thlog # 2

THLOG # 2

In class this week we read a course reading titled “Reading like Writer: by Mike Bunn. In this Bunn stressed how important it was to know how to make the connection between reading and writing. He also suggests that reading in a certain way can make you a better writer. This helped me to recognize that if I try to understand the choices the author made and why, then I can decide whether or not I may want to make those same choices in my own writing. Now we all know Zack has said to us several times in class that “You are reading to learn about writing, well to my surprise Bunn says the same thing in this text. I also liked the use of Allen Tate metaphor of reading like you were an architect, The reason I found this extra  helpful was because, I was like “fuck, if I got to think like an architect, I’m going to know every inch of this property and why and how these decisions were made. Now if I approach my writing this way I could just research by reading, annotating my readings, asking questions about why the author did certain things, thinking about it and probably ending up having an understanding of why they made certain choices. Then I have the freedom to decide if I want to use any of those writers’ conventions in my future writings. Ultimately you’re trying to learn how the text was constructed, so you can “build” one for yourself (Bunn). Now I am not sure about anyone else in this class, but I NEVER really sat and looked at other [peoples writing and analyzed it for the sake of improving my own writing, Lol! Call me a slacker but I would just read the text and complete the assignments, never wondering about anything the author did. After treading this today when I am about to read a text I am going to ask two questions:

1. What was the author’s purpose for this writing?
2. Who was the intended audience for this writing?

Knowing at the outset that the author as trying to reach a specific group of readers makes it easier to understand that some things may be more or less effective in a general audience. Basically it’s important to know your intended audience and genre, because in writing it is important to know that there are particular genres for particular situations... It is even mentioned that it’s good to question the authors judgement sometimes, ask questions, because everything we learn and all knowledge we acquire can be potentially used or helpful in future writing pieces.