How+to+Read+Like+a+Writer+Forum

Our set of slides:
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Colour:
Isabella Melano Valentina Sorti Rosana Soares Clara Matheus
 * Bárbara Stéfany **

Questions:
1. In the article //How to read like a writer//, Mike Bunn considers reading and writing interconnected processes. He says that reading like a writer can be compared to the way an architect looks at a building, not only seeing the final product, but also the whole construction process that lies beyond it. What other metaphors can you think of to describe the technique of reading like a writer? Another metaphor that I could think about, and it is quite simillar to looking to a building is looking at a painting, such as Monet's painting. If you look at it closely you can only see only small points, or riscks, but if you look at the whole picture you can see an amazing painting. When you read like a writer you are familiar with the strategies used in order to built the entire text, you know the process and you are able to analize the result. Another example that I could think of was related to my internship, I work in a television therefore I know the entire process to produce a news report as we all see in television. Knowing all that I am able to criticaly analize the final product, to see the flaws and avoid them when I do the same thing.

It was interesting to read Isabella's answer because, while reading the question, I thought of a work of a cook. A good and observer cook is not only able to appreciate the others' meal but also to analise the possible steps done by the other cook. Observing the strategies used by the co-worker to achieve a nice flavour, the cook can improve his/her own abilities to do better dishes. So he/she pays attention not only in the result but also in the process of preparing the dish (the choices of flavouring, time to cook, ingredients and related things).

2. When you read like a writer, you identify the author choices in terms of writing in order to assess and possibly acquire them. If the choices are not good enough, you may think of ways of bettering them. Bunn affirms that all writing can be improved. Do you agree with him? Why (not)? I do agree with Bunn and I think that all the writing can be improved. That beacause writing is a personal competence and, for this reason, what I consider the best writing choice to explain an idea, can be not consider in the same way by another person that is reading my text. Hence, from a subjective point of view, every text can be improved.

I totally agree with Bunn, as soon as language is an alive thing, everything that depends of language is alive too. So, as an alive thing, texts always can be improved, and will never be completely "done".

3. Before you read the article //How to read like a writer// how did you use to read your texts? After that, how do you intend to do your readings? How reading like a writer can improve your own writing? ** Actually, even before reading the text, taking notes, writting summaries, asking myself some questions was already something that all students do, but now I believe that we I will do this steps with more attention and maybe with more interest. Reading like a writer can improve your own writing because in my case I will start to think like a writer, so I will think about what my audience want to read or not, how he/she will understand with my text. Simple things that will make me more careful with what I write. ** **I used to read a text as simple reader, sometimes I asked myself about the real intentions of the author and at the end of the text about what I could take from it, making summaries and highlighting the most important parts. Now, I intend to read a text trying to go deeper in it, not just looking for the author's intentions but also to the structures of the text. I really think that reading like a writer I will settle many strategies used by authors to transmit my message efficiently using a good structure to substantiate my writings.**

4.In his article, Mike Bunn establishes several steps to do before and while reading. How do you usually read texts? Do you have any steps that make your job easier? Do you think the steps he suggests are effective? When I have to read a text, I start with a quick reading to understand the mains ideas. After that, I read again the text, underlining the most important parts and making some notes to summarize each period. I think that this last step of making notes is the most helpful because gives you the chence to summerize and organize your ideas in the same time. For sure the steps suggested are effective, however some of them are more effective than others. For example: highlight the important parts, making notes, analize the style and the contextual informations.

5.A good reason for reading like a writer is that students build knowledge about the process of writing through the study of others' experiences and they can also improve their own writing. Have you ever learned something based on the situation mentioned above that helped you to improve your writing? Describe it.

I usually learn more about the process of writing while analising someone's writing than doing mine. It doesn't matter if I write one or ten texts, or even if I pay too much attention that it is almost impossible to make any mistake, I will do lots of them. It is different for me to read someone's production with the purpose of analising it (structure, purpose to write, used strategies). I could notice this difference in my new job, which I have the function to correct some writings. Despite working with the Portuguese language, I realised how I became better on my writing skills (understanding the background texts, the textual genre, coherence and cohesion strategies etc). Now I am able to do texts more counsciously, reflecting and practicing these strategies to write (specially in my mother language). 6. The author suggested some hints to Read Like a Writer, such as highlighting the important parts, making comments, taking notes, writing summaries, asking yourself the follow-up questions and asking yourself for possible improvements. Among all of them, which one do you think is really effective and why? Is there any of them you think that may not work at all? If yes, why would you think so? I think that all the most effective hints are: highlighting the important parts, making comments, taking notes and find possible improvements. However, I personally do not ask myself the follow-up questions and I think that this step is not as necessary as the other hints. Even though it can be useful, I think that the others hints are more effective and helpful in organizing the text.

I couldn't agree more with Valentina. I also don't follow those steps while reading consciously a text. It depends, actually, on my purpose to read it, but it is not a common habit to me. Of course, as Valentina said, they are nice and helpful hints to follow.

I think that the most effective hint is "highlighting the important parts", because if we do this, in the future, find an information in a text become easier. And when we finish one reading, if we look at the important parts that we highlighted we can know for sure what is the most important things in that text, and so what the text is really about.

**In my opinion all the hints suggested by the author are effective and I really use some of them when I am reading something or even making my own productions. For me the most effective is highlight the important parts, take notes and write summaries. I really like to use this hints because I can see a final product, what I could really learn with a text. It also helps me to study once I can remember the main points of a text.**