Click here to read: A nne Lamott:
excerpts from Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life:
Short Assignments and Shitty First Drafts
Anne Lamott is famous in writing
circles for her sarcastic wit and her very popular books on the writing
process, on motherhood, religion and other topics. In Bird by
Bird, she writes about her experiences as a writer and a teacher
and offers some insights on managing a writing practice. The two
short excerpts provided here are, in Lamott's own words, "the two
single most helpful things I can tell you about writing".
Note: Your seminar grade will
be determined by the quantity of your responses (how many questions you
answer and how many other students you respond to) and the quality (how
well you demonstrate an understanding of the ideas you're responding to,
how detailed your responses are, how coherent and in-depth they are, etc.)
Directions:
1. Read the excerpts above. This is a long reading, so you might want to print it out!
2. Answer the following questions with at least one paragraph
each.
3.
Submit your response to the link "Seminar 2 - Lamott, "Bird by Bird" (written) by Wednesday, June 12.
| 1. Why does Lamott say that these are the two
single most helpful things she can tell you about writing? Why
do you think she considers them so helpful? |
| 2. Pick a sentence or passage from each section that applies to you, or
that you disagree with or took issue with, or that you found interesting in some way.
Quote the sentence or passage and explain your choice. Why did this sentence or passage catch your eye? |
| 3. What is your reaction to this reading assignment?
How would you describe her style of writing? Did you appreciate her style? Why or why not? Do you agree that this is helpful advice? Do you think you'll
use her advice in future writing projects? Why or why not? |
3. Post your response to at least one of these questions to the Forums chamber
of the website (you choose which one/s you want to post).
4. Read all the other students' posts.
5. Respond to at least two other students' post (more
is better). You will have until midnight, Monday, June 17
to
read and respond to the other students' ideas. |