Writing: Truths, Myths, and the Rhetorical Situation

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Writing Truths, Myths, and the Rhetorical
Situation

• Introduction

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Truth vs. Myth

• What truths about writing have you been taught?
  What
• myths do you believe?
• Writers born writing course cant help
• Writing course just grammar/punctuation
• Contentdevelopment organization 1st priority
• Grammar/punctuation2nd priority but does change
  meaning
• Woman without her man is nothing
• Woman, without her man, is nothing.
• Womanwithout her, man is nothing.
• College writingcreative writing
• Rhetoricways and means of informing/persuading
  audience
• Finding new insight, exploring new ideas
• Writingnot important in real world
• Example Loan Request

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RITUALS

• What is your ritual? If I were to walk into the
  room
• while youre writing, what would I see?
• Tips
• Distractions to minimum
• Control interruptions
• Access to notes, etc.
• Energy Attitude
• Start Quickly Start with easiest part Keep
  moving
• Visualize yourself as writers set modest goals
• Writing Dailypractice makes perfect
• Journal/Blog assignment
• Various entry typesreading, write-to-learn,
  writing entries Within each chapter, warming
  up/journal ex.use as a resource

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RHETORICAL SITUATIONWhat Occasion Played A Great
Cause

• Give example of different writing types youve
  done/completed?
• What was the occasion/purpose/audience regarding
  these various
• pieces?
• Rhetorical Situations
• Writer
• Occasionwhat motivates you to write
• Purposethe effect you wish to have on audience
• Express feeling, report findings, explain ideas,
  evaluate objects, propose solutions, argue
  positions, etc.
• Audiencewhat is the audience for this class?
  This is a community of writers/peer revisers
• Writing Triangle consider topic and reader
  together
• Genrepersonal essaycreative non-fiction
• Contextrhetorical and social context
• When we readwe think about author, place of
  publication, ongoing conversations about topic,
  and social/cultural context.
• When we writewe think about where it may be
  read/published and what conversations already
  exist on the topic.

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WRITING TRIANGLE
TOPIC
AUDIENCE
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WRITING PROCESSCan So Do Rewrites

• Writing ProcessRecursive processa flow
• back/forth and in-between steps.
• Collect
• Shape
• Draft
• ReviseTo resee
• Revising different than Editing Editingfocus on
  minor changes (word choice, grammar, usage,
  punctuation)
• Multiple Drafts

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THESIS Inductive vs. Deductive

• Thesis, claim, main idea, dominant idea/insight
• With observing/remembering essaydominant
  idea/insight
• Related to PURPOSE
• You accept and reject information based on the
  main idea
• Readeruses main idea (stated or unstated) in
  constructing meaning.
• Introducing Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
• Inductivedraw a general conclusion from personal
  observation/experience, facts, reports, stats,
  etc. building of material/ideas, insight
  revealed at the end.
• Deductivepresents thesis/hypothesis, then
  reveals support through details insight revealed
  at the beginning.

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Journaling Mind Sprints

• What is a mind sprint?
• Quick writing a free flow of ideas
• Subjectsomething you already know, can observe,
  or recall from experience.
• FOCUS
• Any subjectvalid
• Its an explorationdont have to have a
  preconceived insight
• Dont worry about grammar, spelling, etc. while
  writing
• 5-10 minutes