EXERCISE: Writing As a Lifelong Skill (5)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 12:19:00 -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

So at this point, you have looked at how you define writing, what your attitudes towards writing are, and at least some of your personal writing history.  Next, we will look at some issues that you may want to think about in reading your own history.

(Page 16) What to Look for in Your Writing History

"As you read through your own history look for these crucial issues that every developing writer needs to come to terms with at some point: internal and external influences, the link between process and product, and the extent of your own confidence."

"A.  Internal and External Influences.  One thing most people have in common is an early sense that writing is a mystery, an unchangeable process.  The degree to which this early view endures directly affects your self-confidence.  Try to trace the roots of your feelings about writing.  You may find that your view began with the comments of other people: teachers' comments on papers and quizzes, or casual comments on a job or at home."

"... Explore the roles that your earlier experiences and the comments of other people have played in shaping your sense of yourself as a writer.  Try to find the source for your self-criticism.  Then evaluate how accurately these views apply to your writing now."

So take a close look at your writing history, and look for those external influences that have bent the shape.  Then look for those internal influences that have pushed the shape onwards.  What is your sense of yourself as a writer?

EXERCISE: Writing As a Lifelong Skill (6)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original 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?