PB 2B: Making a move

Do I have moves? I'd like to have moves when I write. I wonder if my moves are obvious to everyone but me? Moves in writing can be really small, for example, using the phrase "such as" to start an example, or they can be large and visual, for instance using block quotations instead of adding a regular quote within the text. In the articles we have read, the authors have used numerous amounts of moves, because they are great writers trying to help others become great writers. Even though some of the moves that I chose are kind of obvious, I really liked that I had a reaction to the move, and I would like for my writing to produce reactions or emotions.

In the They Say, I Say appendix, some of the templates were common because we see and use them in most writing and some are slightly less familiar, at least for me. For instance, in "Navigating Genres" by Kerry Dirk, to explain a quote, Dirk starts the first sentence after the quote with, "In other words..." Dirk uses the same phrase at least four other times and uses similar phrases even more in his twelve page essay. Using this move and ones similar to it, allows the author to be very specific about what the reader should have concluded from the quote, especially because it is followed by another sentence that analyzes the meaning of the quote even more. In "Teaching Two Kinds of Thinking by Teaching Writing," Peter Elbow uses phrases to introduce ongoing debates, "When I celebrate freewriting and fast exploratory writing...it seems to many listeners as though I'm celebrating holidays from thinking." Elbow's decision to use these phrases informs the reader of the positions other academics might have on freewriting and why Elbow's opinion is contradictory but valid. He further explains how his position is advantageous because it includes two kinds of thinking. Some of the less familiar templates, are phrases that I very rarely use in my writing but I take notice when I see them in readings.

In "So What? Who Cares?" the author uses two templates in one sentence, "When pressed, for instance, most academics will tell you that their lectures and articles matter...Yet many academics fail to identify...." The author uses this template to identify exactly who has an opposing opinion on this subject and how it is not accurate. Similarly, another move the author made was using questions to introduce objections to his own opinion informally, for example, "Isn't it obvious that everyone cares about such problems? Does it really need to be spelled out?" The use of asking questions-a reader might have-in writing, enables the author to clearly identify why it is important to follow their position. Finally, in "Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking)" by Janet Boyd, she uses a template to add an explanation about what she just wrote, "More importantly, you can now see that when I told you at the beginning that you are already in possession...I wasn't feeding you a bunch of bull." Boyd sums up her essay without using the unoriginal, In conclusion, a phrase that I very much still use. These three moves aren't phrases that I include in my writing, but should definitely be incorporated.

These next moves are ones that I really felt strongly about, whether is was with dislike or appreciation. Right off the bat, Spaces for Writing has a very clear visual move, which I'm calling The Comic Book. The authors use a comic book format to allow their audience-college students-to understand concepts in an unusual format by not only reading a text but also seeing visual graphics. Even though, the visuals are helpful, they sort of distract from the text and are kind of excessive. Personally, the comic book format was more annoying than helpful, because all I wanted to do was look at the images and not read the bubbles. Kerry Dirk's "Navigating Genres" used moves that I loved. Dirk started off his essay with a joke, even though it wasn't necessarily the funniest joke I've heard, it caught my attention right away because it was unexpected in my usual college readings. His joke effectively hooked, me into the essay and made me wonder what his point was going to be. Then, Dirk wrote out a ransom letter scenario that was another really funny move. This scenario truly allowed me to understand his point of genres and conventions without being extremely academic and monotonous. Both of Dirk's moves were plainly successful because he knows his audience is going be young college students who are tired of reading dull essays and want to obtain information in entertaining ways. In "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis," Laura Bolin Carroll starts off by telling the reader to imagine a scenario of the first day of class. Carroll's move is great in capturing my attention because I did experience that exact scenario and can easily relate. Her move is successful in gaining my interest and eagerly continuing to read the rest of her essay to learn the purpose of the scenario. I recognized both Dirk and Carroll's use of hooks as moves because in my personal writing my hooks are awful, and I deeply appreciate when other people include great hooks.  Finally, Anne Lamott's move is in the title of the chapter, "Shitty First Drafts." Lamott's move of using a curse word gives the reader an impression they will be reading something that isn't formal and can be relatable. She continues her writing by adding more examples that anyone who was ever written anything can connect to because they've experienced it.

I hope to use more of these moves in my writing, except for in a comic book format, at least not anytime soon.