Chapter 8- Organizing and Drafting
The main point of this chapter is that you need to present your information in a predictable and usable way. For example, with a resume you cannot have your information thrown about on a sheet of paper; you have to have it follow a certain pattern so the reader can obtain it all.
A genre is a pattern for one to follow while writing their information. Throughout my career I have had to write in several different genres, and often find out I choose poorly. A few things I found helpful in this chapter were the genre choosing table and the different moves for the parts of a document. To me, a genre is a good starting point to organize my thoughts and outline them easier. I usually try to make an outline of what I want my to say to be before I do them, like for my resume or papers.
As this chapter pointed out, there are so many different patterns and frameworks for writing documents. The introduction is probably the most important part of a document because it tells what you’re writing about and why. In my writing I find myself using use the cause and effect, compare and contrast, and the if… then patterns the most. The pattern that you decide to write your document with will pretty much decide how the rest of it will flow together. If using a cause and effect pattern, the opening would have the causes of the problem, then they would be discussed, and finally the effects would follow. But, if you wrote that same document in compare and contrast, it would be a totally different document.
One of the main things I took from this chapter is how important it is to figure out how your document needs to be structured so it can be used effectively. In our case, one would probably want to make their resume using the chronological pattern over the better/worse pattern or different patterns.
Implementing the pattern
You mention that you’ve had experience with a range of writing genres throughout your career and that choosing the right one often proves challenging. Would you say that you were you fully aware of the genre concept when you began? That is, prior to your writings, did you know of these patterns and were able to utilize them to aid in improving your document’s organization and flow? The reason I ask is that although I’ve applied many of the same logical patterns to my writings, I don’t feel as though I was entirely aware of the tool and how to apply it in practice. In hindsight, it would have been wise, for me, to research exactly what tools I had available and to get a better understanding of the genres when the concept was first introduced to me.
Agree
I would definitely say that I was not aware of the whole genre concept when I first began writing and making documents. I really had no idea that there were these patterns or outlines that people used to improve their documents organization and flow. Whenever I used to write I would always just follow the same pattern. I would also just do an introduction, three or four body paragraphs, and then a conclusion. I agree that it would have been nice to know exactly what tools I could have been using to understand genres and the way they work when I first found out about them.
Most important, the introduction
I agree that an introduction is the most important part of a document. Usually before reading through, I have made my decision on reading form what the introduction provides. If it is interesting and keeps my attention I usually stayed tuned to the rest of the document. If the information is boring and not appealing I loose interest before continuing onward with the body. A good introduction will allow for the reader to be prepared for concepts that are going to be emphasized in the reading.
Also what about a conclusion? With a conclusion I know that the author is coming to an end and it provides a recap of the information discussed.
Zebulon Rouse
Introduction
I am glad that you agreed with me Zeb about the introduction being the most important part of a document. I believe that many people do not put enough time into perfecting their introduction when they are making a document. The introduction is the part of a document that will pull the reader in and make them want to continue reading. If the introduction is boring and lacks description then no one is going to want to continue reading. Whenever I write I always try to make my introduction as interesting as possible and still be able to tell the reader exactly what the rest of my document is going to be about.