After reading both Wardle and Savini’s pieces, a new outlook on writing has occurred to me. No matter how hard you try, common sense (and multiple studies according to Wardle) does not allow “general” writing. Words and sentences are formed to be specific. It is Savini’s essay that allowed me to view the structure of papers and essays in a smoother format, particularly the questions you should present. I had never thought to stop and ask about the validity of questions to ask while writing a paper. Asking “how” or “why” certainly gives the question more flavor and can make for a great discussion, as long as the writer has experience or research to be able to tackle the question. Wardle’s short essay about writing in general provides small steps towards the larger picture that Savini is painting about writing. We write specifically, but furthermore, we write to ask specific questions that, given the right subject and context, we use research and evidence to answer for our papers. Savini’s layout of a strong college paper can be extremely beneficial to students, provided the topic or “problem” they must write about. I agree that the student must have a clear game plan or outline of what they are specifically going to say, the resources and materials necessary to relay the argument, and questions that are ultimately feasible and “fruitful.” After all, writing can never be in general. I can appreciate and agree with this insight towards writing, and take into account the advice left by Wardle and Savini when writing papers for college.
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