"My first draft is usually very scattered. In rewriting, I find the line of argument. After the argument is resolved, I am much more in- terested in word choice and phras
The students were all putting word choice as the main goal of revising, but the experienced authors all state that improving the conceptual structure of the writing is the most important aspect of revision, and specific grammatical changes come last.
restrict and circumscribe not only the development of their ideas, but also their ability to change the direction of these ideas.
I often times find myself adhering to a strict structure that is layed out by my thesis when writing. Perhaps much of my writing could have been improved if I was more inclined to veer away towards thoughts that may develop during the actual writing process than what I originally came up with while writing my thesis.
When you are outlining a paper, you'll have many options for your organization. Understand, however, that each choice you make eliminates dozens of other options.
There is no one way to write a paper, and all your ideas can fit together in many ways. However, it is important to make careful choices in your outline because with each choice you make there are less options for you to continue with. Being strategic in your planing is an essential step towards creating an essay which will support your thesis in the best possible way while using a unique combination of all your ideas.
In sketching your argument your goal is to fill the page with your ideas.
Similar concept to SFD, begin by getting all your ideas down on paper and then organize from there. This will then allow you to see all your ideas in one place and be able to pick and choose which ones you want to utilize and how you will do so in a more effective manner.
Instead of telling the reader what to do, suggest what she might do. Identify the questions that are raised for you as you reader:
The goal behind peer responding is to help the author improve as a writer, not to simply improve only the paper that you are responding to. Allowing them to come up with and analyze revisions on their own is the best way to do this.
Point to problems and areas for improvement but do it in a constructive way. See what you can do to push her to do even more than she's done and stretch herself as a writer
At the end of the day, this is the purpose of peer revisions. It is not to give the author the impression they got everything perfect on the first try. Lamotte would not be happy about that.
"If a rule con- flicts with what is sensible or with experience, reject it."
I think a key part about this statement is the emphasis on experience. There is no better teacher than experience, and ultimately with experience comes the freedom to depart from rules that would conventionally hold us down.
we wouldn't be able to function without rules
I strongly agree with this statement, without rules to guide us then it can often be easy to get lost in the endless possibilities that come with absolute freedom. In some ways it reminds me of the statement "ignorance is bliss". If all we know are the rules and we have the notion that we must follow them, it can be much easier to achieve a goal than when given free reigns over our choices.
One might hope for bad things to rain down on a person like this.
Through the utilization of a bit of humor like this throughout the passage, Lamott comes across as more personable and relatable to the reader so her advice seems easier to accept, almost like a conversation between two friends.
that they take in a few deep breaths, push back their sleeves, roll their necks a few times to get all the cricks out, and dive in, typing fully formed passages as fast as a court reporter. But this is just the fantasy of the uninitiated
I think this assumption is very prevalent in a large majority of professional careers these days. People often assume that the final product they see comes naturally and easily to the creator/professional, but in reality it takes lots of hard work plus trial and error to accomplish the end result that is visible to the world.