Writers Are Made, not Born

To approach writing, Elbow explains that “…Writing calls on two skills that are so different that they usually conflict with each other: creating and criticizing.” (7) That means writing requires the ability to come up with ideas yourself and also the ability to criticize and refine

After examining “Shitty First Drafts”, by Anne Lamott, and “Write before Writing”, by Donald M. Murray, each writing process has some good prospects. Anne Lamott is a little crazy, but passionate writer that can really surprize you. In Anne Lamott 's article “Shitty First Drafts”, she believes that any writer should write a shitty first draft, and that’s how anyone ends up with a better second draft and a “terrific third draft” .Lamott declares in order to be good, the writer needs to first allow for the words and ideas to come flowing out without restriction. Donald M. Murray, an English Professor, that has a different writing process, wrote an article “ Write before Writing” . He explains, Students who are not

For my first reading journal I had chose to read the article “Where Do You Get Your Ideas”, by Neil Gaiman. This article was about the development of where your ideas really do come from. There isn't a specific way you get your ideas, infact according to the article your ideas can come out of boredom, they can come day dreaming, but the main one are questions. Ideas tend to form when one asks themselves questions and Neil explains that. Questions that start with “what if”, “If only”, or “what would happen” are what start ideas. Questions are what our ideas come from really, if you had a question chances are there will always be an answer wither its a weird , serious, or right answer you always get a response. Neil also talk about how writing is very important for his ideas. It’s how he makes his money really. Writing stories all day long and generating his ideas on paper is how he make

Reading the two articles, Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” and Donald M. Murray’s “Write Before Writing” numerous times made me realize a connection with their writing process that I can relate to. Lamott believes that every good writer, or every writer should write shitty first drafts because the writer will produce better second drafts. In her article, she gives examples of her writing struggles and gives her point of view of the writing process. In order to have a good piece of writing, one must write all of their ideas onto paper. Murray’s article gives some instructions on how to create and start a better writing. He expressed that writers should give time to what they’re going to write about, so that they can understand and make it easy on themselves. After reading the articles, I realized some of the complications I suffer within my writing process, but one strategy that I found helpful is Lamott’s drafting development strategies.

Unlike reading, when writing, it is important that grammar, spelling and vocabulary terms are used correctly, therefore restricting me from writing in the way that I would prefer. The most stressed phrase while in high school was, "It is not the content of the essay, but rather the mechanics of grammar and speech that are most prominent." Unfortunately, I have never been one to enjoy the art of writing. In fact, I was recently given a diagnostic test, determining at which level I write and whether or not I should be upgraded to a higher achieving English class. Unfortunately, I did not pass the test with flying colors. This was not due to the fact that I am incapable of writing a good paper, but rather that I am unable to write in a limited amount of time, using the emphasized principles of correct; grammar, vocabulary and spelling. In the reading, Shitty First Drafts, by author Anne Lamott, it is a fact that in order to write a brilliant paper, a first draft must be created. According to Lamott, "The Only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts, all writers write them." (94) This is a quote in which I can relate being that in order for me to begin a final draft, I must first have written a first draft, usually one that is in absolute

Unlike reading, when writing, it is important that grammar, spelling and vocabulary terms are used correctly, therefore restricting me from writing in the way that I would prefer. The most stressed phrase while in high school was, "It is not the content of the essay, but rather the mechanics of grammar and speech that are most prominent." Unfortunately, I have never been one to enjoy the art of writing. In fact, I was recently given a diagnostic test, determining at which level I write and whether or not I should be upgraded to a higher achieving English class. Unfortunately, I did not pass the test with flying colors. This was not due to the fact that I am incapable of writing a good paper, but rather that I am unable to write in a limited amount of time, using the emphasized principles of correct; grammar, vocabulary and spelling. In the reading, Shitty First Drafts, by author Anne Lamott, it is a fact that in order to write a brilliant paper, a first draft must be created. According to Lamott, "The Only way I can get anything written at all is

Writing successfully may be difficult, but once you learn about how to voice your ideas, it can be made possible. From the prompt “Shitty First Drafts” Anne Lamotte states an inevitably true remark about all writers. Lamotte states,” The right words and

Employers and educators realize the importance of good writing skills but many business employees have writing deficiencies, costing American businesses billions of dollars every year. According to a study conducted by the National Commission on Writing (NCW) in 2004, American businesses may spend close to $3.1 billion yearly on the remediation of employees’ writing deficiencies. Consequently, employers are dissatisfied with employees writing skills and even more disappointed in the skills of new college graduates.

A “rough draft” is something someone writes with the express purpose of getting their ideas out on paper. Expectedly, more often than not, people will write multiple drafts before writing their final, in an effort to get to their best paper. I was, of course, introduced to the phenomenon that is the rough draft in middle school. Interestingly, whenever I attempted to write a rough draft, my thoughts would become muddled and slowly but surely, I was left with nothing to write. Hardly after being introduced to the rough draft than I jettisoned it; in fact, it is because of that dismissal that has prompted me to adopt a different method.

Personally, I sometimes have difficulty generating a topic worthwhile. I usually get through these moments by taking a break from writing or asking friends or teacher for advice. Usually this works, but generally a writing topic is better when it is unique to the writer. It may be difficult to write passionately about an idea garnered by someone else. Reading the Lunsford provided advice to overcoming writers block. According to the Lunsford, writing any word that comes to mind about an assignment is an effective way to develop ideas, as well as writing freely about anything for approximately 10 minutes. Other methods include drawing, to stimulate visual imagery and clustering to develop topics to write about. If these methods do not work, it is usually beneficial to consult outside resources like the internet or ask questions and collaborate with other

What is your possible topic? Brainstorm five questions about it. In this section pick a topic from the above list and then brainstorm five questions you have about it. If you feel disconnected from the topics on the list, choose one of your own, but make sure it is not an “overused topic,” such as abortion, gun control, capital punishment, or legalization of marijuana (unless you have personal experience with the topic and can offer a unique perspective). Also, beware of current issues that might not be well-researched yet; you may not find enough sources at this time. Your purpose for brainstorming five questions is to narrow the topic to a manageable scope. Who knows, one of the questions may eventually become your research

Chapter four from Writing and Revising talks about strategies for generating ideas. Some of these ideas include brainstorming, freewriting, seeking motives, and even brainstorming with a group. Brainstorming with a group works much like brainstorming alone. When you brainstorm alone you start with an idea or a phrase and then proceed to write down anything you could possibly think of that goes with that idea or phrase; however, brainstorming with a group allows you to compare and contrast your ideas with a group of people. This group activity will allow you to see how others brainstorm their ideas and could help you with your next assignment. Freewriting is another strategy for generating ideas. When using freewriting as a way to generate ideas

Students may feel too overwhelmed with college work at times, so they try to cut coners by plagiarizing to save time. Students often feel like they do not have the time to do the things they love, and still manage to keep a passing grade. Most students feel very anxious when they think about starting a research paper, or writing an essay. They do not understand that all it takes is a little practice to perfect this skill and make writing easier.Expirenced writers can maintaine a calm composure when writing because they have learned how to mange their time well by learning for mistakes. Taking the time to learn and practice writing will greatly reduce the chances of plagiarism.

What Patricia T O’Conner means by his quote is that writings will always begin as a first try and the first time you try different topic of writings. It does not have to be perfect because you would always learn from the mistakes you have done. People have different process of learning. Some people would take them so long to complete a writing assignment. For others it might not take as long to finish it. Apparently writings take us through multiple stages depends on our ability to explain what we write about. As people write their brains will interact with them for new writing ideas.

A blue house, red shutters, and a white picket fence with a border collie. Three kids are running around in the front lawn up on a hilltop. That is what the American dream is right? The American dream is truly in the eye of the beholder. One might think that the American dream is an apartment in downtown Los Angeles, but others might want the smell of fresh cut grass in a small suburb. It’s whatever the person who is working for it wants it to be. As we can see in the play, all of the main characters might be striving for an American dream, but none of them are striving for their same American dream.