Reid’s essay “Ten Ways to Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Student” is a beneficial tool to guide students in their writing. In Reid’s ten approaches, she gives clear and intriguing examples to back up her idea. Although all of her approaches are an important guide for writing, I will be discussing two of the more important ones in my personal opinion.
Reid’s third approach is “The Little Green Ball and Some People: Doing Details Right”. She encourages the reader to think of a little green ball. She then goes on to explain how the little green ball I might be imagining in my head might be different from what others might be imagining. If someone were to say “little green ball” in their writing, that is hardly enough information for the reader to fully understand. What kind of green? Is it hunter green or lime green? The point of this approach is to recognize that the person reading an essay cannot read the author’s mind. There is no harm in more detail and explanation.
I would also argue that Reid’s tenth approach, “Rules vs. Rhetoric, or the Five Paragraph Essay vs. ‘Try Something!’” is another important approach on the list. She explains how rules and multiple points on a rubric can be overwhelming. It can be frustrating to write when there are too many rules because the writer will get so caught up in what they need to do to get a good grade that they don’t explore the topic they’re writing about, thus not enjoying the writing process. She says, “Eventually the rules start to be more limiting than helpful, like a great pair of shoes that are now a size too small. Good writers need some space to grow.” If a writer cannot take the liberty of writing without the added stress of too many rules, is it their true work? I do not believe so.
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