Landmark Essays...Perl and Runicman - For Feb 22

These essays were quite interesting to me. The first one, "Understanding Composing" made some very good points. The first point that I didn't entirely understand when I first read it was "writing is recursive." It honestly took me several times of going through and re-reading to comprehend exactly what the author was trying to say...It's funny that I had trouble with this concept because it is very similar to what the phrase itself is explaining. I do believe that writing is recursive...at least in my case. When I am writing a paper, I am constantly going back and reviewing what I have written (usually every 4 - 5 sentences). I am also guilty of the second "recursive element" in the fact that when I get stuck on a piece of writing I will usually throw that "key word" (which differs from paper to paper, depending on the topic) back into the mix to help get myself going again. ***A quick note, I did not entirely understand the third recursive element. One thing about this entire essay is that the idea of "understanding composing" would greatly differ if they were studying my composing habits. To understand my composing habits, that is, when am I ready to write, requires an understanding of just how I approach writing. This relates on some levels to "my composition space." My composition space is at my desk facing two monitors using a word processor which affords certain luxuries (i.e very easy editing). What tells me when I am ready to write? I know I am ready to write when I have a coherent thought about what I wish to write about. Allow me to explain: Let's say the prompt is "Death Penalty: Pro or Con." Before I even begin to write, I need to (for my own composing process) a) decide which side I will take, b) gather a short list (3 - 4) sources which support my claim and 1 source which counters my claim (which I will then counter with my argument later in the paper), and finally c) determine my thesis. Once I have these things, I am ready to write. I also want to point out that I do find writing "fun," which leads into the second essay by Runicman. This article discussed so many ways in which society considers writing to be an "unfun task." Sadly, I think that a large section of the population agrees with that statement. I personally find writing a paper, or anything for that matter, rewarding in the end. When I write a paper, even if I get a bad grade, when I am finished I typically have a sense of accomplishment and pride. One of the reasons that people supposedly don't enjoy writing is because it is very easy to get "stuck." Personally, I have always found that when I am writing and encounter a place where I am "stuck" (i.e. cannot figure out how to present my argument, how to word a certain phrase, how to express an idea) that half the fun of writing the paper in the first place is figuring out how to get around the "stuck-ness." I think unfortunately, for most people, when they get stuck, they get frustrated, and this leads to the "un-fun" reputation that writing currently carries.