Bunn Assignment

Annotations:

1. (pg.72 p3) “The idea is to carefully examine the things you read, looking at the writerly techniques in the text in order to decide if you might want to adopt similar (or the same) techniques in your writing. You are reading to learn about writing.” I’ve never really thought about a different kind of reading. There is always that one way when you just read a book or whatever it is and ask yourself what does this mean to me? or what did I learn?. This made me want to realize and focus and writing techniques of authors to apply them to my own writing.
2. (pg.74 p3) “Allen Tate’s metaphor of reading as if you were an architect is a great way to think about RLW. When you read like a writer, you are trying to figure out how the text you are reading was constructed so that you learn how to “build” one for yourself. Author David Jauss makes a similar comparison when he writes that “reading won’t help you much unless you learn to read like a writer. You must look at a book the way a carpenter looks at a house someone else built, examining the details in order to see how it was made” (64).” It’s all about being an architect, the structure of the writing and the origin. Reading like a writer seems hard but it’s seems better for the future. In the way to improve my own writing and have a different reading style.
3. (pg. 75 p3) “When we read like writers we understand and participate in the writing. We see the choices the writer has made, and we see how the writer has coped with the consequences of those choices.” Writing starts from the very first thought of the author, to the audience, the story, the language. The choices in the writing leads to how great or how poor you want to interpret. Such as choices in our own writing, consequences to my readers.
4.  (pg.79 p3) “When reading I tend to be asking myself a million questions. If I were writing this, where would I go with the story? If the author goes in a different direction (as they so often do) from what I am thinking, I will ask myself, why did they do this? What are they telling me?”.  These are questions I should be asking myself when I read, to read more like a writer. I would try and apply the context and the format I like into my own writing. A goal of mine has always been to capture an audience who relates to my story, or what I’m trying to say.
5. (pg. 84 p2) “Think about what effect presenting this personal information might have on readers. Does it make it feel like a real person, some “ordinary guy,” is talking to you? Does it draw you into the essay and make you want to keep reading?”.  Here he is talking about the essay he wrote and how he started it. To be honest I thought this story at the beginning was about him being a security guard, but then I realized, OH! he was talking to me about reading like a writer. I have to admit, him mentioning London did give that “ordinary guy vibe”. can i give off an ordinary vibe?

Reading like a writer, opens your mind to so many spectrums in your own writing to your down right decision making and feelings. In the article Bunn mentions, “all of your previous writing experiences—inside the classroom and out—can contribute to your success with RLW. Because you “have written” things yourself, just as Moran suggests, you are better able to “see” the choices that the author is making in the texts that you read, (pg.75). It is true when he mentions making decisions, I am an author through text messages when the person is going through the consequences my text has made. Could be feelings, could be question. But yes, I do see that Inside the classroom and outside, writing and reading follows us. There are so many words in our daily life to singing in the shower, talking on the phone or  a video chat, texting, having a conversation. We are all authors in our writing and our speech. But reading like a writer, thinking like an author gives you some space to improve your writing, your decisions.  Something I would like to use in my writing and have a deeper focus would be, the language, the tone, what I’m trying to say. To have my reader feel and read what I’m writing in the exact form I construct it. In page 80, it says “As you begin reading, you can ask yourself whether the word choice and tone/ language of the writing seem appropriate,” to also have that formal and informal in my writings. To master english in both ways. For example a biography would have a formal tone, a formal english, while a novel for middle schoolers could be  informal, and an easier aspect of english. I want to have that ability  in my writing  when it’s most appropriate.