Journal Entry #1

Rosenwasser’s work on analytical writing brought out a number of points that I had not considered in my process of writing.  First, it was his point of suspending my own judgment.  This can be difficult in the many courses that students take during their schooling careers because not everything will catch your interest.  Trying to not judge a work as boring is indeed a difficult task, and I noticed that it does hinder my ability to develop an idea about the writing.  Focusing and giving all of my attention to a piece of writing is the start of finding a good idea to write about.

Another statement that Rosenwasser makes that I have not considered is “Learning to write well is largely a matter of learning how to frame questions” (pg. 9).  Asking a well framed question already states part of the idea you want to write about.  It is a great starting and go back to point for what you want to write.  After starting the writing process, I can go back and ask myself the very same question, and see if it serves as a satisfactory answer.

The third point that he Rosenwasser mentions is that “it is in the act of carefully describing a subject that analytical writers often have their best ideas” (pg. 14).  I’m sure every student has been told how helpful outlines are in writing a paper, but many, or maybe just I, view it as another tedious assignment.  Rosenwasser doesn’t necessarily say write out an outline, but simply describing the subject in writing can spring the best ideas.  I can see that connections can be made simpler when there is less text, and only main points and ideas laid out in front of me.