As a college student, I have learned and will continue to learn various approaches and techniques to improve my writing. “Ten Ways to Think about Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students.” by E. Shelley Reid gave great insight and I will continue to use it as a valuable resource. Through Reid’s ten metaphors, I have found different ways of processing writing that offer a unique perspective.
Reid begins with an emphasis on how important it is to master fundamental skills and techniques and create a strong foundation. I resonated with this because it is important to sharpen writing mechanics in order to tell a cohesive story. Also, Reid, comparing writing to cooking, focused attention on the importance of putting different ingredients together (thoughts, research, and creativity) to form captivating pieces.
Reading Reid’s work also allowed me to embrace the repetitive cycle of writing. When working on a new piece now, I will embrace the uncertainty and trust the process as my ideas evolve and progress through rough drafts. The metaphor that stood out to me was the comparison of writing to gardening. The metaphor captures the cultivation aspect of writing. This emphasizes the importance of nurturing ideas patiently until they reach their full potential. Like how you have to nurture a seed until it flourishes into a plant, it mimics the process of developing writing from a rough draft to completion.
Overall, this reading has deepened my understanding of writing and how it is a multifaceted process. Reid’s use of metaphoric musing helped me open my perspective while providing me with ways to continue my journey of writing as a college student.
Leave a Reply