richard Milner is a book about dealing with diversity in the classroom in today’s day and age. It holds a focus on allowing all students to be successful academically and throughout their lives. Milner talks about several different case studies in which teachers must help students who are struggling. It goes through scenarios with Mr. Hall, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Shaw, who are all struggling with diversity in different ways. This book holds an importance in expressing ideas and concerns of equality in schools, and I believe it would be beneficial for all aspiring educators to read it.

In the article “Best Practices in Teaching Writing”, Charles Whitaker outlines eight points on helping students succeed as writers. The first

Throughout this class I have learn many different writing styles. We used APA form of writing to type our paper and essay. I have also learned that it’s good to take your time and spend more time thinking about what to write, other than just righting a paper right off back. I have learned that it’s not a good idea to write a paper on the day it’s done, that’s more like a ruff daft. My teacher have helped me understand different point of writing. Which all writing deal with an ethos, pathos and logos, either one or all of them will run through anything that tell you anything in writing. From what emotion are there to who have the rights to speak at the moment to what are the facts to agree with this person. As a class we have read articles, bio from many people to understand that it’s more then what the person is writing. Reading between lines and analyzing a part of the story can tell you more then what the writer is saying. Working together to understand something and work better than being alone thinking about a situation you can’t understand.

Writing is different for everybody. After reading the first part of On Writing Well by William Zinsser my perspective toward writing changed; starting off by the fact that he admitted that “writing is indeed hard” (12). This author, with humorous stories and anecdotes, explained several principles that help one understand how to write efficiently. First of all, be yourself! Zinsser emphasizes the fact that you should be true to yourself and your writing in order to engage a reader in your piece. Other essential principles are: Be precise and avoid clutter. He claims that “the secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components” (7). As I read, I noticed how important engaging a reader becomes to an author but Zinsser reminded me how my writing was made to “please myself first” and then an audience (25). The last but not least rules to follow are: to “avoid clichés” (Zinsser, 35) and “separate usage from confusing jargon” (Zinsser, 45). It is important to maintain your reader active by expressing clear thoughts and avoiding typical sayings that only make a literary piece

This book explores into the military life of Collin Powell, creating an open door for leaders to understand and grow from Powell’s life moments. Powell’s book “It worked for me” provides life experiences for readers. These life moments where build over time from the growth of his career through the military. Allowing readers into his personal life and beyond, leaving readers with messages to take from. Providing readers with military stories, sympathetic moments and acedenotes from Powell. Sometimes life gets in the way and you should not let it get you down. Let the situation go and give it another try tomorrow, with a clear mind to take the situation with control. Powell, grew as a person over those years from being a leader and growing into leadership positions. Those life moments had taught him something important about his life and the roles in leadership. Each, section of the book is divided into parts reflecting those experiences

Writing presents it’s own challenges to those who write books and articles daily; and to those who write less frequently. Getting around using punctuation, placing commas, and figuring out how to start an essay always seemed to be the biggest challenges for me. Through practice is the only way I’ve come to be masterful over my own writing style, even though there is always room for improvement. Because each time someone sits down to write a letter, article, or book; they are practicing their writing style and ultimately becoming better writers. Many people find writing to be a hassle or too cumbersome in a day in age of technology and the internet supplying information to the public so immediate, but everyone must overcome challenges that they

First, Read. I know that many of us would wish that we don’t have to read in order to write well. How often do we wish that it would come down as a gift? The bad news is, as Silvia stated, there was no such gift. Writing, he argues, is a habit that that needs to be done

Before I came to college, I felt my writing had to follow a certain pattern and be fixated around one way of thinking. What I was fortunate to learn was quite the opposite. Writing does not have to follow any certain pattern, but can rather be structured through many different possibilities. I was also told in high school that my papers either had to agree or disagree with the given topic, even if I believed otherwise. This formulated a very one-track way of thinking when it came to my papers. Now I know that I can let my mind explore new and exciting ideas. I can agree, disagree, compliment, criticize, and question the author however my heart desires, as long as I have the evidence to back myself up. Many authors in the book, Writing About Writing, explain their processes as well as the processes of others when it comes to writing. As a writer, I can draw on my own processes and relate them to the authors, as well as use their ideas and apply them to myself. Through reading, I have learned new methods of invention, planning and revising, and incubation when it comes to writing. All ways I can use to create more meaningful and creative work.

He goes on to explain that effective, proactive people spend most of their time in Quadrant II. To accomplish this I would take his advice and try to organize my week on Sundays and try to delegate responsibility with goals in mind not set ways that they have to be done. For the interdependence section, the idea of making “emotional deposits” as often as possible will allow one to feel better and work more efficiently with everyone’s needs in mind.

Writing is the most important form of communication. When deciding on a future job, communicating with people who have the occupation you desire is a great help. Communicating with members of such an elusive group such as the Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) is no easy task. To communicate and learn more about my desired career, I found a great book written by a former Air Force Pararescuemen. Books written by former PJs are very inspirational to me. The book is tittled Never Quit by Jimmy Settle. Never Quit is an inspiring book that drives me to accomplish my goals and take on being an Air Force Pararescueman.

I believe I have achieved most of the course learning objectives as I pass this class with a c or higher. I undertook the writing process we learned in class and it has helped me become a better writer. Before I entered my freshman year of college I didn’t know how to write. But as I undertook the writing process I was taught in class I now know how to write. First when it came to writing my assignment papers for my class I grabbed a notebook and did prewriting . I brainstormed a list of ideas for my papers. I then had a plan on everything I was going to write about. I then sit down and write my first draft. I make sure my first paragraph is a strong