Prewriting:
It was one sunny day today and
Bahjah did not feel like getting out of bed or doing something productive but
nonetheless, she got herself up from her bed lazily thinking that the reading
assignment would not be too bad if she was not chosen first. She gets to school
just in time for her English class and suddenly, she hears her name being
called out. She looks towards the front and the teacher tells her that she is
reading the first three paragraphs. "Well, at least you would not be
comparing yourself with the rest of the class" she says to herself while
trying to find the courage to go up to the front. Luckily, she is one who
always reads her books ahead but today was the day she decided not to. She puts
her nervousness at the back of her brain because what is done is done, so there
is no going back. Feeling a weight on her shoulders and a little sweat dripping
from her forehead down to her neck, she approaches the front of the class. The
class seem to quiet down to hear how Bahjah is going to read. She starts
reading the three chapters with her voice becoming hoarse each second. She took
a moment to clear her throat and continues to read until the teacher stops her halfway,
thanks her and tells her to sit down. The students did a little clap for her which
made her crack a smile before she approaches to sit down by her desk. That
thought of never going to school without reading her books beforehand consumes
her thought for the rest of the day.
Reading ahead would become my
priority if there is a reading assignment. I tend to gloss over some words and
stutter sometimes because of nervousness and reading ahead helps me ease
up.
Benjamin Percy went from being
one who rushes and finishes everything on time to being one of the slowest
readers. He finds out that as a writer, one needs to sit down and ponder about
the book in order to understand what the author is trying to say. He finds that
he understands more by trying to observe more and to ponder and digest what the
author is trying to say in his book. He also realizes that it is important for
a writer to understand the other author’s way of thinking and the idea that
they are trying to put out to the world. This would later help him in his venture
of writing a successful book.
A slow reader in my opinion means
someone who reads slowly, the practical meaning. I now learnt that it is better
to be a slow reader than a fast one who scans through what they read and does
not understand what they have just read. A slow reader means someone who reads
slowly and attentively with the intention to grasp any emotion and any knowledge
or understanding that the author is trying to portray. This helps one to read
as a writer. How, you ask? Well, one may read slowly the first time but would
be able to grasp the emotions the author is trying to share with the readers
but reading it the second time and the third time, one would grasp the
structure of how the author wrote the book and would understand the pattern of
a particular author after reading several of their books. If we apply this
theory to the future essays we write, we might be able to achieve more for our
future endeavors.
In conclusion, always remember
that being a slow reader does not mean that you are insufficient or lazy, you
are on the right track of becoming a great writer one day and this may be the
start of your journey.
Prewriting for Second Essay:
It is early in the morning, a bit
cloudy Bahjah might agree but she enjoys rain and its odd scent. She is rushing
towards the bus and gets to go on it in time before her classes start. She enjoys
looking at the clouds that were getting heavier and darker by the minute
indicating it is going to rain. Since it seemed like it was going to rain, she
wore her red abaya and her red hijab to match. She is not a fan of putting on
makeup everyday but does put on eyeliners occasionally. She loves wearing heels
but has been wearing sneakers for the past few months which does not make a
difference for her. She is an extrovert when needed to be and introvert most of
the time. She loves watching and listening to videos and podcasts more than
reading because reading puts her to sleep. She likes to journal because she
tends to think a lot but has not been able to do that for the past few months.
She is trying to get used to her first year of college and is nervous about
making friends but eventually will. Her day goes by quickly as she goes to her
class, enjoying her quiet study moment after the library and later watching a
movie to relax the rest of her day.
Try to focus more on the plot and
do not go over the board. Take the advice of reading slowly and understanding what
the author is thinking and trying to say to you as the reader and as a writer,
try to understand the pattern of the author. Try not to sleep while reading,
one day at a time.
Joe Bunting said one of the most
interesting and inspiring things about writing an essay. These tips are helpful
and one that I can use for building my future essays. One of the two advises I admire
is the “Just write five original sentences”. This encourages me to just think about five sentences that can
build my essay from ground up. This also helps my mind to relax a little and
that I do not need to pressure myself more and this also gives me a structure
to follow through with and that I can free write around it because now that I have
my five original sentences which can easily generate five paragraphs without
the introduction and the conclusion. As Joe Bunting said, “Be “source
heavy.”” This is one advice that I think would
really stick with me for as long as I am writing an essay or doing research. Quoting
research that you did or reading it helps the teacher understand that you read
the work, and this is what you understood from it in your own words. This makes
your work more critically analyzed and more authentic in many ways. This also
helps one to write a lengthy essay without trying to hard and it also makes the
person have fun.
Overall, I would like the readers of this
blog to understand that writing might help one to say things that they would
normally would not know how to say and Joe Bunting’s tips and tricks is
something that would help us write more essays efficiently.
