FIRST JOURNAL
Instructions
Instructions: Read the questions below and answer in short paragraphs. Go into as much detail as you like (min. 200 words total) and don't worry about grammar. The questions refer to Week 2 reading: WWAP p. 2-21 and "Brandon's Clown," p. 24-24.
1. The book chapter calls writing a "solitary and social act." What does that mean to you, and what does that have to do with your writing environment?
2. There are guidelines for choosing subject, audience, and purpose in this chapter. How useful are these guidelines for brainstorming for the first essay?
3. In "Brandon's Clown," how does the artist's process mimic the writing process?
4. In "Brandon's Clown," are there any interesting or useful vocabulary words or sentence structures you like that you might try out in your own essay? What do you like about them?
SECOND JOURNAL
read/skim Ch. 2, "Planning," in WWAP, pp. 28-37 and answer the following questions.
1. How important is it for you to take a "cool down" when writing?
2. What writing strategy is most useful to you: keeping a personal journal, freewriting, or listing? Why?
3. What does the book mean by "speculating" on an idea?
THIRD JOURNAL
Read the essays "Comforting Thoughts," pp. 73-75, and "New Products," pp. 96-97 in WWAP and answer the following questions:
1. In "Comforting Thoughts," does Calvin Trillin agree with the studies he read? How do you know?
2. In "New Products," how does Andy Rooney use examples from his own life to prove his point?
3. What can you learn from these essays that will help you to write your own response essay?
FOURTH JOURNAL
For this journal, skim Ch. 8, "Paragraphs: Units of Development" and student essay "Who Controls Information? (Our Side)" by Jon Seidal on pages 182-184. Answer the following questions in your own words.
1. What does "coherence" mean, according to the chapter? How can Jon Seidal improve his coherence in his essay?
2. What is the purpose of a topic sentence? Can you identify an example of a topic sentence from Jon's essay?
3. What new information about paragraphs have you learned from Ch. 8 that can help you on Essay 3 and other essays?
FIFTH JOURNAL
Instructions: For the final Journal assignment, skim/read WWAP Ch. 9, "Sentences: Patterns of Expression" and answer the following questions:
1. Why is it helpful for your reader to expand simple sentences using modifiers?
2. What does "parallel structure" mean for a sentence? Can you provide an example of a parallel structure?
3. What are some ways to cut out unnecessary wordiness from your sentences?