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Blog Post 1.2

“Think small. Decide what corner of your subject you’re going to bite off, and be content to cover it and stop.” (Zinsser, 52)

While I found a lot of Zinsser’s suggestions to be very helpful it was this brief quotation that really struck me. Often times when I write I run into trouble when it comes to focusing on a particular topic. Once I’ve chosen a topic and begin writing I’m suddenly flooded with alternate ideas of subjects I can write about. As a result, I branch off starting three separate Word Documents on three different subjects and completing none of them. Zinsser then goes on to suggest:

“Decide what single point you want to leave in the reader’s mind. It will not only give you a better idea of what route you should follow and what destination you want to reach; it will affect your decision about tone and attitude.” (Zinsser, 52)

While I do focus on my reader’s reaction I also try not to be too manipulative in getting that reaction. For instance, when it came to my first draft for this class I had written two versions of my essay. One seemed a little too cliche as if written in order to demand a reaction and a little too preachy. Something which I’d like to work on in this class is identifying that sweet spot where I can tell a story and read it back to myself and have it match up to my own reaction to the actual event, conveying a genuine message whatever that may be.

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