GRCC Winter 2012

John A Butler

Composition

In 102, we view a variety of texts, and mediums, as well as explore and develop aspects of writing.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama will be our main focus.

We will develop individual writing strength, and help minimize mistakes big and small.

Be on time… explaining an assignment twicedelays the rest of the class.

Be prepared: paper & pen(cil).. Whatever it takes to participate in class.

Laptops welcome! Cellphones– NOT* (at least set to silent* ;) …

Be familiar with various kinds of literature.

Have a critical view & appreciation for the written word.

Develop your prose, speak your mind .

Help other people (& yourself) learn techniques to sustain writing practice.

Agenda at class start

We will have a list of goals each week, and a minimum of 250 word essays due every week after.

Buy/rent the book Between Worlds

Start Reading!!

Both class work and home work.

By class end, approximately 40-60 pages of text.

I will provide models of what I am looking for in your work, from start to finish.

ReadingListening & Talking

Pre-Writing &

Writing

A writer who writes straight is the architect of history.*

John Dos Passos

* and Editing is like reading the blueprints

Reading & Research

Prewriting: Word association bubbles (example) : Be amazed at where a single word can go & grow

Writing

Building form & content: information may be chronological, but is that the most effective way to aim narrative?

Review

Edit mistakes & Change shape (if necessary): do you need more info? Are your sentences, paragraphs, and words accurate?

Think of prose as music: a word is a note, a sentence a stanza, a thesis the chorus: the rhythm is established by each sentence.

“The Same But Different” : Just like a song, an essay (or any good writing), completes a circle of thought (and if written & edited well enough, emotion…)

I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes

part of me.

W Somerset Maugham

Visual people tend to need to see the written text– whereas audial learners tend to like to listen.

Usually audio-visual learning goes hand in hand: sometimes we favor one over the other, but using both in delivery of content helps this learner grasp most of what is said & seen.

Kinesthetic learners need movement, action, to help them learn. Is it hard to sit still in class for you?

Ernest Hemingway was certainly kinesthetic: when he wrote, it was standing, at a table that was high enough for him to do so; moving around enabled him to concentrate better.

Reading Writing

The best way to learn? Know Thyself…. Now the important thing is to be consistent in how you start your process.

The main two elements, as seen above, may seem

running in opposite directions…

Pre-reading

Pre-writing

Consistency is going to be achieved by routine: how you approach your work is going to influence how the work ends. Helter-skelter approaches get you helter-skelter process and conclusions….

Both pre-reading & pre-writing are excellent times for assessing what you know, and don’t know; taking good notes, and beginning/continuing good habits are critical for sustaining high levels of consistency….