I am sure that all of us remember this excellent animated film, “Ratatouille.” In this film, Chef Gusteau proclaimed that “anyone can cook!” This is certainly true, but it does not mean that anyone can become a great chef. In the same vein, not everyone can become the next Sheiksper. Whereas many things can be learned, in many areas, talent is needed. Not everyone can become great scientists, musicians, actors, or writers. We all have our own gifts as well as our own imperfections. 

However, we are authors to a certain degree because we all think, and we put our thoughts on paper. For example, I send many text messages in English since I started college prep and ESL courses.  I often spent time on social media, and I participate in different forums and comment on many topics and discussions. I learn to express myself in English by watching movies listening to how native speakers use the language, and trying to copy them, which helps me a lot to communicate.

The author Mike Bunn insists we read attentively to every sentence and even to every word. I certainly agree with a statement. If we do not read with attention, we can miss important information or clues. I agree that when we read, we must pay attention to a particular genre of a given piece of writing. Reading a romantic novel is different from reading a textbook on mathematics. I agree with Mike Bunn, that both author’s intention and his audience are important. However, there is a difference between the two. The audience can be known beforehand, not so with the author’s intention. Very often, one has to read “between the lines” in order to decipher what the author’s intention might be. This is especially true in the genre of political satire.  Gulliver’s Travels comes to mind.

I enjoyed the article “How to Read Like a Writer.” It has a lot of useful information for college students to improve their writing skills. I will definitely try to consider using it in the future.