ENG 1920: Keeping a Reading Journal: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (and other texts of your choosing).
In the introduction to her text, Lamott states:
"...When my writer friends are working, they feel better and more alive than they do at any other time. And sometimes when they are working well, they feel that they are living up to something. It is as if the right words, the true words, are already inside them, and they just want to get them out. Writing this way is a little like milking a cow: the milk is so rich and delicious, and the cow is glad you did it. I want the people who come to my classes to have this feeling, too."
For myself, writing has been a process of discovery, much like the one Lamott describes here. When I am creating and expressing, I feel whole, complete. When I'm not writing, creating, and expressing, I feel like an unmilked cow: bloated, frustrated, and ready to explode with the weight of the world on my shoulders.
As a writer and someone whos is creative, however, I have learned that the times of silence and lack of productivity, if you will, are crucial for my later productivity. They provide the concentration and insight necessary to allow the words to flow again.
So what does a writer do during those bloated, fruitless moments of silence?
We read. We think. We absorb, and we cultivate. Journaling is one way that we do this.
By journaling, you are cultivating a body of raw material that you can draw upon during those later periods of productivity. Your journal is a place to contemplate, to take the weight of the world off of your shoulders, and there's no need to be completely "serious" at all times.
Throughout the term, you are expected to respond to the ideas you find in your textbook by Lamott. Typically, you will be asked to do so once or twice per week.
As you read Lamott's text, I want you to consider several questions:
1) How are Lamott's ideas connected to what you are experiencing in this course?
2) How have her ideas taught you to be "bold," "original," and how have they taught you to allow yourself to make mistakes in your writing?
3) How have her ideas taught you to look closely at your own life?
When responding to these questions, be sure you refer to specific lines from the text.
When you consider the other texts you examine this term, explain how the ideas found in Lamott's work might connect to the text you have chosen.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The purpose of this assignment is to provide occasion in the context of the course for you to make connections between the material and ideas that we will read about, the presentations you will hear from other students in the class, and your own life. It is also meant to be a more open-ended, creative assignment to balance the more focused and constrained research projects that are a large part of the course.
Your journal entries should express a serious and honest attempt to come to terms for yourself with what you are learning. Entries should not simply be a summary of lecture content or of the content of a reading assignment. They should always be a personal reflection on or response to that content.
HOWEVER, THEY SHOULD ALSO DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY READ THE TEXT AND ARE FAMILIAR WITH ITS CONTENTS (See points 1-3 above).
SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR THE JOURNAL
You should aim for at least one entry per week. They should be typed, A MINIMUM OF ONE PAGE EACH (between 300 and 400 words) and placed as a daily posting on your electronic porfolio/blog.
These should be clearly labled on your blog as Post 1: <Article title and author>, Post 2: <Article title and author>, etc.
You should have a minimum of ten postings for the term and post them according to the schedule on the class website.
I will grade these each week.
You can earn up to 4 points for each one (and a total of 40 points for the term).
Entries will be graded on the quality of each of the three categories below. A score from 1-4 will be determined for each category. The average of these three numbers will then be the score for each journal entry.
JOURNAL RUBRIC
36-40 A
32-35 B
28-31 C
24-27 D
0-23 F
Sophistication of Personal Insight
4: Writing includes extensive, personal responses to the issues raised in the couse; demonstrates personal growth; reflection is thoughtful and convincing
3: Writing demonstrates that the student is beginning to develop new ways of reflecting on the world and the content; thoughtful but predictable
2 Writing includes some personal response to the issues/concepts raised in the course; reflection is a simple restatement of the content presented in class
1: Little or no personal response is made to the issues/concepts raised in the course; little or no evidence of reflection
Analysis and Content Connections
4: Writing incorporates information and ideas culled from a range of contexts; demonstrates social, political, historical, awareness; consistently demonstrates insight about the relevance of the content o themselves and their society; reviews and deepens understanding of previous course content in the context of each new unit, topic or concept addressed
3: Writing incorporates a limited range of ideas and information; may be convincing but lacking sophisticated exploration; generic understanding of the relevance of the content to themselves and their society; connects new and old content but doesn't deepen understanding of previous content in the context of new units, topics or concepts
2: Reflection alludes to what student has heard in class but is limited to superficial generalizations; limited understanding of the relevance of the content to themselves and their society; periodically connects new information with earlier content but is still unable to achieve more sophisticated understanding of either
1: Student makes little or no reference to what is heard in class or outside class; no understanding of the relevance of the content to themselves and their society or earlier content
Writing
4: The presentation of ideas is thoughtful, insightful, clear and focused; the topic is approached from an unusual perspective, uses unique experiences or views of the world as a basis for writing; makes interesting connections between ideas; it is implicit that this exploration matters; writer’s voice is marked by striking words and phrases that catch the reader’s eye and linger in the reader’s mind.
3: Attempts to develop all ideas; although some ideas may be developed more thoroughly and specifically than others; the overall development reflects some depth of thought, enabling the viewer to generally understand and appreciate the ideas; the tone may distract from the viewer's focus on the issue; voice is consistent and strong but not memorable; predictable word choice
2: Limited by superficial generalizations; unclear or simplistic; may be simply an account of a single incident instead of articulating a purpose; therefore the viewer cannot sustain interest in the ideas; voice may emerge strongly on occasion, then retreat behind general, vague, generic word choice, tentative, or abstract language.
1: Writing is confusing, hard to follow; disorganized; no variety in sentence structure; develops no connections among ideas; statements are convoluted and viewer is left questioning the writing and not the ideas presented in the writing; language is vague; little or no sense of voice
