While reading through the first chapter of the textbook, naturally at about 1 in the morning the night before class, I was pleasantly surprised at how, let's say, not extremely boring it is. I might have to admit that I didn't hate it and didn't count the pages I had left every 5 seconds. Throughout high school I was always amazed at how English books, supposedly supposed to "teach" us how to write well, were SO BORING. I guess where I'm going with all of this is simply that I like our textbook and the way it reads.
ANYWAY.
To begin with, I would like to say that I did not pick this topic because it was the first one on the list, first in the book, and easy to do. As I read through the sections on closed and open writing techniques, I was genuinely interested. During our first class we read that Ashtray piece (sorry that's the only way I can think of to identify it as) and I really enjoyed it. Much different than the "closed" form of writing I have implicated in my work for the past 4+ years, the openness, for a lack of a better word, of the Ashtray piece was really entertaining and furthermore thought provoking. After reading chapter one of the Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing, I identified that piece as an open form of writing, essentially meaning that the publication did not follow the standard, predictable, pattern of introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion. On the contrary, the piece ebbed and flowed to its own rhythm, effectively, if I do say so myself, entrancing the reader into a deeper than surface level connection with the story.
All together, I've come to the conclusion that I would like to read some more "open form" pieces as well as try to write some as my own! (Even though, judging by my sentence opener, "All together," it's pretty apparent I'm stuck in the closed form high school rut!... Help me get out!)
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