Scott Haraway-Response Questions to "Reading Like a Writer"

1. Reading like a writer is very different than reading for other classes. When RLW, I have to read every word and read specifically for the how the words were used. When reading for other things like an Economics or Calculus class, I am reading for the content and information within the words, not the words specifically. I can also skim and skip over words to read faster, since I am just reading to pick out certain information and key dates or points.

2. I think the most obvious choice I make in my writing is the tone in which I write. If I am writing an academic research essay, I would take a much more formal approach. However, if I were writing a feature or editorial article for a newspaper, I would write more casually with the intent of entertaining the audience. The reader notices this immediately because of the diction used, like personal pronouns, colloquialisms, and other writer’s license tricks.

3. I think I would most likely use highlighting, because it is easiest to go back to and readily identify the words or excerpts that are important. I think it would be best used in highlighting specific diction that shows a specific tone and level of formality.

4. You can learn about the context before reading text by looking up the author and his or her background. Also, you can look up the text itself and specifically see when it was written. Even just reading the back of the book is sometimes a great way to get an insight into the context of the book.