"In every task that must be done, there is an element of fun," sings Mary Poppins and, for the most part, that's true. Writing can and should be fun, and, even when it might seem a chore, if you can find that spoonful of sugar, it can be a real joy.
Please read sections 23 and 24 of Part IV of the Zinnser book and any other section that looks interesting to you. Comment here on anything you found here that will help you make that already-great chapter of your book even better--and any attitudes toward writing that will make writing more fun for you.
I like the authors first line of chapter 23. "This book has been about decisions - the countless successive decisions that go into every act of writing." Every single decision one makes during writing no matter how big the decision or how small the decision may be it will affect your book. Every decision you make as a writer will make your book end up looking great or terrible depending on your decisions. The beginning and end have to be the hardest decisions the writer has to make in my opinion. The beginning starts the whole book off which is majorly important and the end needs to tie everything together which is also very important in a book. Overall, chapter 23 was a great one to read because is shows as a writer everything no matter what is an important decision.
ReplyDeleteI like that Zinsser began the book, “On Writing Well” by analyzing large, more significant topics towards papers, and as we reach the end he begins to get very detailed. The little fixes he talks about are quite useful, as one example he gives is to shorten sentences if they are too long. I tend to use compound sentences a TON in my writing, as I am trying to condense as much information in each sentence as possible. Making sentences shorter is a great way to retain readers’ interest, as they won’t get tired from long, drawn out sentences. Humor was also utilized all throughout the paper reviewed in chapter 23 in small quantities to keep the readers attention without being obnoxious. A good tip given in chapter 24 is to not give up your own style when writing, as many people tend to try to become proper when writing a good paper. Although good grammar is still necessary, writing through your own voice rather than through a filter can help make your papers more personal and genuine.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of attitudes that will make writing more fun, I think I would just have one thing to mention. Don’t wait when writing, as it will stress you out too much to enjoy the process. I ended up waiting until the last minute and I did not give myself enough time to analyze and enjoy the information I was using in my paper on the buildings around NSU. Some of the renovations and projects are fascinating, but having to write a 20 page paper in the span of a weekend is not very fun. By organizing your research and work, you can take a deeper dive into your subject and enjoy more detailed information.
Zinsser states "learning how to organize a long articles is just as important as learning how to write a clear and pleasing sentence" (261). Which is very true especially important for our chapters. The organization for you paper is very important. It helps get your message to your readers. If you just all over the place you message will be lost and readers wont understand. I will defiantly use this in my chapters. I want to be able to give a clear message to my readers. Which can be done by the way the chapter is organized.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found in chapter 23 that will help make my chapter better is that most professional writers put a lot of thought into everything they write. Although some lines may just be superficial information or added in for the writer’s own amusement, overall the piece is directed towards a clear and concise goal which it works towards throughout its lines. Like a mountain climber on her way up to the summit, the way is clear but the joy and struggle come through the process of reaching the top. Another line that really stuck with from the attitude front was the lines “But finally the purposes that writers serve must be their own. What you write is yours and nobody else’s. Take your talent as far as you can and guard it with your life. . . Writing well means believing in your writing and believing in yourself, taking risks, daring to be different, pushing yourself to excel. You will write only as well as you make yourself write.” (293) I find this statement very encouraging and I think it will help give me a confident attitude as I work to polish up my chapter.
ReplyDeleteI found all of Chapter 23 to be good information for my book chapter as i am finishing up the final draft. In this chapter we are learning about decisions as a writer. Specifically, what to write about. I think knowing what to write about has a huge effect on how your paper will turn out. As a historian there can be so much information out there about different things. Narrowing it down makes everything work so nice. I didn't really have a problem with narrowing down the questions. It was more for me what else I need to write. My chapter is very small compared to the others in class and I know that i need to be able to make smart decisions, so I am able to write an effective paper on Covid-19.
ReplyDeleteZinsser comments on what are "throw away phrases" which are really just unneeded ramble. I found this helpful advice because I tend to ramble in my writing by including phrases that I don't really need. As I look through my chapter, I do see parts that I don't need to include and getting rid of them will, I think, improve the flow of my paper.
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