Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill [78]
Some sentences in the reading repeat as refrains; others segue or answer the previously articulated line.
Pointing stirs our memories about the particular language of a piece. In reading aloud and hearing others do it, you hear key words and discover questions you’d not seen before; and the range of possible starting points for getting at what is central in the reading inevitably multiplies. Pointing is an antidote for the limiting assumption that a reading has only one main idea. It also remedies the tendency of group discussion to veer into general impressions and loose associations.
Passage-Based Focused Freewriting (PBFF)
Passage-based focused freewriting is probably the single best way to arrive at ideas about what you are reading. It is discussed at length in Chapter 4. Here is a quick reprise of the procedure.
PASSAGE-BASED FOCUSED FREEWRITING: WHAT IT DOES
Find an interesting passage
Sketch its context
Target and paraphrase key words and phrases
Explore why the passage is interesting
Draw out implications
Ask how the passage is representative of the larger reading
WHAT IT DOES NOT DO
Voice reactions and criticisms
Free-associate with other subjects
We cannot overstate how important we think it is to do this activity frequently. The practice will enhance your fluency and help you to trust writing as a tool of thought. It is the best place to practice the heuristics in this book. (Also see the short take, Freewriting: How and Why to Do It, in Chapter 1.)
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is an essential skill in reading closely. It is discussed at length in Chapter 2. Here is a quick reprise of the procedure.
PARAPHRASE FOR IMPLICATION
Locate a short key passage
Assume you don’t understand it completely
Substitute other concrete language for all of the key words
Repeat the paraphrasing several times
Ponder the differences in implication among the versions
Return to the original passage and interpret its meanings
Successive restatement allows you to arrive at your own sense of the significance of the sentence. An essential last step in paraphrasing is to return to the original statement and take stock: “This is what I now understand the passage to mean, having done the paraphrase.”
Keep a Commonplace Book
Professional writers have long kept commonplace books—essentially, records of their reading. Most such books consist primarily of quotations the writers have found striking and memorable. The goal of keeping a commonplace book in a course is to bring you closer to the language you find most interesting, which you inscribe in your memory as you copy it onto the page. It’s remarkable what you will notice about a sentence (and the ideas in it) if you copy it out rather than just underline or highlight it. Moreover, you will find yourself remembering the original language that has struck you most forcefully in the reading. That way you can continue to ponder key words and phrases and to stay engaged, almost physically, with what the writers have said.
When we assign commonplace books in our courses, we stipulate that everyone copy at least two quotations (with citation) from each reading. (These often anchor pointing and passage-based focused freewriting—see the Try This on the next page.) By the end of the semester, every student will have produced a compressed history of his or her reading to supplement class notes and others’ commentaries. Note: segregate your commonplace book, whether on paper or online, into a separate notebook or file. This makes the book sequential and browseable.
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Try This 5.1: Writing & Reading with Others: A Sequence of Activities
We use this sequence of writing-about-reading activities regularly in our classes. It also works in small, self-directed groups, both in and outside the classroom.
Spend 5–10 minutes pointing on some piece of reading. Remember: no one should comment on his or her choice of sentences during the pointing exercise.
Without pausing for discussion, spend