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What "forms" are likely to have a positive effect on college-educated readers of academic writing?
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
What Do They Want? (1.5)
What "forms" are likely to have a positive effect on college-educated readers of academic writing?
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When Mlodinow described this, I caught myself recalling down time when I began reading something out of a book or magazine, and automatically flipping the page when the words got too in depth or hard to understand.
ReplyDeleteBeing a student, we can take this information and apply it to our written essays or math papers. If our handwriting is decent and easy to read, in a collegiate form, maybe our professors would be more prone to give us the grade we deserve; rather than being frustrated with our work and slapping a grade on our paper when our handwriting is eligible and our words lacking in connection.
I feel like any kind of work that is stimulating would be the most successful. If the words are long and drawn out and the sentences are all the same length, a paper can get tiring really quick. With variety of sentence styles, word choice, and a balance between heavy and light diction, even a paper with a boring subject could make for an interesting read.
Chelsi Norris
I agree. I always write my first draft quickly and I admit my sentences are usually generic and yawn worthy. I then go back and start adding in the good stuff. It starts simple and I add a little spice in the end and delete the parts that were not necessary. In my high school English class, my teacher would trash any paper that she could not clearly read. She felt that we were old enough to hand in a paper that would not cause her to get a headache and I think she was completely right.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Hicks
The manner in which a document is organized can leave a big impression on how it is viewed subconsciously. For instance, educational papers with endless blocks of prose often feel boring, even to academic readers. The use of illustrations, lists and graphs is an effective way to break up large amounts of text while still portraying information in a concise manner and keeping the reader’s mind actively engaged. However, the placement of non-text items, such as pictures or charts, needs to be carefully planned so as to avoid distracting the reader's thoughts. It is important to note that the layout of all elements on the page including text, titles, pictures, and even margins can have a subtle impact on the reader’s perception about the document.
ReplyDeleteNathan Poole
I agree with Mlodinow in that the way a concept is presented can affect the reader's decision to read the information. As stated above by Chelsi, I have also found myself skipping over a magazine article if the information got too deep or if I didn't understand the words or terms being used.
ReplyDeleteI believe that as a writer, you should know who your audience is. Then, you can use a writing style, choice of words, length of paper, etc. to attract those readers. For instance, if you are writing a children's book, it should be short and simple using words and concepts a child could understand. However, if you are writing an essay for your college professor, you would want it to be longer and educational, showing your thoughts and ideas. You would use a more sophisticated form of writing.
I also agree with the above comments that your writing (handwritten or typed) should be legible. It's another way to attract your readers. More often than not, I will choose to read an article that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to read, rather than one that has a fancy font or sloppy handwriting. I want to be able to get the information easily without exerting much effort to read it.
Ashlyn Angel
While thinking on this topic further, I thought about what we call "the fine print." You know, the information written at the bottom of an important document, or in the terms of service, or on the bottom of the tv screen during a commercial. The information written as the fine print is often very important yet most of us choose to overlook or ignore it. Why? Because of the way it's written and presented. To read the information we must stare at tiny words or attempt to read something that uses big words to describe something simple. Most people think that it's not worth the time or effort to read the fine print. Therefore, they choose to skip it. However, not reading the fine print has caused problems for many people.
ReplyDeleteAshlyn Angel
I think that's a lovely point, Ashlyn. I often do the same thing. But those footnotes could be the most information rich sentences in the entire article! But it leads me to wonder if I would be more prone to read it if it was displayed in a different format. Instead of being at the bottom in tiny print if it were smack in the middle of the page in bold type with a colorful text box around it. My eye would be more drawn to it and perhaps even more entertained and intrigued by the information within.
DeleteRachel Nicholas
I also agree that many times one takes a quick look when trying to decide if they are going to continue reading. If the article has a catchy title or if a book has an interesting cover I am more likely to read it than I would be if it seemed boring or too complicated. As a college student one needs to be aware of this when writing papers you want the title to connect the reader to what is going to be in the essay. You also want the right amount of information to back up what is being said without seeming like all you have is facts by someone else and nothing to say of your own. Just as it is necessary for college student to present an essay in an appealing was so does the author of an academic article. When it comes to academic articles that are commonly thought to be confusing and drawn out appealing to college students is nothing short of difficult. The writer must find concepts that most know to connect to the more complicated information so that the reader stays interested. It is also best if the article is shorter so that it can be read at one time and the student doesn’t have to be come back to it later.
ReplyDeleteI am a fervent reader. I try not to judge books by their cover, but I feel as though it is inevitable. If the book looks boring on the front, then I am less drawn to it. The title also plays a part in what I am interested in when looking for a book to read. The diction that the writer uses plays a vital role in grabbing a reader’s attention. The way in which the text is presented has a similar effect. If it is bold, bright, and big, our eyes will wander toward that rather than the small and dull text elsewhere. As a writer, one should note their audience. They need to be aware of the senses and appeals that coincide with that reader. College-educated readers would be more interested in reading a piece of literature or text if it does not use childish language or difficult wording. The reader needs to be challenged because that is an important aspect in reading. However, they need to be able to understand what they are reading. If the writing is too difficult to read, the reader will become frustrated and possibly discontinue further reading. I know that whenever I read something that is hard to comprehend, I do not want to finish reading it. The font, size, and color can cause confusion and difficulty with reading as well. The text may be too bright that it is unappealing to the reader, even though it caught their attention. Overall, there needs to be some sort of middle ground.
ReplyDeleteOftentimes, I find myself skimming through books that lack depth or more intriguing styles of writing not out of elitism, but simple boredom with the book. Even if I like the content or subject of the book, I find myself flying through the pages and just searching for the main points ignoring the elaborations or fluff. In my AP history classes in high school we were always told to never write a word we did not need in our essays. Our essays were to be short, full of information and opinionated. Because I enjoyed this style of writing, I think it affected the way I read. When it comes to fiction, unless the book is full of useful information, I find myself skimming for the answer.
ReplyDeleteI believe the way something is written is almost more important than what was written. How many times do you see a billboard with lots of words on it? Not often. They normally contain just enough words to get the information across and the words are so brightly colored and in such huge letters that you can not miss them. They draw the eye and grab your attention. This works the same way for street artists as well. Say you see a train go by covered in graffiti, who's do you remember more? The one that was brightly colored and readable. While they all maybe interesting and you may think well that one was cool, a few days from now you will not remember what it looked like.
ReplyDeleteThis should tell us that when writing we have to make it clear what we are saying. We need to grab the readers attention with the way our writing looks (poems are a great example,) and then draw them in with the bright colors of what we are saying. We need to keep things simple, yet some how not boring. Say what needs to be said and be done with it. Do not use to many complicated writing techniques, such as quotes, and italics. Let the reader feel as though they are listening to their favorite person tell them their favorite story. Make is personal and easy to understand.
Nikolette Patai
I agree with Nikolette. Personally when I write I tend to have a long winded hand that only makes sense to me. Sometimes the whole idea of a paper or assignment isn't to make the word count or meet the page requirement, but to accurately address the topic and make it relatable to the audience. As a future teacher, I would be more inclined to see responses that have quality meaning than wordy fill-ins.
Delete