Summary of They Say, I Say

Chapter 1 “They Say”

Writing needs a point.
You need to clearly indicate your thesis and the larger conversation it is pointing to.
Explain what you are responding to.
Start with what others are saying and then introduce your ideas as a response

Chapter 2 “Her Point Is”

Create a good summary that includes balancing the authors point with your point.
Enter the habitat of the conversation you are trying to join (put yourself in someone else’s shoes).
Create a summary that uses the authors view but proves your point
Use vivid and precise action verbs when summarizing

Chapter 3 “As He Himself Puts It”

Integrate quotations into their new textual surroundings.
Quote relevant passages that are relevant to your key argument
Present quotations in a way that makes them relevant and clear to your readers.
Introduce a quote, enter the quote, and explain the quote

Chapter 4 “Yes / No / Okay, But”

Learn to agree, disagree, or do both at the same time. Declare your position early.
Take a strong stand and explain why.
If you disagree offer a persuasive reason why.
If agreeing open up some difference that the author didn’t mention.
Agreeing and disagreeing can demonstrate integrity as a writer.

Chapter 5 “And Yet”

Make sure the reader understands who is saying what to eliminate confusion.
Referencing someone argument can be better than referencing the person.
Use voice markers to keep from confusing your readers.
Utilize multiple perspectives in your writing.

Chapter 6 “Skeptics May Object”

Tell your readers the objections that others might say about you to enhance your credibility.
Try not to stereotype, but try to use broad ideas.
Take objections seriously so the reader respects you.
Make sure your argument is not more convincing than your objections.
Chapter 7 “So What? Who Cares”

Address why your argument matters. This may include naming specific people or groups who have stake in your claim.
Link your argument to a larger matter that readers deem important.
Make the reader understand how the argument affects them.
Continue to answer the “Who cares?” and “So What?” questions even though the reader may already know the answers.

Chapter 8 “As A Result”

Don’t force the reader to try and connect your sentences and paragraphs together.
Use transitions to transfer from one point to another. Make them unobtrusive and unnoticeable.
Use pointing words to refer backwards to a previous concept.
Repeat key terms and phrases throughout your writing to keep your argument focused through the entire length.
When repeating key terms and phrases do it in a slightly different way without being monotonous.

Chapter 9 “Ain’t So / Is Not”

Academic writing should be relaxed, easy to follow, and a little bit fun.
Blend academic and professional language with popular expressions or sayings. This will give your writing a political statement.
Don’t feel limited to the choice of words or expressions you can use in your writing. Consider your audience and relate to them.
In order to succeed as a writer in college you need use a blend of formal and non-formal language.

Chapter 10 “In Other Words”

Make a claim and then tell the readers how to interpret it.
Stating your argument in a clear and concise manner may still be confusing to readers. Use metacommentary to keep misinterpretations to a minimum.
Use titles as metacommentary because they will persuade the reader to explore your writing.
Use transitions to generate metacommentary to create a relationship with the reader and explain your argument and why it’s important.

Response to the "real-world" grammar example

I found the real world example very boring and plain. It didn't stand out to me and since most of the information was cheesy in the first place it was hard to make it any better. I felt like the writer was first, trying to convey that eating seafood was healthy. Second, lots of Americans love seafood. And lastly, that there are lots of strange and interesting facts about seafood. I reorganized the message in order by these three categories mentioned above. I broke out the health facts with em dashes. I also added parenthesis to pieces of information that weren't attention catchers. I feel like this format gives the message a better presentation. Below is how I re-organized everything.

Seafood Festival
Did You Know?

— Seafood is:
an excellent source of protein
low in calories and sodium
the most significant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

— Eating fish provides vitamins A and D,
which help form strong bones and teeth.

In 2001, shrimp passed tuna as America’s
favorite seafood. (By 2002, Americans
were eating 3.7 pounds of shrimp per capita.)

— Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp.

Crabs have 5 pairs of walking legs
(the first set is also used for defense).

Shrimp starts out as males, then change
to females later in life.

Annie Dillard discussion questions

1) Dillard's process—at least as she describes it on pages 49-52—involves trying to work herself up into a fury, drinking multiple cups of coffee, putting herself in a vise clamp (metaphorically), and smoking multiple cigarettes. In short, she engages in the physical manipulation of the self in order to attain a “writerly” state of mind, to find the “lions” so to speak. Do you engage in any physical rituals as you prepare to write? How much does your physical position affect your ability to write? Do you have any pre-writing rituals? If so, what do they accomplish?

Writing for me is a long process. I usually have to sit down, open up Microsoft Word, write a paragraph, and read it over and over again. An hour later I find myself reading that same paragraph, however, it has significantly changed, and now I can start with the next paragraph. I wouldn’t say I do any physical rituals other than stress myself out, because I feel like I’ve wasted so much time. I guess if I really loved to write I might try and manipulate myself more so the end product would be that much better.

2) In the opening chapter, Dillard describes writing (or perhaps more accurately rewriting), as a process of knocking out bearing walls. When you write or rewrite, how often do you knock down those bearing walls? If we can think of bearing walls as the necessary structures that support, yet also put limitations upon, writing, who creates these foundations/limitations? That is to say, are the bearing walls to which Dillard refers generated by the writer, or by social constructions?

After I finish writing a paper, every time I re-read it, I have to re-write it in some way. I think this is essential in writing a paper because as you read and re-write you tend to express and refine the ideas and purpose of the paper. I think the bearing walls are generated by the writer, because after a significant number of re-writes, you begin giving form to the ideas you originally intended writing. I guess the social constructions could stem from so many rules about writing structure and form that have been drilled in our minds throughout school.

3) Dillard uses myriad metaphors to describe the process of writing—Inchworms, bees, construction sites, exploding typewriters, etc. Do you find any of her metaphors particularly salient for—or applicable to—your own perception of writing? Do you have (or can you come up with) any metaphors or images that seem to describe your own writing process? Do you consider metaphors useful in this sense?

Like a child who doesn’t want to do his chores. I enjoy writing and expressing my ideas. However, life is really hectic right now and for me to do something right, like writing, I have to set aside a lot of time so the final product comes out well. I feel like a child who always wants to play outside, and becomes frustrated because he knows that doing his chores will rob him of this time.

4) Part of the reason Dillard uses so many metaphors (I think) is that she seems to take a “mystical” view of writing. Do you share her sense of mysticism when it comes to writing? If you do, it might be a line of narrative worth continuing. If you don't, then how do you view writing in more concrete terms?

Obviously there are different types of writing that don’t require a mystical process. However, I think that a personal narrative is a type of writing that most definitely requires a special mindset in order to capture ones ideas on paper. In relaying the “personal” message, the reader must feel and understand your emotions. In order to relay the feelings and emotions, one must leave their body at that point in time and relive the moment they are trying to express.

5) It is possible (and I am truly not sure) that Dillard's thick prose, mystical descriptions, and constant use of metaphors are meant more to entertain and intrigue us than to say anything concrete about writing? It may be a mixture of both. Dillard is considered a very talented writer, as this book and other books show. But she seems determined to maintain a certain vagueness when writing about writing. Why?

Writing really is an art. With that being said, there’s no one-size fits all formula that produces good writing. I think Dillard is vague about writing because she understands that the art of expression can only being influenced and not forced. I think she gives us tactics and tools to deepen our understanding of the writing process, but at the same time understands that it can only go so far.

Analyzing “real-world” grammar

First of all I’d like to ask the following question. When do grammar rules apply to the real-world? This depends on the type of real-world application you are seeking. In the five real-world grammar examples we studied, the motive of creating the ad is to entice or persuade the viewer to either buy or confide in a particular product. I think we talked about this at the first of the class, but in the real-world (outside of school and sometimes work); people don’t follow too many grammar rules. With that being said, the viewers these ads are targeting are literally the real-world people. It has a lot to do with marketing and likening your product to the consumer buying it. The commas in these ads just seem to sound a lot better the way they are written. Let’s take for example when Marie Callender’s says, “The story of our sweet, creamy, delicious success. In this sentence they are trying to focus on three ideas: Sweet, Creamy, and Delicious. Using the commas where they are accentuates these three ideas therefore making the saying catchier. Creating a slogan in this case outweighs the need to use correct grammar.