In Kathleen Blake Yancey’s article, “Learning to Write Effectively,” she talks about the importance of practicing writing. There are specific parts of writing that more people should practice, fluidity, and refining techniques. Another suggestion is to practice with other people, it can help how we communicate through our writing. We have to practice so that we can write effectively in other contexts. Similarly, in Shirly Rose’s, “All Writers Have More to Learn,” she talks about how learning to write is a continuous learning cycle. She explains that when someone learns to write efficiently in one context, then one would have to learn another, and it is an ongoing cycle. Writers figure out which strategies work best for them; however, it is not the same for everybody and is hard to teach efficiently.
I think that teachers should be more forgiving of students’ writing. There should be multiple drafts that a student has to turn in so that they can understand the writing process better. This semester I have learned that my writing does not always have to be perfect, and it is a process to be able to write effectively. Schools should provide more sources to help our understanding of the writing process, and try to help students understand that the five-paragraph essay is not always the way to go.
