‘Readers as Writers, Writers As Readers’
Reading and Writing processes occur as part of the same activity. As we are readers, we find ourselves paying close attention to the techniques used by writers in the literature we read, which is known as ‘reading like a writer’. Similarly, because we are writers, we need to write with an audience in mind. This is known as ‘writing like a reader’. Let us now examine the concepts of ‘readers as writers’ and ‘writers as readers’.
When reading like a writer, one takes into consideration several different aspects of the writing. The reader tries to understand what the writer is writing about and what he wants to reveal to us, his readers. We pay close attention to the details the writer uses, as well as the purpose for which the writer composes his piece. As readers, we take into account the writer’s organization and flow of ideas from one to the next. We consider the strategies used by the writer to keep us interested and the effectiveness of the conclusion chosen by the writer to complete his literature piece.
When one reads as a writer, he gets to know the writer’s personality and the emotions felt by the writer towards the topic. The technicality of the language used by the writer to make the writing more effective can also be seen when we read as writers. The flow of language in the writer’s literature and the way conventions are used by the writer are all considered when we read like a writer.
Writing as readers on the other hand, deals with the opposite stand of readers as writers. This time the writer takes into account the reader’s perspective. The writer composes a piece of literature with the audience in mind. The writer tries to think like his readers in order to determine what would appeal to them. The writer thinks of how his literature can receive the responses from the readers that he desires and what may prove to be too challenging for the readers’ comprehension.
As teachers, it is our responsibility to help students read as writers and write as readers. It is our responsibility to stimulate students’ interests by allowing them to select text they would like to read and by guiding them through the writer’s craft. We must allow them ample amounts of time to respond to the literature, through the use of discussions or response journals. In doing so, we would also be engaging them in critical thinking, which can develop both their reading and writing skills. Students need to be allowed to write about (and rewrite) the literature, connecting it to their personal experiences, as well as to voice their feelings towards the literature. Students should be allowed to take ownership of their reading and writing processes.
Sources:
http://website-in-a-weekend.net/creating-content/reader-write/
Sources:
http://website-in-a-weekend.net/creating-content/reader-write/
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