In Class Reader's Notes (ICRNs) ENGL489 Advanced Portfolio Workshop
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LEE TORDA 310 Tillinghast Hall Bridgewater State University 508.531.2436 ltorda@bridgew.edu www.leetorda.com |
Spring 2016 Office Hours: W 2:00-3:00 R 1:00-2:00 Fridays 11:00 to 12:00 (noon) and by appointment Need to make an appointment? Click here: https://goo.gl/3CqLfo |
In-Class Reader's Notes (ICRNs)
Overview. Lots of writers say some version of the following, but Stephen King, a very successful writer by any measure, even if, like me, you’re not all that into what he writes, says it well: “If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.” All writer’s read. Don’t kid yourself otherwise. A lot of student writers that I work with say things to me like "I love to write poetry, but I hate to read it." What? What is that? How does that work? It's like the people on Project Runway who say things like, "Mark Jacobs? Who?" right as they parade some design Christian Dior showed on the runway two years ago. Know your stuff and say you know your stuff. One thing we will do in this class is read a lot of different genres and read a lot about these different genres. Reading as a writer is different than just reading. You are, essentially, writing to learn how to do your job—whatever your job is going to be.
Real writers are huge readers. They know their competition. So this semester I'm going to ask you to read around in different genres. I'm going to ask, though, that you not read as a reader, but to read like a writer. Look at their craft. Look at how they are developing characters. Look at how they are creating tension. Look at how they are laying out the information. Look at how the illustration makes the narrative move. This should not be too foreign to you--because you are English majors. But it's a little different because you aren't just analyzing for the sake of analyzing. You are looking at these writers as people that you could learn from--and learn what you don't want to do from just as well.
Details. For each major reading we do, please come to class ready to write your In-Class Reader's Notes. Different readings will inspire different questions for you to respond to. You should expect to write for about five to seven minutes. You should also expect to share what you write with your classmates and with me. If it helps you as you read to think about the kind of information I want to know from you, the generic question will always be: what is this author trying to do, how successful is he/she at doing it, and what do you learn about the overall genre from reading this lone example?
Overview. Lots of writers say some version of the following, but Stephen King, a very successful writer by any measure, even if, like me, you’re not all that into what he writes, says it well: “If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.” All writer’s read. Don’t kid yourself otherwise. A lot of student writers that I work with say things to me like "I love to write poetry, but I hate to read it." What? What is that? How does that work? It's like the people on Project Runway who say things like, "Mark Jacobs? Who?" right as they parade some design Christian Dior showed on the runway two years ago. Know your stuff and say you know your stuff. One thing we will do in this class is read a lot of different genres and read a lot about these different genres. Reading as a writer is different than just reading. You are, essentially, writing to learn how to do your job—whatever your job is going to be.
Real writers are huge readers. They know their competition. So this semester I'm going to ask you to read around in different genres. I'm going to ask, though, that you not read as a reader, but to read like a writer. Look at their craft. Look at how they are developing characters. Look at how they are creating tension. Look at how they are laying out the information. Look at how the illustration makes the narrative move. This should not be too foreign to you--because you are English majors. But it's a little different because you aren't just analyzing for the sake of analyzing. You are looking at these writers as people that you could learn from--and learn what you don't want to do from just as well.
Details. For each major reading we do, please come to class ready to write your In-Class Reader's Notes. Different readings will inspire different questions for you to respond to. You should expect to write for about five to seven minutes. You should also expect to share what you write with your classmates and with me. If it helps you as you read to think about the kind of information I want to know from you, the generic question will always be: what is this author trying to do, how successful is he/she at doing it, and what do you learn about the overall genre from reading this lone example?
