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| Drew Coffman. Writers Block I. 07-19-10. Creative Commons Corporation |
1. What parts of the book’s advice on the topics are helpful for writing in this genre?
- Drafting a Thesis Statement- It is helpful when the book says the thesis statement is making a promise to the reader on what the piece is going to be about when thinking of the opening statement on what the QRG is going to be about as the thesis. It says to make sure it's interesting and manageable which will keep the reader engaged through the whole piece.
- Writing Paragraphs in PIE Form- The books claim of having one paragraph cover a single point works well with QRGs when using white space and small paragraphs to cover different points.
- Writing Introductions- I agree with the statement that it's important to forecast the information going to be covered. By giving a preview in the introduction it allows the reader of the QRG to decide whether it's going to contain the information they're looking for or not.
- Organizing Information- The idea of evaluating the organization of a piece using reverse outlines and cutting up the piece and putting it in a different order. I think these are valuable methods of testing the organization and revising it to make it easier for the reader to find information they're looking for.
- Writing Conclusions- Circling back to an interesting point or main incident in the conclusion could be an effective tool here. Also, if the QRG is about an unresolved issue, looking forward in the end could be an effective conclusion as well if providing all the information on a topic is unavailable.
2. What parts of the book’s advice on these topics might not be so helpful, considering the genre you’re writing in?
- Drafting a Thesis Statement- This section doesn't totally apply to QRGs because there is no obvious argument being made. The opinion of the writer is supposed to be a bit hidden throughout the article and therefore shouldn't be a strong claim.
- Writing Paragraphs in PIE form- The book's claim of providing analysis might not be relevant for QRGs because they are mostly stating facts and will most likely not need as much analysis as the book suggests.
- Writing Introductions- For QRGs, I disagree about the need for a thesis statement containing the author's argument. Readers of QRGs are not necessarily looking for an opinion on the topic but rather more information on it.
- Organizing Information- The idea of forecasting information at the end of paragraphs most likely won't be necessary in QRGs. Paragraphs are short and focus on one topic and forecasting the information in the paragraphs before won't be needed.
- Writing Conclusions- Summarizing claims for the conclusion on a QRG is not necessary. The information in the article can be accessed throughout and does not need to be gone over again in this genre. People do not read QRGs for the conclusion but rather to get quick information so therefore summarizing is not needed.
Reflection
After reading Jessica's and Alyssa's blog posts I realized it's common to have different opinions on writing styles and still produce quality work in the same genre. Jessica and Alyssa both had some different opinions from me about what is applicable and not applicable to the QRG genre but that doesn't mean we can't all construct quality QRGs.
When revising my QRG, I think I need to work on the following:
1. Overall, I need to work on the aesthetics of my project. Right now, it looks unprofessional and only consists of content. I need to add images, white space, etc to make it look like more of a QRG.
2. I also need to work on the content of my project. My draft covers the overall topic I chose but I need to find more specifics and give the readers more specific and concise information.
3. My draft currently lacks a title. I'm working on creating a creative and informative title that fits exactly what my QRG is going to be about.
When revising my QRG, I think I need to work on the following:
1. Overall, I need to work on the aesthetics of my project. Right now, it looks unprofessional and only consists of content. I need to add images, white space, etc to make it look like more of a QRG.
2. I also need to work on the content of my project. My draft covers the overall topic I chose but I need to find more specifics and give the readers more specific and concise information.
3. My draft currently lacks a title. I'm working on creating a creative and informative title that fits exactly what my QRG is going to be about.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that needs to be a thesis with the author's point within it, I think the progression of the information is enough to supplement the lack of a clear thesis. I of course did include a relatively modest thesis where a general idea of the information to come, but I wouldn't have it in that overly structured formatting, rather a casual reference to what the post is about.
Hey Isabel,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I want to say that your view on the thesis in a QRG is very interesting. To me, a thesis is an argument and thus does not fit in the genre, but in reading your view on it, I think it could belong in a QRG, as you said that the thesis can be a statement of direction for the writing. However, I thought it was important that you noted a thesis can also be an argument, which as I said, does not fit in this genre. Also, I completely agree with you about how important organization, introductions with direction for the piece, and a meaningful conclusion are. I voiced the same opinions in my responses.
I also agreed with what you said about how PIE format doesn't perfectly fit into the QRG genre, in which information is presented disproportionately to other PIE elements in the writing.
However, I somewhat disagree about restatement in conclusions for QRG, as it could be a nice recap that ties into a larger picture in a fluid way.
Thanks for the read, you really explained your opinions well.
-Mika
I agree with you in that writing introductions and conclusions is important. In the introduction you should "forecast" information because it will help the reader decide if the article is right for them. I also agree that a conclusion is effective to remind the reader what they just read and why it is important.
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