Of The Maker's Eye: Reviewing Your Own Manuscripts, By Donald Murray
Donald Murray's "The Maker's Eye: Reviewing Your Own Manuscripts, an excerpt from Writer (1973), and William Zinsser's "Simplicity", an excerpt from On Writing Well (1976), both argue that excessive verbiage and cluttered language do more harm than good. While Murray states this in passing to illustrate the importance of revision, Zinsser chooses to make his essay focus entirely on the matter. Murray uses a plethora of other author's opinions to reinforce his point, trading concision for additional evidence. Contrarily, Zinsser only uses four quotes, two to show excessive verbiage, one to show a simple and effective statement, and another to show that he is not alone in his belief. Where Murray draws out his essay to make it clear why simple …show more content…
Murray sets aside a paragraph for each component that writers look for in their drafts, "information", "meaning", "audience", "form", "structure", "development", "dimension", and "voice" (228-229). Each paragraph is brief, only covering the basics of the subject, but serve the greater purpose of being unnecessary. Murray deliberately makes this portion inconsequential in order to illustrate the importance of editing. Immediately afterward, Murray's words become interesting and involved, telling you only what you need to know. As Murray puts it, "Each sentence, each line, each clause, each phrase, each word, each mark of punctuation, each section of white space between the type has to contribute to the clarification of meaning." …show more content…
His idea is simple and easy to understand, ". . . the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its clearest components." (234). This idea is exemplified throughout his essay, he keeps every sentence as clean as possible, ensuring the reader can understand his intent. Zinsser asks two important questions when writing, ". . . what am I trying to say?" (235) and ". . . have I said it?" (235). Both of these questions ensure clear arguments and concise writing. In contrast to Zinsser's punctual and effective essay, Murray's long and dolorous work emphasizes drab and uninteresting writing. That said, both seek to prove the same thing: brevity is most effective. When Murray gives the reader a plethora of unneeded detail it feels droning and dull but, when he shifts to writing with punctuality, the essay captivates the reader. Similarly, Zinsser aims to make the same case through different means. With Zinsser's approach, clarity is placed above all else, any unnecessary information or unneeded word is replaced or excised from the
Analysis Of Anne Lamott's Shitty First Drafts
279 Words | 2 PagesIn Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts," the author writes that in order to write something of good quality one must write a first draft that will never be a work of perfection. Lamott further states that there is no instance of a mainstream or notable writer that sits down and writes a piece of perfected, written work on the first attempt. Lamott also explains the writing process of emotional doubt, draft sequencing, and the effort that is put into a quality piece of written work. Lamott emphasizes the fact that in order to find overlooked or obscured details a writer must muddle through countless body paragraphs, often irrelevant information or thoughts about a particular idea, to find the “real” direction of a written work.
They Say I Say: An Analysis
504 Words | 3 Pages“They’ll turn us into writing robots”, a student contends against the use templates influencing the structure of their essays. (10) In the book “They Say/ I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein insist that the use of their relevant templates provide tools that will enhance the readers writing skills. These templates provide an exemplary format that one can use when writing an essay. Graff and Birkenstein suggests that, “Instead of focusing solely on abstract principles of writing, then, this book offers model templates that help you put those principles directly into practice.”
Anne Lamott's Writing Process In Shitty First Drafts
311 Words | 2 PagesAnne Lamott’s writing process in “Shitty First Drafts” is messy. She initially writes down everything that she is thinking, and then she goes back and refines what she wrote. Lamott has writer's block because she panics about how good her writing is going to be. She resolves this by taking a break, sitting back down, and word vomiting onto her paper. Lamott later goes back to her draft, elaborates on good ideas in her writing, and then crosses out everything else.
Shitty First Drafts By Anne Lamott
165 Words | 1 PagesIn “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott expresses the need for “really, really shitty first drafts” (3). Lamott furthers her thesis by using a past writing experience as a food critic and her wanting for a pristine first draft (5) and how she eventually goes back to “writing without reining [her]self in” (6). This helps us see that all writers, even the “People’s Author,” needs to write crappily before getting a New York Times Bestseller, which they give out to everyone. However, if your draft is “healthy” (Lamott 10); the possibility of something missing, a thesis for example, you’re screwing yourself over. As more and more people have focused on that one sentence that makes or breaks the paper, the basic idea of writing is lost: the thought,
A Rhetorical Analysis Of Simplicity By William Zinsser
323 Words | 2 PagesThe author of "Simplicity," William Zinsser has discovered that writing frequently deals with clutter. He makes it obvious in his essay that writing "fuzz" and clutter can annoy and weary a reader. Zinsser emphasizes that clutter in writing not only frustrates readers but also obscures the intended message. He argues that simplicity is key to effective communication, as it allows ideas to shine through and resonate with the audience. Zinsser provides examples of how "clutter" or “fuzz” is harmful to both the writer and his audience, as well as a resource for messy writing.
Bonehead Writing Analysis
755 Words | 4 PagesAs I was reading Melissa Duffy’s “Inspiration, and Craig Vetter’s “Bonehead Writing,” I found myself connecting with Vetter’s paper more than Duffy’s. I found that the presentation in “Bonehead Writing” to capture my attention, and that Vetter’s feelings about writing was similar to my opinion on writing. Through his wording and humor, I think Craig Vetter wrote the best essay. I find that the wording and presentation of an article or essay influences my opinion of the writer, and it affects how I receive the idea they are trying to present to me. Craig Vetter uses a blunt approach to convey his idea that writing is nearly impossible to teach, and describes writing as “A blood sport, a walk in the garden of agony every time out.”
Rhetorical Analysis Of What Writing Is
513 Words | 3 Pages1. In “What Writing Is”, King creates a genuine personal connection to the reader by incorporating various details about his life, thus establishing a less formal tone. By discussing his need to go out Christmas shopping, his son's surprise visit form college, and his preferred blue chair for reading, King becomes more relatable to the reader, who likely has had similar experiences in their life and therefore understands King's concerns. This causes the relationship between renowned author and common reader to transform into a simple conversation between two individuals and allows King to help the reader better understand the point of the essay. 2.
Analysis Of Thomas Cooley's The Norton Sampler: Short Review
938 Words | 4 PagesIn Chapter One of Thomas Cooley’s The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition, the audience was exposed to several strategies recommended for reading pieces of literature. These strategies were divided into three segments: Previewing the Text, Reading Closely and Critically, and Responding to What You Read. Each segment contained a list of either advice or questions the reader could heed to while analyzing their given text. Later, the chapter exposed the audience to the four traditional types of writing utilized.
Gerald Graff And Cathy Birkenstein's 'They Say I Say'
147 Words | 1 PagesIn They Say/ I say, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein informs the audience of the basic moves in academic writing through text, illustrations, and templates. Their main model in this book is they say/I say template, in which it helps writers to develop their arguments by paying attention to what others are saying, and engaging with a response. The authors goal is to demystify academic writing, and return it to its social and conversational roots. The authors want the writers to engage in the ideas of others. These concepts from this book, will help make a stronger, supportive argument.
Sherman Alexe's Superman And Me
626 Words | 3 PagesWhen Alexie realized what the purpose of a paragraph was, he felt delighted and experienced happiness. “I didn’t have the vocabulary to say “paragraph,” but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words… This knowledge delighted me” (Alexie 583). With learning the definition of the word “paragraph”, the author’s curiosity of reading increased. The author also began to see his family as paragraphs (Alexie 583).
Dulce Et Decorum Est By Tim O Brien
537 Words | 3 PagesNow the last type of writing is a continuous run on sentence. Kevin Powers the writer of “The Yellow Birds” used one long sentence to express himself and get everything off of
Some Of The Main Qualities Of William Zinsser
1306 Words | 6 PagesThe same idea of situational greatness can be applied to writing. No single quality is the be all end all for great writing, but there are common themes across great essays. Some characteristics of the best essays are exceptional structure, artistic imagery, and writing that elicits empathy. Two essays that had exceptional structure were William Zinsser’s essay
Summary Of 'The Maker's Eye'
126 Words | 1 PagesAccording to The Maker 's Eye by Donald M. Murray, there are seven elements of the writing process that we must surpass to consider ourselves an acceptable writer. Murray states, that when a competent writer review/revises his or her writing, they are typically searching for seven key elements: Subject, Audience, Form, Structure, Development, Dimensions, and Tone. (131-132). We can conclude from this that it is vital for us as writers to take into consideration all seven elements; as they are all essential for the health and satisfaction of the manuscript. For example, if we do not give attention to the audience aspect when writing are manuscript, we are not allowing our readers to take heed to our material because we fail to connect to a target
Comparing My Peers 'And Interviewees' Thoughts On Good Writing
680 Words | 3 PagesAccording to McKay, if one was writing for a specific purpose, then the audience should determine if it is good or not because the main goal is to “appease the audience.” But, he added, “if [the writer is] writing for the sake of writing, the writer tends to determine [its] quality.” DeCiero spoke of writing as “an art form”, and emphasized its quality as a tool of expression important to the writer. However, she also saw how good writing could be decided by how the audience “receive[s] the author’s purpose and if [the writing] changes the way [the reader] looks at something.” At first, I believed the final product had to satisfy the writer’s goals to be classified as good writing, but now I realize a good writing process can help with self-discovery and expressing oneself without needing to achieve the intended result or even having a goal.
Paul Roberts How To Say Nothing In 500 Words Analysis
527 Words | 3 Pages“How to Say Nothing in 500 Words” Paul Roberts essay, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words,” describes my papers to a T. I always ramble on with filler content that dulls my papers, makes you want to fall asleep, and frankly I was quite content with this. I always had a passing grade in English, so why bother changing your style. Roberts has shown me more ways to make my papers better in 14 pages, than I had learned in all of my high school classes. Roberts also refers to calling a fool a fool, I find this to be very good advice. This is often easy for me to do when talking to someone in person.
More about Of The Maker's Eye: Reviewing Your Own Manuscripts, By Donald Murray
Analysis Of Anne Lamott's Shitty First Drafts
279 Words | 2 PagesThey Say I Say: An Analysis
504 Words | 3 PagesAnne Lamott's Writing Process In Shitty First Drafts
311 Words | 2 PagesShitty First Drafts By Anne Lamott
165 Words | 1 PagesA Rhetorical Analysis Of Simplicity By William Zinsser
323 Words | 2 PagesBonehead Writing Analysis
755 Words | 4 PagesRhetorical Analysis Of What Writing Is
513 Words | 3 PagesAnalysis Of Thomas Cooley's The Norton Sampler: Short Review
938 Words | 4 PagesGerald Graff And Cathy Birkenstein's 'They Say I Say'
147 Words | 1 PagesSherman Alexe's Superman And Me
626 Words | 3 PagesDulce Et Decorum Est By Tim O Brien
537 Words | 3 PagesSome Of The Main Qualities Of William Zinsser
1306 Words | 6 PagesSummary Of 'The Maker's Eye'
126 Words | 1 PagesComparing My Peers 'And Interviewees' Thoughts On Good Writing
680 Words | 3 PagesPaul Roberts How To Say Nothing In 500 Words Analysis
527 Words | 3 Pages