Ten Ways to Think About Writing

Ten Ways to Think About Writing In high school I was privileged enough to take a college level class called Rising Scholar Composition. The instructor was incredible and didn’t teach only the basics. During the class we studied Greek writings and different styles of composing paragraphs. Although in the reading Reid is saying to eliminate the rules, the rules are there for a reason. To make a great paper one must balance both rules and freedom so one sounds passionate but is still being educational and correct. However, there are so many rules one can get caught up in having a “perfect” paper. “It’s no wonder we get writer’s block, hands poised above the keyboard, worried about all the ways we could go wrong…” (Reid). One of the ways Reid recommended to think about writing is to show not tell. Why should a reader believe what you’re trying to tell them if you can’t show it? I have never really thought about this concept until now and for future writings I think the best way to prove something is by using accurate quotes and facts. Reid also talked about descriptive words, which can also be helpful if one doesn’t go overboard. An Example was given about a little green ball and how everyone’s perception of “little” or of “green” can be very different. This can be helpful when evaluating how important the details will be to the storytelling. Maybe the fact that the ball is incredibly small, and not just little, has a huge affect on the story. Lastly, Reid discussed paragraph development. One rule my high school teacher did enforce was a 5-sentence minimum for each paragraph. Yet, I would find myself with only 3 sentences thinking I have gotten the point across and liking the way it sounded. Still, everything goes back to the audience. One would want the right amount of sentences to keep the audience interested while still providing the right information for that level of reader. One tends to tell people what they want to hear. Naturally, without knowing,

Bibliography: Reid, Shelley E. "Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing." Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Student. Ed. Charles Lowe. . .Ed. Pavel Zemliansky. , . . Print.