Reading: Section 2

Read, in Dotson’s book, pages 43 thru 55. Respond to what you read, and use these questions if you get stuck: What strikes you as interesting? In what ways do you agree or disagree with him? How does this fit where you are as a writer, and how will it help you become a better one?
(100 words minimum)

In Dotson's book, pages 43-55 I learned many things. What I found most interesting though was when he talked about how you need to "write to express, not impress." He said people want something from your writing and I totally agreed with that. Readers don't just read it for no reason. They read it to obtain information they find interesting or newsworthy. When I write, I like to make a picture in the reader's head. He talked about doing that on page 52 when he said to "write to create imagery. Look for little details that can be at a level the viewer cannot see." I liked the way he worded that and could connect to that through my writing.

So, Dotson highlights the following:
- How to defeat the TV remote control
- Be conversational
- Gobbledygook and clichés
- Active voice
- Write in threes
- Surprises

Read this story and watch this one (a bit of a sports theme this week). Write two paragraphs (one about each) that explains how the story uses/handles at least three of these aspects. Give specific examples (100 words in each paragraph, so at least 200 total words).

In the story, Doing the Right Thing, one aspect that was written in there was being conversational. I could feel like he was just talking to me instead of being almost out of a textbook. It made me more likely to keep on reading. Another aspect they used was surprises. There was a twist in the story when the parents, Pat and Kim decided to be truthful and the boys agreed. So when they turned away the money it surprises the readers. But yet, there was another surprise when they got rewarded for their honesty also. One more aspect used in this story was how to defeat the remote control. This story had a lot of happiness to it and showed how when being honest, good things may come from it. It interested me into keeping on reading because it made me happy.

In the video, Dynasty for Minnesotan Family, one aspect written in this story was how to defeat the remote control. I wanted to hear more because it was heartwarming how she was crying at the last game. Another aspect in this story was surprises. I was shocked when I heard that there were twelve boys. I was also shocked when they talked about how the boys were evenly spaced out so every boy was at least on all of the posters from 1998. One more aspect in the video was active voice. The reporter was to the point and got the information out of the interviewee right away. He did a good job of not wasting time but covering it all.