Concept 1.3

Concept 1.3
The Rules for Good Writing
In the introduction to this section the authors put to rest the old adage that writing has to follow set precise rules in order to be "good", and more importantly, in order to get a good grade. They then go on to express different methods that should take the place of rules, explaining how writing is much more complex and fluid than to be aimed and fit inside certain rules. The rest of the chapter goes on to explain the difference between closed and open form prose. From what I learned from this is that closed is much more structured in how it approaches a topic, using unified paragraphs, topic sentences, focused transitions and an overall connection throughout the paper that is often referenced, while Open form is the near opposite of that, whilst still retaining order and structure it is focused more on exploration and the growth of thought rather than reaching a conclusion or trying to express something. With the help of a chart, the Continuum is explained, and that is basically a standing of which genres and kind of writing should be written in closed or open form prose, and how to identify which to use and how to use it for your particular paper. In closing they go over how the guidelines of writing shift based on the rhetorical setting.

Chapter 2 Concept 2.1

Concept 2.1
Talks of "wallowing in complexity" and how the questions you'd ask a teacher or adviser, questions with a set answer and the goal to eliminate misunderstandings are way different than the questions you'd ask while writing, which lead to debate and complexity.
Goes into detail how the very act of writing can help one wallow in complexity and explore topics and questions and produce ideas. They then explain Freewriting, Focused Freewriting, and Idea mapping and how each one differs and helps with the creative process.
Overall this chapters focus is on the discovery and development of ones ideas in the form of a thesis, or a proposed answer to the question you want to present in your writing. The text book talks of developing your ides through brainstorming and creating until you come up with enough ideas to piece together and form a question from.

Chapter 16, Concept 16.1, 16.2, 16.3

Concept 16.1
The book begins to explain why revision is so important to the writing process and how expert writers put a lot of focus on each individual draft, not spitting them out for the sake of having them but making each one an individual step towards the goal of the paper. They also explain how multiple drafts help, in examples of that doing so helps you remind yourself of the rhetoric and audience, and also is a great way of watching how the idea for the paper grows and expands over time
Concept 16.2
Local and Global changes are introduced and explained, stating that global changes affect the whole paper, whether that be structure, content, or purpose, whilst local changes only affect short pieces such as 1-2 lines of the paper. After that they list off reasons and strategies for global and local revision.
Concept 16.3
This text book even has a paragraph on why it's illogical to start the paper before the night its due.
The book lists off ten habits and tips to improve not your writing but the way you write, and the writing process pertaining to college writing.

Chapter 1, Concepts 1.1 and 1.2.

Concept 1.1
The main focus of this concept is understanding that writing is taking a problem and addressing it, answering it, or analyzing it. then it begins to address how to properly find a problem worth writing about. One line I really like from this is when they say "beginning college students typically imagine questions that have right answers," and I really enjoy how that leads us to realize that what we are questioning and seeking in our writing should be open-ended, or ever changing and fluctuating questions that are more akin to philosophies. Sometimes you can use a "big question" in your writing, aka something lots of people are talking about and interested in, or you could create a problem of your own that you could solve or delve deep into in your writing.
Concept 1.2
Rhetoric, like we discussed in class is the use of language and symbols to influence others or situations. There are actually people called Rhetoricians. What do they do? What great deed dons you the title Rhetorician? This section focuses on teaching us how to think of the purpose in our writing, who are we trying to influence, what are we trying to make them think or feel, and why are we trying to do that. I've never in my school writing career given either the problem matter or the rhetoric behind my writing a second thought so I quite enjoy what these two sections have to say.
When writing you need to find a Rhetorical Aim: your relationship to the audience and what you hope to accomplish. For example my current audience is the professor, to show to her that I have read and understand the materials, but I also am the audience in a sense, since I shall be using what I have written here to refresh my knowledge of these concepts if the need arises.