Lyman Barner 1 Luke Jordan Lyman Barner Dr.

Lauren Mason ENGL 1101H: Honors Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric 18 August 2013 Content Outline for How to Read Like a Writer by Mike Bunn Summary: Author Mike Bunn instructs students in a method of critical reading designed to improve the readers writing skills. To convey these instructions, he relies on examples, anecdotes and quotes from sources other than himself. This increases his credibility as an instructor, and increases the credibility of the reading method itself. The article is broken into sections that are titled with questions, and largely comprised of an introduction, an example of a component of the method in use, or being described by a credible source, and then finally a direct explanation of what was illustrated in the example. I. Introduction A. Palace Theater anecdote (1) Extensive description, attempt to engage reader (2) Brief introduction of the RLW method B. Conclusion (1) Mention of his background in writing (English major) (2) Tells reader that the RLW method is not taught to undergrad students, implies that it is a non-academic lifehack What Does It Mean to Read Like a Writer? A. Explanation of the method B. Theoretical example (1) Essay beginning with quote from President Obama (2) Consideration of how the quote affects what the essay communicates (3) Consideration of alternatives to quoting Obama C. Quote from Dr. Wendy Bishop explaining the questioning element of the RLW method D. Simplified explanation of quote from Dr. Bishop How Is RLW Different from Normal Reading? A. Contrast reading for information (the usual method of reading) with RLW B. Quote from Allen Tate, comparing reading styles to examining the structure of a building C. Simplified explanation of quote from Tate

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Lyman Barner 2 IV. Why Learn to Read Like a Writer? A. Explanation of the purpose of the article (1) Bunn makes the claim that RLW concepts are not taught in most college writing courses, though they are vital in some cases (2) Bunn makes the claim that RLW is one of the best ways to learn good writing skills B. Quote from Dr. Charles Moran justifying the RLW method C. Simplified explanation of quote from Moran What are some Questions to Ask Before You Start Reading? A. Bunn defers to his former students to offer advice B. Quotes from students suggesting to start by examining the context (exigence) of a piece of writing C. Returns to example of essay with quote from Pres. Obama to illustrate point of contextual appropriateness D. In What Genre Is This Written? (1) Introduction, definition of genre (2) Example from student regarding particular techniques to look for that are exclusive to particular genres of writing (3) Note that RLW can be used with any type of writing E. Is This a Published or a Student-Produced Piece of Writing? (1) Quote from Nancy Walker encouraging the use of RLW when reading published material (2) Bunn argues that it is important to be equally critical of published writing and student-produced material, not being lenient with published writing simply because it is good enough to be published F. Is This the Kind of Writing You Will Be Assigned to Write Yourself? (1) Introduction to the question (2) Reminder to prioritize when searching through text for key points, quote from a student to illustrate (3) Illustration of how this allows someone using RLW to extract particular techniques from specific genres and forms of writing What Are Questions to Ask As You Are Reading? A. Introduction, suggestion to have a written set of questions available to refer to while reading B. Example of some questions given in the form of a quote from a student C. Extensive instruction by the author What Should You Be Writing As You Are Reading? A. Suggestion made by all student sources

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Lyman Barner 3 B. Additional suggestion made by the author What Does RLW Look Like in Action? A. Bunn uses How to Read Like a Writer as a template to illustrate the use of the various RLW techniques B. Conclusion (1) Quote from a student summarizing RLW technique (2) Dramatic use of sentence fragments to summarize the essay

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Lyman Barner 4 Works Cited Bunn, Mike. How to Read Like a Writer, Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 2. Ed. Charles Low, Pavel Zemliansky. Parlor Press, 2011.