Karen Bromley Analysis

Based on his argument using a piece of story from his past, the writer conceptually supported his explanatory point of views on how skills can be developed with a passion of understanding the writer’s intention. I believe that the writer of this article addressed fundamental thoughts that should be useful in the process of reading as a writer, and on how to become a better writer.

Lamott compares the process of writing with the painful process of pulling the teeth. She believes that in order to produce a high quality writing, the author must first put together all their ideas and thoughts in form of the “child draft”. This draft determines the flow and dimension

Everybody has their own methods for writing; however, I believe there is always room for improvement. Chapter 3 in Everyone’s an Author has shown me that writing involves processes that need to be mastered through constant practice. It also revealed helpful tips on how to develop writing processes that can help write effective papers.

Writing is an essential skill that students will use and apply for the rest of their lives. Teaching students to become strong writers is a daily task and involves writing more than just an essay. Research indicates that by the middle school level students should be writing at least 60 minutes a day. A practice of daily writing helps build writing fluency that transcends across the curriculum. However, this can be a daunting task especially when students don’t like to write. In a time when writing is essential to the curriculum, how do we build a community of lifelong writers? (Especially when we are in the age of standardized testing that limits what and how students are being taught writing.) Many experts state that daily writing in

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.

Whether while writing an essay or a birthday card, we have all struggled to find the proper words to illustrate our thoughts or feelings from time to time. Upholding the occupation of a writer would multiply that struggle tenfold. An occupation that depends on interesting, fluid pieces of writing every submission requires an adequate number of attempts and patience. Lamott expresses that writers “all often feel like we are pulling teeth” (Lamott), which proves the difficulty of writing is still there no matter the level of writer behind the work. Lamott also emphasizes that a writer “has to start somewhere” and shares her friend’s ideas in her writing to simply “get something - anything - down on paper” (Lamott). Lamott, and the other writers mentioned in this piece, carry incredible track records, while still admitting that perfection did not come initially, or even easily. Thus, proving that the Shitty First Draft has a place in any writer’s notebook or Word document. Lamott’s admission to struggling to properly begin a piece of writing surprised me, given of her success. I could not imagine a woman of her accomplishments stressing out over a food review, yet I felt relieved that someone of Lamott’s title relates to an amateur writer like myself. I often put off my writing as well when I cannot articulate a proper introduction. I do every other possible homework, or shy away from homework in general because the

In the article Teaching Writing as a Process Not Product by Donald M. Murray, Murray argues that writing is a process of discovery not an end product. Rather than being criticized for a “perfect product” by the teachers, student should be provided with an environment of creativity to explore and discover. Murray states that many teachers focus on the end product rather than teaching students the process of writing in order to receive a better product. The writing process has three stages of writing which include: prewriting, writing, and rewriting. In the prewriting stage, students should take about 85% of their time dedicated to the writing process. Prewriting includes strategies such as daydreaming, note taking, outlining, and lead-writing. Next is the writing stage where it should take about one percent of a student’s time. The writing stage is where students produce their first draft. Finally, it is the

It is crucial when it comes to promoting interest in writing that students are confident in their skills. If students do not exemplify confidence then the writing process will be very daunting. In order to promote confidence in the classroom, the teacher can encourage that student’s write about things that interest them, whether it is journaling about their weekend, or writing fictional stories. When the teacher gives opportunities for students lacking

Students are subjected to write an array of essays, but they lack the required tools needed to effectively deliver a great paper. They are struggling to write and teachers are needing to design and conform to their current student’s needs. New methods are created and implemented in order to execute the daunting task of learning how to write a well-developed paper. Practical recommendations are brought forth for teachers to use and good teachers will learn to design instruction and activities based on suitable references. Teachers must set goals and deliver their lesson with specific strategies to meet their objectives. They must learn to improve skills dramatically by observing and modifying the students. Teachers must plan strategies in order to help the struggling students catch up or exceed in their writing skills. They must learn to motivate their students by keeping them engaged throughout the writing process if not they risk losing the student’s ability and focus to do better.

Writing is an essential tool and has been noted as a precursor for great speaking by teachers at all grade levels. However, with writing being an important aspect throughout one’s academic career and beyond, it is one of the most tedious tasks to teach. It sounds like a cliché, but in order to get better at something, one has to keep completing the task and each time, accomplish something different while maintaining prior knowledge. There are various ways that enhance a student’s writing abilities and the focus of these research strategies will prove that encouraging students to write enhances writing.

Everyone knows what writing is to one extent or another, but we all have different definitions of how it should be done and varying degrees of seriousness about the art. We all have a process of writing, but each is unique to ourselves and our own experiences. Annie Dillard and Stephen King are two well known authors who have published many pieces, two of which describe how they view the writing process and let their readers get a peek of what goes on through their minds when they write. These two pieces are Dillard’s The Writing Life and King’s “What Writing Is.”

I need to say I truly delighted in this reading since it brought about a significant improvement about my writing. I realize that I have never been content with the first drafts I have composed, and realizing that writers don't like the first drafts they compose is consoling. Teachers have let me know that this is correct some time recently, yet for reasons unknown, I didn't generally take what they were stating to heart. I like how Lamott provides for us great symbolism, depicting the splendid writer at her work area, rapidly releasing a polished draft in one sitting, and how this never happens. I think this takes a portion of the secret out of exceptional writing: frequently it simply takes a considerable measure of will and time. Maybe some individuals are characteristically preferred at writing over others, yet the way Lamott portrays writing, it appears that anybody, with enough exertion can compose well. I think having read this genuinely will profit my writing in light of the fact that

Donald Murray provides strong advice on the drafting process in his essay, The Maker’s Eye. By beginning with a boost in confidence, Murray reassures his reader that everyone, even the most renowned writers have to start somewhere. In explaining what he perceives to be the chronological order of the writing process, he tells his readers to: “detach themselves from their own pages so they can apply both their caring and their craft to their own work” (Murray 1). In order to understand how one’s audience perceives a piece, they must remove themselves and be critical. Murray continues by describing the seven elements one must consider in constructing their first draft: subject, audience, form, structure, development, dimension, and tone. In tackling

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.

In the 1900s, literacy learning involved a “whole language” (Goodman, 2005, para. 5) approach whereby students explored meaning and experienced language as a whole; through reading picture books, process writing, and immersion in texts of the dominant culture. Cambourne (as cited in Mills, 2005) associated the whole language approach with the natural development of oral language in infants (p. 69), however, critics refuted Cambourne’s theory arguing, “the lexico–grammatical structures of written language are different from those of speech” (Luke, as cited in Mills, 2005, p. 69). This top–down approach concentrated on reading and learning for meaning rather than the didactic method of learning abstract concepts in isolation (Goodman, 2005, para. 3). One vital factor for student success using the whole language approach was prior knowledge (Mills, 2005, p. 69). An authentic approach to literacy pedagogy that can be observed in today’s classrooms is process writing, which involves a multi–step process over several days beginning with students choosing a topic that interests them and planning their writing (Dwyer, 1985, para. 1). The next step requires students write a draft copy of their story, before an individual or whole class “conference” (Dwyer, 1985, para. 1) is held with the teacher or a peer to discuss the draft copies. The final step involves students publishing their polished edited work (Dwyer, 1985, para. 1). This writing process is visible in the Australian