Thlog #3

            I’m still stuck using the rules and outlines high school gave me. I have to calibrate my brain and remind myself that there are times when those rules could be broken. Seeing how the student who wrote the paper on Modest Mouse had a different introduction helped me out a little. Although his paper might not be the best example, there’s hope that a different introduction is possible. I understand though that different doesn’t always mean good, and just because I can do it, does not mean I should. If I were to take the road less traveled by, my introduction would have to be really great, because this is one of those situations where it could either be really good, or really bad.

            Another moment of enlightenment I received this week was from the arguability test. I mean I already know what the arguability test means since it’s pretty self-explanatory. How to conduct that test was the mystery. To test the argument, just add a “not” or “don’t” somewhere in the thesis to make it prove the opposite of its initial argument. If this is possible then the thesis is arguable. It’s simple and functional, one of my favorite combinations of adjectives. Personally, it’s hard for me to come up with a concise thesis, so I have trouble figuring out if my thesis is arguable or what I’m even trying to argue. This simple solution would surely go a long way.

            The reading “Responding—Really Responding—to other Students’ Writing” by Richard Straub taught me a valuable lesson that will go beyond my Writing 2 class. I learned that constructive criticism is easier to give by balancing it with compliments. It’s nice to get compliments every now and then especially with your writing. Writing is something many people struggle with and to know that someone appreciates their hard work verifies the effort put into it.