Blog Topic Due by 8/27

1.  Anne Lamott's writing advice was a very calming, humorous, and helpful piece to read.  I especially took to heart several pieces of advice from the passage.  The way she explains how writing is a daunting task that needs to be taken step by step had a big effect on me.  I often worry about large projects, papers, and assignments that will have a large impact on my grade.  Taking these tasks "bird by bird" will make them less intimidating and will help me complete the assignments with confidence.  It is also nice to know that other writers, like Lamott, struggle with writing solid first drafts and need someone to read their works before they are published.  To ignore other peoples' advice is a foolish and selfish act when it comes to writing.  The person who reads your paper or article may not be a better writer than you, but they can always spark another idea in your own mind.  

2.  My personal opinion is that group work succeeds in most cases.  Of course there are a few group work projects that go completely wrong, with unmotivated members or one person doing all of the work.  But for the most part, having other people to work with pushes you to work harder.  Also, when everyone is done with school and in the real world, group work will be essential to getting things done for your job or business.  As Roskelly stated towards the end of his passage, "[groups] force writers and thinkers to consciousness, groups foster action and change."  Unifying the minds of several people to create one result is more impressive and rewarding than carrying the load and doing something yourself.  After all, it is much easier to change the world with a group rather than trying to do it alone.

3.  I can understand what Ronald is saying about style and its importance in writing.  Although teachers have denied that style is important, they "say we aren't overly interested in style...but we are still influenced by your writing style more than we admit, or perhaps know."  This makes sense to me because no matter how much you try to stick to a formula when reading, you cannot help but be influenced by the way a paper flows.  A paper with superior style and enticing concepts will always be better than one that follows the correct structure but fails to interest the reader.  So, in my honest opinion, style is more important than any other part of writing when it comes to creating a piece for an audience.  

Blog Response #1

1. What is good writing?

-I classify good writing as a piece that is multi-layered, direct, and provoking of reactions to the reader

2. How do you become a good writer?

-You become a good writer through experience and putting everything you have into your pieces.  Something that takes you an hour or so to put together is most likely not the best work you can do.

3. What questions do you have about writing?

- What can we learn in college about writing that we don't already know?

- How will technology affect the way we write?

4. As a writer, my difficulties include conveying my thoughts to make them understandable on paper.  Sometimes i feel like I have a good idea, but I don't word it correctly and it gets misunderstood.