About writing

You are not writing for your professor (me). You are writing for yourself, to clarify your own ideas.

Here is the process:

1. Take notes while you read.
2. Read the assignment. Your mind will go to the topic to discuss. You will formulate a thought, almost instinctively.
3. Hold on to that thought/idea.  Think about it for 5 minutes. The more you think about it, the more complex and interesting your ARGUMENTS to support that idea become.
4. This is when your initial reactions (emotional response) become thoughts you can express.
5. Start writing down those thoughts.
6. Review for SPELLING, GRAMMAR, SENTENCE STRUCTURE.

The reason why I ask that you write starting from yourself has to do with the nature of the texts we examine. My personal and professional tenet (more than an opinion) is that "critical thinking" can only be applied to a body of knowledge. It takes time to acquire enough knowledge about any topic to start exercising "critical thinking." The body of knowledge that every one possesses is about him.herself. Thus, when you are facing any text, the only thing you can be sure of is your reaction to the text. You don't necessarily know what the text "means" or what message it wants to convey. Yet, you always know your emotional response to it. And this is where you can and should begin.


Yes, I know. In academia you are told you should avoid references to your "self." But it is a delusion and a deception. We always write about ourselves. Some of us are good at hiding it and putting on the mask of the expert or the critic., however, in reality we are describing our personal mental processes. Always. The order of items you analyze, the amount of space or attention you give to one aspect versus another, the tone and the voice are all conscious choices we make to reveal our "self."

I am suggesting that you make this process transparent. That does not mean that you have to "describe" your emotional reactions and how these are converted into thoughts and finally into expression. You don't need to use "I." You can use very aseptic, impersonal, clinical language. If you are a good writer you can pretend you are far removed from what you write. But, if you find it hard to write, if you "don't know what you say," then start from your emotional responses to the text and follow them as they evolve and mutate into thoughts.

And keep in mind that (drum roll, please) all good writing is about the meaning of life.

Feel free to comment but it's not required.