As we begin to compose and finalize our Quick Reference Guide, we'll need to be able to understand different components of drafting. I will address questions about drafting essays.
- What parts of the book’s advice on the above bulleted topics are helpful for writing in this genre?
A lot of the information in the book was pretty helpful. It says the thesis statement should be interesting, concise, and specific. QRG's don't necessarily need thesis statements, but the concept is still good for introductory paragraphs.Then the Point-Illustration-Explanation paragraphs which allow for concise and specific paragraphs and offer good descriptions to the reader. All of these attention-grabbing techniques fit into the conventions of the QRG. It allows the reader to skim over it quickly and efficiently.
- What parts of the book’s advice on these topics might not be so helpful, considering the genre you’re writing in?
There was nothing I found in the book that was unhelpful. The thesis part can be applied to other pieces of the QRG. They're pretty much all beneficial for helping the QRG be concise and to the point.
EDIT:
After reading two other Thoughts on Drafting, I noticed Evan's post was really similar to mine. We agreed with all of the same points in the book and didn't find anything really unhelpful in the guide. Alex and I disagreed a little, but only on the thesis. He said it was more useful for research papers, while I said that it could still be applied to QRG's in a helpful way. Other than that we generally agreed on everything.
I don't completely disagree on using the thesis statement in a QRG. It can be helpful for an introduction but it doesn't exactly have to be formatted like a thesis statement it can just be stating your point. I agree that the PIE is very helpful in making concise paragraphs as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on the PIE paragraph format. I believe is allows paragraphs to relay a lot of information in a concise manner. I too don't find anything from our sources to be unhelpful. All the information relayed to us is useful to some degree. I have never written in the QRG genre, so seeing all these sources has helped guide me a ton.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have a very similar piece! I agree with all your thoughts on your on formatting. It is always smart to be short and concise for the reader!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book was very helpful in organizing my essay since the information in the QRG should flow similarly to an essay. But sometimes I think using PIE paragraphs can extend the length of my paragraphs, especially when they become PIEIE paragraphs. It makes the paragraph seem more like a structured essay rather than a flowing of facts. That sounds kind of odd but that is how, in my mind, I can see the distinguishing factors of QRG's versus essays.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also agree that the information within the thesis statement is important, but does not necessarily have to be formatted in the way the book describes.
I's have to respectfully disagree with the idea that the book only offered useful advice in regards to our QRG formatting. For one, PIE is a useful tool in organizing ideas to be concise and understandable, but it can have a tendency of being too dense for the quick reading format of a QRG. It's more useful to essays presenting a point and looking for evidence as support. The QRG genre is more about informing an audience and summarizing the basic principles of a subject. We're using quotes and evidence to elaborate on different perspectives, and that requires less explanation than that which is expected in PIE.
ReplyDelete