The Writer's Diet Analysis

Ken Macrorie in both his weekly readings descibes the writing process of college students to be filled with lies and to be lifeless. He emphasizes that good writing is truthful writing not stained with lies (fluffy writing) from the writer.

Constance Hale claims that any reader who follows her guide can easily become a ‘sentence connoisseur’ and will be able to transform mediocre writing into powerful diction, while ditching adjectives in which she refers to as ‘goo’ and ‘bad habits.’ This idea challenges the general educational system’s tendency to instill intermediary and even improper writing practices to its young and inexperienced writers, later resulting in poor compositional skills as older, amateur scholars. The argument that resonated with me and related to my own writing style the most was when she explained that adjectives can perhaps be negative in writing. Hale argues that they may ‘unintentionally’ sway the reader away from the main idea of a sentence, conveyed by

Simple sentence beginnings—the downfall of many potential writers. On entering this course, I was plagued with this ignorance. I quickly realized that my writings seemed bland—in part because my sentence beginnings varied little. In my summary of the work of Hacker and Dreifus, an epitome of poor writing is easily found: “necessary changes begin in the classroom.” To remedy this bad habit, I became more conscious of how often I began a sentence with a noun followed by a verb; I pushed myself to be more creative with my wording and transitional phrase usage. My summary of Robin Wilson proves this effort: “cliché as it may seem, nobody is the same.” However, I realize this issue still requires more correction—along with another poor writing habit.

Today’s standardized writing tests cannot be fairly or accurately judged because grading companies rely too heavily on technology to assess them. Many scoring companies now use computer algorithms to assess usage and mechanics in a work; however, computer based scoring

For this reason, I chose to look at my writing through the lens of text. Specifically, I will note what text-space, sometimes referred to simply as space, the writing was completed on or in. Text-space is used in this paper to refer to where the writing was done, whether it be an email program, a forum application, or on a piece of paper. Also I will be looking at the writing as text. In this paper the term refers to the writing as an object, the physical appearance. If the writing is typed, the text will appear considerably different if

“Avoid the passive voice; eliminate redundancies; watch your pronouns; don’t succumb to monologophobia” quotes Charles Shafaieth in his recent article. Shafaieh explains the case of Harold Evans, a published author and avid writer who staunchly promotes the idea of “writing what you mean and moving on”. Evans believes that a no-nonsense approach, with clarity and brevity is the single best way to convey your thoughts. He holds the idea that simplifying prose and using clear simple words such as those in everyday life make his and others lives easier.

The author applied good writing techniques, good sentence structure, and good grammar to my example essay so that she could get the best score possible. She also did this so it wasn’t a bad paper. These techniques and tips are useful because the help the writers become better writers.

Paul McHenry Roberts wrote an article 70 years ago that is still relevant for writing student’s today because the major issues he elaborates on are concepts most young writers need to improve on today – stance, content, and word choice. He begins by explaining the importance of taking a proper stance. A problem with writers today is that they will take the side that requires the least work, usually filling the space with overlapping information. Mr. Roberts promotes a solution: take the less obvious side. While many today wish to avoid extra work, by taking a stance that isn’t the most common, finding information that isn’t overused is much more accessible.

In Nancy Sommer’s article she explains how Gordon Rohman’s and James Britton’s linear models of writing are primarily derived from our speech process and lack focus on revision strategies. Her research shows the differences between how student writers approach revising their papers compared to experienced adult writers. Student writers look at revision as changing words to avoid repetition, not to further develop an idea or rethink an argument. They are simply reviewing the paper for redundancy and taking the “language of speech to the more formal language of prose” (47). The students view the creation of their papers as a “series of parts” and do not

It is no surprise that most of us live in fast-paced environments that limit the amount of spare time we get to enjoy. This fast-paced lifestyle has and continues to be fueled by fast-food restaurants, food joints, and other store bought junk to save time. While this may be arguable, in reality we are giving up a little bit of our time every time we consume these GMO foods that aren’t too nutritious for our bodies. It is important we all become aware of the things we eat and our habits, to be able to live longer and healthier lives. However, becoming healthy isn’t as easy as many would think. The body requires limited intakes of different vitamins and minerals to function at its full ability. To fully understand my current health

This morning I had one whole-wheat toast with grape jam, an egg and 1 oz of 2% low-fat milk. I went to class and came back home to finish all of my homework assignments while eating a small tangerine. At 12 P.M., I had some homemade, sauteed shrimp with a side of brown rice and some lettuce. I began working at a dental office, so I stayed there from 1 P.M. to 6 P.M. Once I left the dental office, I snacked on a protein bar and some water because I decided to workout for 30 minutes. I finished my work out at 8 P.M. and drank a cup of milk. Dinnertime came along so I decided seafood pasta. Myfitnesspal informed me that I had reached my daily vitamin C and protein servings. My total calorie intake was approximately 1,200, which is where it suppose

Author, John Williams, sets the tone in lesson five by prefacing his lesson with insightful quotes, from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas De Quincey, that speak about the key role of cohesion and coherence within a writing context (65). Now writers must understand and practice the art of organizing words and sentences for a smooth reading experience instead of a choppy, difficult, or confusing reading experience. Overall, the author teaches writers how to arrange their ideas with sentences that work well together, “…arrange sentences so that they flow easily from one to the next” (66).

After reading this article, I was intrigued by how much Lamott’s ideas on first drafts relate with Gee’s ideas on acquiring literacy. The whole procedure of writing a first draft and then fixing the mistakes afterwards is essentially a method or project that demonstrates how students acquire literary skills and knowledge (Gee). Her anecdote conveys a point that everyone can agree with along with a valuable lesson on writing in general. Her struggles when writing remind me of my own, where my perfectionist nature causes me to stop writing and think about what to say. The readers will have an easier time understanding Lamott’s advice because her examples are relatable to their writing experiences. A part of me feels that Lamott could have utilized and cited other sources to support her case and make her article a more

“The writer must have a good imagination to begin with, but the imagination has to be muscular, which means it must be exercised in a disciplined way, day in and day out, by writing, failing, succeeding and revising," some great words from Stephen King, shows us the independence of being a writer with the many faults and achievements. These words mean something to a lot of people, which can lead them to a positive path to know that the great Stephen King, can mess up occasionally as well. The people who get their essays back and feel that they cannot overcome the feat of becoming a better writer, must know Stephen King’s message. For young writers not every paper is a success, but with the help from others and yourself you can evolve and become a better one. Reflecting on your previous assignments and with the criticism, practice, and self-confidence you will become the better writer that you want to be and have the knowledgeable skills to do it. The points given in this essay will be, that every person must accept the fact that not all of their works will the great, don’t be unhappy about the work you write, and it takes time for everyone to master their craft of writing. As the essay goes an explanation for all three of these points will be provided, and why they are so important for any writer.

Writing should be assessed on the quality of the written work. Usually it is, but the consideration of other factors—or the lack of consideration of other factors—often has an impact on the assessment. In these cases, the actual assessment does not simply reflect the quality of the work, but many other factors as well.