Brief Thoughts on Writing: Spring Break
Friends:
As you write, engage your texts. Words flow from other words, not solely from the romantically vibrant inspritations of your own mind. In other words, if you're not writing, read.
Remember, as you draft you should just let yourself write. It's much easier to respond to a specific passage than try to generalize thoughts on an entire author, subject, or text. Focus on connecting specific passages within one text, or across different texts.
As you write, offer speculations that might begin to serve as additional analysis about what you read. A speculation is a kind of risk, an offering, about how you see a particular moment, representation, or passage signaling meaning. The speculative meaning you create is, in fact, an interpretation; remember, too, that you shouldn't feel burdened with trying to find the explanation. Instead, attempt only to find a meaning you find interesting, and with which you can use a tool to "open" more of the author, subject, or text you're discussing.
Again, if you're stuck, go to the texts. Open them and re-read them. You've changed since you last read them--they will be slightly new texts. Account for your new perspective by pushing yourself to find connections and create meaning using the texts as a group of different positions and ideas around one similar subject: war and its aftermath, the genders of conflict, or the identity of human bodies on the battefield.
Eventually, you're going to craft an argument or position. As you draft and doodle, consider how you might link the texts together through their similarities and/or differences.
Prepare some questions to ask me for Monday!
As you write, engage your texts. Words flow from other words, not solely from the romantically vibrant inspritations of your own mind. In other words, if you're not writing, read.
Remember, as you draft you should just let yourself write. It's much easier to respond to a specific passage than try to generalize thoughts on an entire author, subject, or text. Focus on connecting specific passages within one text, or across different texts.
As you write, offer speculations that might begin to serve as additional analysis about what you read. A speculation is a kind of risk, an offering, about how you see a particular moment, representation, or passage signaling meaning. The speculative meaning you create is, in fact, an interpretation; remember, too, that you shouldn't feel burdened with trying to find the explanation. Instead, attempt only to find a meaning you find interesting, and with which you can use a tool to "open" more of the author, subject, or text you're discussing.
Again, if you're stuck, go to the texts. Open them and re-read them. You've changed since you last read them--they will be slightly new texts. Account for your new perspective by pushing yourself to find connections and create meaning using the texts as a group of different positions and ideas around one similar subject: war and its aftermath, the genders of conflict, or the identity of human bodies on the battefield.
Eventually, you're going to craft an argument or position. As you draft and doodle, consider how you might link the texts together through their similarities and/or differences.
Prepare some questions to ask me for Monday!
posted by Jrc at 5:35 PM
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