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The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer

Response

After reading The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer, I feel that Sarah Allen wrote this article as

more of a motivational tool, rather than an informational one. She gave little tips along the way for

example dont have your best friend or your mom read your paper, but her main goal was to show that

most people even professional writers are real writers. Mrs. Allen describes real writers as people who

have dealt with failure and have received their final drafts back with red ink all over. This is opposed to

inspired writers; where writing comes easy to them, and they didnt have to go through the many

processes of revision (36). I found her article to be a reminder, for when I am having trouble with a paper

or come across writers block, that Im not alone. My experiences are very similar to the scenario of the

real writer because writing has never come easy to me, but I often find myself working so very hard to

do the best I can.

All Writing is Autobiography

Summary

Murray talks about how we put ourselves into our writing and through that our writing

becomes us and we become our writing. All of our writing is personal because we wrote it.

GRR

When I was younger I was always taught to never use I in any paper unless it was a

personal opinion paper. I was told to act as if what I was saying was fact by taking my opinions

out of the paper and removing I.

QD

1. Murray is asking us to rethink our opinions of writing with the fact that all of our work isautobiography. We put ourselves into everything we write, how we write, and the ideas we

put into our work. Murray believes that not everything is factual

3. Murray explains his idea of how our work is always autobiographical through examples ofhis own work. He writes his article almost as if it were a story about himself, but still writes

it in a way that most people can relate to it. Murrays whole article describes how we put

ourselves into our writing so it makes sense that he wrote his article as if it was personal and

why he strayed away from the rules of a scholarly article.

4. Murrays article could be considered scholarly due to its inquisitive nature, in trying todebate a popular belief.

5. I agree with what Murray is saying and it will definitely change how I am going to write inthe future, it is going to allow for a new dynamic when I write. Allowing another view into

a paper, my own. His ideas allow for growth of ideas and being able to add my own say and

twist to a discourse community. Murrays ideas also show that our writing creates us, and

we are the invention of our own words. (61)

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MM

His ideas allow me to be more vocal with my papers and express ideas that will be my own and

will take away finding another article to cite for having the same opinions as me. It will help me

to be more excited about writing, where its not just me repeating what other people have said to

make a point.

Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool

GRR

-Wood scraps and cardboard, made up my sisters treehouse, it was a great place to play with her

friends.

-My sisters treehouse, made of wood scraps and cardboard, and it was a great place for her to

play with her friends.

-My sisters treehouse, a great place for her to play with her friends, was made of wood scraps

and cardboard.

Summary

Dawkins tries to show how grammar is rhetorical, and how you can influence the readers

experience of reading your work by your punctuation. Grammar involves choices.

QD

2. Dawkins is referring to the fact that the manuals dont provide and instruction for evensimple things such as the first example on page 141, in which it describes where the comma

should go in basic sentences.

3. The principal behind raising and lowing, is to gain separation (emphasis) by using anappropriate higher mark, a merk not limited to the next one up; and writers gain

connectedness (under-emphasis) by using an appropriate lower mark, a mark not limited to

the next one down. (143).

5 The idea behind emphasis wasnt necessarily new but it is one that I commonly forget, and itwas good to read this article to be reminded. I didnt know about the hierarchy of

punctuation (148). This concept was a little confusing to me.

6 A lot of the time I dont thinkabout punctuation and its something that I will have someoneelse check after I finishing writing a paper. I dont know if I can say I will change the way Ido things because I dont fully understand how to use punctuation yet, but once I understand

Dawkins article better I will try to incorporate his ideas into my writing.

MM

Examples are always stronger than explanation. It allows you to relate to the problem of

punctuation and with sixty-nine examples in his article, its likely that you have made the at least

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one of the same mistakes before. I learned the importance of punctuation and how in-depth the

idea of it goes, its more than just adding commas when you want the reader to pause.