Course Readings
Reflecting on the Articles
In this class, I read various chapters from the book "Writing about Writing" by Downs and Wardle and some online academic articles. I expected the readings to be challenging and inapplicable to the class assignments. I was right about the articles being difficult to read, but my prediction about irrelevancy was inaccurate. Each segment built my reading skills and strengthened my ability to complete assignments. The prominent themes were writing, research, revision, audience, and how texts are connected. Throughout the semester, my approach to the readings mellowed. I started to be able to predict what they were about. Since the articles were related to the class assignments, I could loosely predict what the reading was going to be about. I also began previewing the chapter as the due date for the synthesis came close. The readings and the assignments depended on each other to provide a full understanding. Completing them both gave me the ultimate exerperise of the class. As I continue my development as a writer, I will take terms like intertextuality and discourse coummunity with me. The readings opened my mind and allowed me to view communication in way that I hadn't considered before. "Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language: A Cognitivist Analysis of Writer's Block" by Rose and "Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers" by Sommers had the most impact on my writing process. The first article taught me that some writing rules are actually detrimental to the writing process. I now see that there has to be more of a balance between structure and creativity. The process of writing should not be so restricted that it leaves no room for originality. The second article showed me how crucial revision is to the writing process. I explored this technique with each major assignment in this class to find that it improved the quality of my paper significantly. All of the readings had their own unique positive effects on my writing.
the Readings
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