Blog #5

Dear Heller:

You are so right in comparing Murray to Engaging Ideas, as I too remembered the "writing as a process" theme. Writing is more than just grammar- it's expressing ideas and learning to relay thought into comprehensible words. I believe that spectators can tell whether or not the writer is genuine, as they may be good in grammar, but not good in thought. Does that mean they can be called a "good" writer? No. The comparison with public speaking is very clever- as I think that in that case the spectators can surely tell if the speaker is just repeating words, or actually has thought and meaning behind those words.
As far as Bean and your opinion, I am not really sure if I agree. I think a good writer comes naturally after the "process" and may need a structured outline, although it is of course possible to have a good "product" after one focuses on that exact structure- but does that mean they are a "good" writer? Or are they a good direction follower? This is just my opinion, if I was to put into categories I would be able to tell the "good" writers from the "trained" writers if you will.
You ask a tough Question: Do I think it's right for students to be graded differently if they think differently. I am not sure how to answer this let alone how I feel about it. I would say that I will try to be honest even though I am not sure if it's proper, but yes I guess students should be graded differently, depending however on what is being written and how well I know their writing. Does that answer your question? I am not sure!

Sincerely,
Laura Psomas