Week 11, "Language Diversity, Style, and Error"
"Do I like learning random or esoteric style conventions? I'm unsure. I think so? I'm intrigued with writing. I think it's magical. I think it's the most adaptable and flexible language form we have, despite being restricted (or trying to be restricted) by some rules. Writing is personal. I think my answer to the above question is that I'm keen to learning new conventions when they don't make my own writing feel lesser. Constructive criticism is one thing, but to have a new set of rules or a new convention dictate what's allowed and not allowed in my own work is something that I'm not ok with. Some of my favorite parts of writing are voice and tone/diction (I'm lumping them together for now). Voice is crucial to argument. I see many of my students in ENGL101 struggling to establish and insert their own voice next to academic sources. It's a difficult thing to do when you're just starting out as a writer. It takes confidence. Sometimes you just need to dive in. I would rather see them have too much voice than not enough. Hopefully it will come as they continue to write (and let me read and comment on their drafts). There was a handy WritingCommons article about voice, which I ate up. There was also one about inserting your own voice at the end of a paragraph-- I have never seen an article so relevant to my life as a TA. I just finished marking up a few drafts and left the same comments on each: insert your own voice at the end, don't end on a quote without explanation, etc. I'm just going to direct them here, to this article.
As for tone and diction, I'm always fascinated with the numerous ways I can express the same basic idea with varying degrees of intent. Words carry so much weight. It's important to learn to choose words that suit your own argument, opinions, and audience. I'm still working on this in my own writing, but I see it extensively in our ENGL101 drafts and papers. Tone is tricky to master. Sometimes, I think they're leaning one way with an argument, and then one word in the next sentence throws me off and forces me to re-read for their intent. Hopefully, by practicing and talking about tone/diction in class, my students will be able to select words that best suit their writing without sacrificing their voice.
It's all about balance, expression, and personal flare. That's the writing I live for."
As for tone and diction, I'm always fascinated with the numerous ways I can express the same basic idea with varying degrees of intent. Words carry so much weight. It's important to learn to choose words that suit your own argument, opinions, and audience. I'm still working on this in my own writing, but I see it extensively in our ENGL101 drafts and papers. Tone is tricky to master. Sometimes, I think they're leaning one way with an argument, and then one word in the next sentence throws me off and forces me to re-read for their intent. Hopefully, by practicing and talking about tone/diction in class, my students will be able to select words that best suit their writing without sacrificing their voice.
It's all about balance, expression, and personal flare. That's the writing I live for."