Thinking About Writing - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Thinking About WritingMr. VarratoScottsdale Preparatory AcademyAugust 2015

What is writing?

Writing is thinking — on paper.

What advantage(s) does thinking on paper have compared to other kinds of thinking?

For one, thoughts on paper have the advantage of being susceptible to revision.

What should we strive for when we write? In other words, what are the goals of good writing?Slide2

GOALS OF EXPOSITORY WRITINGCOHESIONCOHERENCE COGENCY

CLARITY

That is, essays should be cohesive, coherent, cogent, and clear arguments.

These are

“The Four Cs

.”

Remember these!Slide3

Rule One of Writing Exposition:Cohesion

Make sure that the second sentence connects to the first, that the third sentence connects to the second, that the fourth connects to the third, and so on. Do so by making clear references between one and two, two and three, three and four, etc.

Make sure that the second paragraph connects to the first, that the third paragraph connects to the second, and so on.Slide4

Connecting SentencesHow do sentences connect? Well, one obvious and important

way

is to use words called “coordinators” (or “connectors, which are in grammar formally called “coordinating conjunctions”).

These

are

and, but, for, nor, or, so

, and

yet

.

FANBOYS

=

f

or,

a

nd,

n

or,

b

ut,

o

r,

y

et,

s

o.

There

are also

“

subordinating conjunctions” (aka prepositions taking clause

complements

) as connectors: e.g.,

although, because, despite,

if

, since,

unless

,

given, notwithstanding

, lest, provided,

while

, etc.

Finally

, there are adverbs that function as connective

adjuncts:

however

, moreover, nevertheless, therefore, thus,

though

, etc

.

 Slide5

Is the following passage cohesive?“I am a teacher. The teacher was late for class. Class rhymes with grass. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But it wasn’t.”

Is the passage

coherent

?Slide6

COHERENT SENTENCESSentences connect not only with/through words (“connectors”) but also through ideas.Slide7

COHERENCEConnecting words are not sufficient if the content of the second sentence does not relate to what the first sentence is saying or claiming. All subsequent sentences must convey EVIDENCE that supports and/or leads to the claim or conclusion—that is, the first sentence.Slide8

Cohesion involves connecting one sentence to another; coherence involves one sentence following from another.Slide9

COHERENCEDo these three sentences cohere (follow from and work well) with Sentence X? If so, how?Sentence X: Something light rises to the top.Sentence 1: A cork, being lighter than water, floats on top of the water.Sentence 2: A balloon filled with helium or hydrogen, being lighter than air, floats up into the air.

Sentence 3: Oil mixed with water, being lighter than water, will rise to the top of the water.Slide10

TIP 1:Make sure that every sentence is connected with and makes a clear reference to the preceding sentence.Slide11

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate

— we

can not consecrate

—

we can not hallow

—

this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us

—

that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion

—

that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain

—

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom

—

and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”Slide12

Terms, concepts, abstractions, and generalizations need to be explained. What do they mean? How are they important? How are they used? What is the context in which they appear?COGENCYSlide13

What Does Cogency Consist Of?BRICKS! Reasons and Evidence: specifics and details such as examples, quotations, passages, concepts, illustrations, analogies, etc.Slide14

Cogency: Supporting Your ArgumentEVIDENCE DOES NOT EXPLAIN ITSELF. You have to show how your evidence is relevant to your argument. Don’t expect the reader to do the work that YOU should be doing; tell the reader how to interpret the evidence.PROSECUTE THE ARGUMENT. USE the evidence, don’t just present it. Always answer the “so what?” question—that is, what does this quotation or passage tell us?

THINK PROLEPTICALLY. Anticipate how the reader might respond to your evidence and craft your argument (and your use of additional evidence) accordingly.Slide15

Today, we are too self-centered. Most families no longer sit down to eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.Slide16

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. In fact, the evidence shows that most American families no longer eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection as become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.Slide17

Today, we are too self-centered. “We are consumers-on-the-run … the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat … on the way to their next activity” (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.Slide18

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence, as James Gleick says in his book, Faster. “We are consumers-on-the-run … the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat … on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.Slide19

TIP 2: ClarityBE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE. This is writing that your reader can clearly understand.Slide20

CLEAR = CLARITY“Abstract ideas are pale things.”-William James Indeed, they are, for they lack any color (detail).

Be specific, not general;

Be concrete, not abstract.Slide21

Abstractions: the Enemy of Good ProseIn the land of abstractions (concepts, statements, principles, conclusions)…seek out examples, explanations, and illustrations.

These

are what make your point

clear

.Slide22

Why is Specificity So Important?Specificity produces clarity both in your thinking and in your reader’s mind. Specific examples and details make it easy to see what you are talking about.“Drink” is general;“Tea” is more specific;“Earl Grey” more specific still.A specific example is a great way of making something clear and convincing, even real.Slide23

YOUR JOB IS TO SAY A LOT ABOUT A LITTLE, NOT A LITTLE ABOUT A LOT—BRICKS, NOT THE WHOLE WALL.Slide24

Ask Yourself:NOT What Do I Say Next, BUTWhat Do I Say Next

ABOUT THIS.Slide25

Try to find the essential examples or reasons—the vital evidence—that might support your claim or position. Build your essay around that. Start your conversations with:WHAT YOU (THE WRITER) THINKWHY YOU THINK IT WHAT EVIDENCE/REASONS SUPPORT IT.Slide26

Writers make promises to their readers.If you introduce something in your first sentence or first paragraph, you owe it to your reader to elaborate on that thing in the next sentence or next paragraph. Otherwise, why should he or she keep reading? (And why would you have kept writing?)This is the unspoken agreement — the psychic handshake — that occurs, or that should occur, between the writer and the reader.Slide27