EXERCISE: Writing As a Lifelong Skill (6)
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writercisesoriginal posting: Fri, 02 Feb 2001 12:24:00 -0500
Let's take a look at some thoughts from Writing As a Lifelong Skill by Sanford Kaye, ISBN 0-534-22218-8
Up to Now: Your Writing History
"B. Process and Product. A second, issue to explore is the emphasis your teachers placed on correctness and on writing as an act of communication."
"The teaching of writing evolves over time and the emphasis shifts from one generation to the next. Over the last twenty years, the trend has been away from identifying problems toward developing strategies for clear thinking and for communicating with a variety of readers. There are still some people who think that correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling ensure a good piece of writing. Other people, without much regard to the conventions of standard English, feel their mistakes are trivial as long as they make themselves reasonably clear to readers. But either extreme, simple correctness or pure expression, is self-defeating. A perfect paper that doesn't say anything is as unreadable as a heartfelt paper that is filled with mistakes. Readers, of course, prefer a balance of clarity and power."
The question, of course, is how important these two are to you. How important is correctness in grammar, punctuation, and spelling? How important is clear thinking and communicating with readers? How do you balance the need for expressive power and the desire for careful adherence to conventions?
Let's take a look at some thoughts from Writing As a Lifelong Skill by Sanford Kaye, ISBN 0-534-22218-8
Up to Now: Your Writing History
"B. Process and Product. A second, issue to explore is the emphasis your teachers placed on correctness and on writing as an act of communication."
"The teaching of writing evolves over time and the emphasis shifts from one generation to the next. Over the last twenty years, the trend has been away from identifying problems toward developing strategies for clear thinking and for communicating with a variety of readers. There are still some people who think that correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling ensure a good piece of writing. Other people, without much regard to the conventions of standard English, feel their mistakes are trivial as long as they make themselves reasonably clear to readers. But either extreme, simple correctness or pure expression, is self-defeating. A perfect paper that doesn't say anything is as unreadable as a heartfelt paper that is filled with mistakes. Readers, of course, prefer a balance of clarity and power."
The question, of course, is how important these two are to you. How important is correctness in grammar, punctuation, and spelling? How important is clear thinking and communicating with readers? How do you balance the need for expressive power and the desire for careful adherence to conventions?
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