Writing Log 2A Elise Hemann

While reading chapter one the first hotspot I found was on page 13. Rodney Kilcup said “writers should begin with a good, interesting question.” He then goes on to say, “a good question sets the writer on the path of inquiry, critical thinking, analysis, and argument.” I chose this hotspot because I think finding the question makes the process of writing the paper much easier. Once I have the question it is a lot easier for me to branch off from that single idea and form an essay.

Another hotspot I found was on page 22 they said, “When assessing your audience, you must first determine who that audience is – a single reader, a select group, or a general audience.” It then gave strategies for analysis. I chose this section because finding the audience was another thing that I found difficult in high school. Whenever I wrote a paper I always wrote for a single reader, my teacher. I think that the strategies it listed will be a big help when it comes time to write fore different audiences, although it may be difficult to adapt to the change.

The first hotspot I found from chapter two was on page 33. I did not pick one specific passage it was more of the main topic in itself which is, “good writers use exploratory strategies to think critically about subject-matter questions.” The strategies they use to help with thinking critically are freewriting, focused freewriting, idea mapping, dialect talk, and playing the believing and doubting game.

The second hotspot from chapter two was on page 42, “the concept of surprising reversal spurs the writer to go beyond the commonplace to change the reader’s view of a topic.”

In chapter three the first hotspot I found was on page 51, the exercise on angle of vision. It said, “Suppose you attended a fun party on a Friday night.” Then it talked about imagining that two people ask what you did on Friday, one of them is your best friend and the other is your grandmother. How would your descriptions change? I agree that my purpose and audience will influence my description.

The second hotspot I found in chapter three was on page 55 and 56. It talked about messages persuade through appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos is the appeal of reason. Ethos is the appeal to the character of the speaker/ writer. Pathos is the appeal to the sympathies, values, beliefs, and emotions of the audience.