Discussion
What are the elements of craft we should be paying attention to?
Proposition 1: The bulk of what we know about writing well will translate into digital composition and online environments. Proposition 2: We're still going to have to learn and teach some new things. Proposition 3: The challenges we experience, the things that don't work out quite right, the stuff we want to go back and do again all point to the new elements of craft we are trying to learn.
So, if you buy any of this, tell us what elements of craft you find yourself trying to master? And if you don't, tell us why.
Comments
Benjamin Bates
on Mar 08 2012
at 14:19
elements of craft
Last night I posted an introductory comment to my study group. Aside from wondering whether I wanted my name connected to some of my comments, I was happy in anticipation that whatever I wrote, it wouldn't be very long. Twitter is the highlight, I suppose, but generally speaking digital tools inhibit the multi-layered and the intricately plotted. It's as if there's an unspoken rule that if you can't say it in a paragraph or two, it doesn't belong on the net. At any rate, I squeezeed my content into a small space, which wasn't easy (it ended up being three graphs), then the drafting stopped because I felt I ought to finish and post.
This morning I thought of a nice line to finish the piece and it occurred to me that my revising often happens in my sleep. I also thought that the urge to get finished and get posted, spurred by that break-neck digital pace, that feeling of not having time to "sleep on it," can't be good for revision, nor writing generally. I frequently read things online where it looks as if the writer sacrificed clarity and quality for speed. That impulse has always been there, of course, but digital tools seem to magnify it.
brenda peirce
on Mar 26 2012
at 18:14
Elements
One of the elements that I will find most challenging is writing assessment (digital or otherwise). I am not yet a teacher and studying Writing Instruction at UM. While I have had some amazing classes, to my surprise, I found out the other day that, after this summer, I am but one class away from completion. I am worried that I will be able to handle the challenges associated with writing assessment given my hope to incorporate peer groups, journals, one-on-one student consults, etc. etc while adhering to time constraints and an effective rubric. I think teaching and incorporating new elements will not be the challenge, but assessing those elements, well, that may prove a different story.