9-12-12 Homework

Informal Writing Assignment:
Just because you like to write doesn't necessarily mean you are good at it.  When it comes to writing we are constantly learning new things and growing in our writing along the way.  One way we can improve our own writing is by imitation.  If we follow the strategies proven successful by other writers, we can write a better paper of our own.  This is in relation to our other readings because what we have learned so far is that our writing can always improve.  I thought this was very interesting because I always just assumed people who liked writing were good at it.  Being someone who doesn't like to write, I always believed that there was no hope for me to get better, that only people who liked to write can be good, but this article shows me that is not the case.

QDJ:
1. I think Murray's writing process is definitely different.  The one thing I can relate to is getting up, walking away, and then coming back with a better idea of what to write.  Sometimes you just need to walk away from it to clear your writer's block.

3. This study changed Berkenotter's understanding of the writing process because it directed her into new research.  She sees that all writers are different and it is important that we understand that.

AEI:
1. I don't think my writing experience is very high.  When I am writing I am usually distracted by other things.  I don't set aside the time to focus on just my writing and it causes me to be constantly distracted.    I definitely think that if I spent more time on each step of the writing process that my writing experience would improve.  It is a constant learning process for me.

Meta moment:
One thing I learned from this reading is that I need to focus more time on each step of the writing process.  I think I tend to just jump straight into the writing rather than planning what I want to say first.  This gets me into trouble because I run out of things to say due to lack of preparation.

Summary:
The reading is a good description on a study of how people write.  Berkenotter tested Murray on how he accomplishes his writing.  Once the data is gathered, they proceed to analyze it and discuss the different parts.

Synthesis:
I can relate this to our other readings because it continues to help us pick apart our own writing style.  I does this while teaching us about how other people write.  When we see how other people write we can continue to improve on our own writing.

Personal Reflection:
I thought this reading was very interesting because the way Murray writes is so different.  It puts it into perspective that all writers struggle just as much as I do, no matter how experienced of a writer they may be.

Research of a writer:
I was interested in finding out how Nicholas Sparks writes his books.  The first thing I noticed is that he writes in once characters voice at a time.  I always just assumed you would write all the voices at once so I was surprised to hear this.  He says that he doesn't think about his readers as he writes, he thinks of them as he conceives a story because he wants to conceive a story that they will enjoy.  Another thing I read he does is drawing inspiration for characters from people in his life.