1- The Assignment-
For this assignment, find quotes which resonate with you, share them with us, write on why they had such an effect and then compose an essay (I assign the topic) which was aided by at least one of these quotes.
We learn much in life from watching, analyzing and then trying it ourselves over and over, from tying our shoes to how to speak to how to cook, etc. You all could put me out of work by reading every day, thinking about how you’re reading, how the writer crafted his/her work and then taking the best from this person and that one and synthesizing it into your own writing. I can talk all day about writing, but until you get active, even just being an active reader, it pretty much comes to nothing.
Once you have read through Essay Project #1, you should know what to do here; I not only explain the entire assignment in that link but also give you examples of exactly what I am looking for in your submissions. Six responses are due this week, six next week and six the third week. Each week I will create an Assignment for the six responses. –
You
Feb 1, 9:19 PM
1- The Assignment-
Beginning the first week of the semester, we will discuss the authors and books listed below. I share links to the many sites which have excerpted and organized Writers on Writing quotes. We shall read some together, talk about them, write about them, reaction papers, assessment, dual-entry journals and finally, write because of them. Do you have to read a King novel? No, but he is an unqualified success and admired by many for his prolific output and the quality of his prose, and he has kindly shared with anyone interested how he does it. He is a valuable resource, and his help is out there, abundant and often free and inspiring. Ray Bradbury has told my students, “Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it’s your turn. Jump!” King tells them, “the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Dorothy Parker confesses in our classrooms that “I hate writing but love having written,” and Hemingway concedes that “we are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” They speak to us, we listen, we talk to another and then we write.
For this assignment, find quotes which resonate with you, share them with us, write on why they had such an effect and then compose an essay (I assign the topic) which was aided by at least one of these quotes.
We learn much in life from watching, analyzing and then trying it ourselves over and over, from tying our shoes to how to speak to how to cook, etc. You all could put me out of work by reading every day, thinking about how you’re reading, how the writer crafted his/her work and then taking the best from this person and that one and synthesizing it into your own writing. I can talk all day about writing, but until you get active, even just being an active reader, it pretty much comes to nothing.
Therefore, let’s focus this week on “writers on writing.” I have provided links to great sites on this subject. Dozens of pieces of advice from the professionals await you there! Please select at least six pieces of advice from among the many offered, discuss in your journal why each impacted you, why you think each is great advice, tell us in a short paragraph how you will make each advice a part of your writing practice and them put one of them into practice in this week’s writing. Submit these in Assignments by the end of each week (Tuesday nights, 11:59) If for any reason you cannot access that website or wish to find more writers on writing quotes, simply Google “writers on writing” and you will find enough sites and examples to be able to do this assignment. Do this every week: finding six pieces of writing advice by the professionals, thinking and then writing about them and sharing your findings with the rest of us. This counts toward the journal requirement for the class; just be ready to separate these pages and keep them in a “Writers On Writing” section of your portfolio.
For the first three weeks of the semester, find and respond to six Writers on Writing entries per week.
Format: MLA
What you submit to me: the final draft along with the first two versions you worked on with our in-person tutors and/or e-Tutoring.
Here are several links to writers on writing:
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/03/advice-on-writing/
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/writers-on-writing
http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-quotes
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/writer.html
http://www.buzzfeed.com/doree/quotes-about-writing#44v4bcq
http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2014/03/27/why-i-write-23-quotes-famous-authors/
This one has more advice on non-fiction; however, all of these should be useful, whether writing fiction or non-fiction:
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/25-tips-to-make-you-a-better-nonfiction-writer
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