How does Becker’s book match
up to your expectations for a book claiming to teach you how to: “start and
finish your thesis, book, or article?” Keep in mind that in spite of this
negative-seeming prompt that I find the book to be worthwhile enough to assign
it!
To begin with, I liked that Becker did not try to sell his book as anything other than suggestions that may or may not be helpful. I expected a book with his particular subtitle to be a pedantic how-to manual that would try to convince me of some magical way that all writers might improve their craft. Instead, I found it to be a series of helpful reflections by someone who has thought a great deal about the writing process and talked with others about how his experiences might be similar and different from theirs. He positions his work not as a cure for writer’s block, but as a resource to help us think through the complexities of academic writing. I have for a long time used writing as a means to think through what I want to say rather than as a means to say what I already know I want to say. After reading Becker’s book, I am more confident that that is a normal and healthy way to approach writing. I often felt as if I was cutting corners by not mapping out my thoughts through detailed outlines or intense brainstorming sessions. I always assumed that somewhere, somehow my high school English teachers were shaking their heads when I would just open a new word document without any completing any prewriting. Becker, on the other hand, validated my writing process. By simply writing, revising, and repeating, I not only make progress on the page, but also allow myself the freedom to craft a stronger structure in the end. Things occur to me during the writing process that cannot be captured in an outline.
ReplyDeleteOn the negative side, Becker’s analysis of the changing expectations in academia were definitely discouraging. It seems like we are moving farther away from encouraging his kind of straightforward and clear writing-style than moving closer to it. This issue seems closely related to how difficult it is to be a public intellectual nowadays.
So... little did I believe while reading Becker that he would be so prophetic regarding my own experience writing. So far I have experienced exactly what he describes with reading/re-reading, thinking/over thinking, writing/re-writing, editing/erasing, and ending up writing from a brand new perspective and start. Ugh. Not really an answer to the blog prompt, but what I'm experiencing while writing and thinking of Becker. Looking for some company on this journey...
ReplyDeleteRobin--For a book with the title of Becker’s book, I would expect it to be more of a step by step guide of beginning the dissertation. Instead of it being a restrictive, step by step guide, it was more of a book that said that it is ok for us to have our own writing style. It basically said that there is no one right way to begin our writing. However, Becker did give some suggestions. He stated that we should get our thoughts down on paper without worrying about organization. After our thoughts are down, then we should go back and organize. Becker also suggested that when we are stuck on an idea, we should put the writing away for a while and go back to it. Keeping this in mind, I don’t feel like the title was appropriate to the content. Instead of providing us with guidance in writing a thesis, it was more like a feel good book used to assure students about what is already known.
ReplyDeleteAs much we live in a society that often tries to find the quick fix for their ever present need, I did not have that high of expectations for Becker. I figured it would be another book with an over the top title that the content could not live up to. I was pleasantly surprised. By no means is it the end all be all of writing texts, I think it helped to give voice to some struggles and issues I have had in my own writing. The fact that is was written for grad students is also a positive. While, much of his writing and advice might seem simple it paints an honest picture of writing for me. I think it is a text that can and will be used by me as I continue to develop and grow as a writer. It has good nuggets that can be chewed on and help strengthen my work. You can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, just as this text has its strengths and weakness, it is a text that has been informative in my thinking and approach to writing but was not earth shattering. Overall, I am thankful for reading Becker and know I will us and/or reference certain parts of his book as I submit articles and write my dissertation.
ReplyDeleteBecker has exceeded my expectation with each chapter. I think that at this level a “how to” for writing would seem a bit late. We should, for the most part, have some skill in this area. Becker suggests helpful strategies for the writing process. I feel that my confidence has been boosted a bit. It seems I am not the only one who worries that I can’t write or will never be a “writer.” I am also not the only person with quirky rituals associated with writing, including large chart paper and color coding. I would have never considered these to be part of my process, but indeed, they are.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 5, Becker explains that “The chief point is that no one learns to write all at once, that learning, on the contrary, goes on for a professional lifetime and comes from a variety of experiences academia makes available.” I am wondering if I thought that I had already learned all that I could in the way of writing, but each experience does teach me something new. I think Becker is a worthwhile read and does provide a significant amount of information that I am sure will support our efforts as we continue in the program.
In Chapter 10 Becker states that this book will not solve our writing problems. He encourages thinking about our writing and the importance of writing and rewriting. He offers this advice: “By simply paying attention, you can get a lot of what you do under control.”
Helpful book. I will recommend it to other struggling writers like me.
- Paige
I've read a lot of "how to write" books, and Becker's is pretty similar to most of them, albeit with a slight twist since it's tailored to academic writing. That said, he touches on a lot of the same things that many other books do: write often, don't be afraid to produce shitty early drafts (as long as you improve them later), write as simply as possible without losing your message, etc. I guess this goes to show that good writing is good writing, regardless of all of our supposed genre distinctions.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say how the book matched up against my expectations coming in. I liked the book, but I also had people (who had previously taken 703) tell me I would like it, so I don't know that I ever really formed my own expectations just from the title. I do agree with Robin's point that the title isn't a tight fit for what's actually in the book -- it's not really a "how to" book in the step-by-step sense that the title implies. In Chapter 7, Becker talks about having a piece of writing be good enough to get out the door and not obsessing over making it perfect. I wonder if that was the case for the title; if his agent or the publishing house wanted to add the subtitle, and he didn't care enough to put up a fight.
I definitely agree that the tile of the Becker book is a misnomer. However, it was a valuable read! I have already recommended the book to several people. I’m relieved that it wasn’t a step-by-step guide on writing as that would have been painful.
ReplyDeleteThe message the book sent to me is that I just need to RELAX and write! I think that all of us probably put an undue amount of pressure on ourselves when it comes to writing and it’s anxiety-inducing and counterproductive. The chapter that resonated with me the most was One Right Way (chapter 3). I have highlighted many things in that chapter which I have already revisited. The Becker book is one that I will keep handy and use as a reminder on how to best approach writing. Some of my favorite quotes from Chapter 3…
“They don’t know that revising and editing happen to everyone, and are not emergency procedures undertaken only in cases of scandalously unprofessional incompetence.”
“We are committed, not by the choice of a word, but by the analysis we have already done.”
“ ‘If I give away the ending at the beginning, no one will read the rest of what I’ve written.’ But scientific papers seldom deal with material suspenseful enough to warrant the format.”
Amy
Kendra- I agree with folks here that Becker’s book has proven to be helpful in providing added perspective to the writing process. I appreciated the holistic nature with which he tackled writing. He went from beginning to end, before anything is ever written on a page. This was meaningful because for me “writing” begins before I actually start to write. As I’m reading materials, I am already considering what resonated with me and what elements will be important for the reader to gain the same insight I have without reading a given text.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kim’s assertion that rather than a how-to guide, the book served as a series of suggestions or considerations. Becker was transparent early on and that set the stage for me as a reader to more readily receive his perspectives. Additionally, I appreciated his frankness regarding alternative perspectives on writing; how it should flow, what language should be used, the audience to consider. Writing has always been one of the most interesting aspects of my academic journey. Even in this program I find myself adjusting and adapting my writing to meet the expectations or stylistic desires of the professor. I struggle with finding my own voice and “writing correctly”. This speaks to the divide even amongst members of the same field.
While most of Becker's book discussed things I'd heard elsewhere, there were a sufficient number of helpful nuggets to make me glad to have read it. I especially appreciated his advice in the chapters we read this week to be on the lookout for "modules" which could be used as pieces of our argument in future pieces of writing. I've immediately put this advice to work in my research for the discipline paper, getting ideas for future studies I could do and seeing places where an idea could be put to effective use in my dissertation.
ReplyDeleteI did think it interesting that both Becker and Pring quoted Campbell's law (that any quantitative indicator of a social phenomenon will inevitably be corrupted), in this case in regards to researchers doing whatever it takes to be published (and cited) as much as possible, including writing in "classy" speak. Thankfully, the scholarship in my area (public services academic librarianship) is pretty readable, even in the top-tier journals. The one place the writing tends to be less readable is in descriptions of statistical analyses, though I doubt that's a problem limited to librarianship.
As to whether the subtitle is a misnomer: I think Eric's on to something with Becker's advice to "get it out the door," though I disagree about the subtitle being an editorial addition. From what I've heard, forcing yourself to free-write (coming back to edit later) and being willing to "get it out the door" once the dissertation is good enough are the two most important pieces of advice a dissertation-writer can keep in mind, so I don't have an issue with the subtitle.
Becker allows for me to reflect on my own writing. It allowed me to see different perspectives that I have not thought of before. By being able to think about arguments and topics from different lenses, I can think about how things can compare and contrast or flow with each other. This is key to being able to transition between different types of writing such as that which is expected out of "academia" and what is expected out of "general audiences". But, the key to be successful is understanding how I can adapt to those expectations. Becker definitely sums up some of my thoughts about this. I found myself in the beginning of the program struggling to find my focus. Having majored in Computer Science and Mathematics during undergrad, I had no training in the humanities or social sciences. I thought that there was no similarity between the writing I was used to, and the writing that was expected in the program. But, after a while of multiple revisions and editing, I started to find my "space" as you will. Becker basically says that it natural for students to face these challenges, so I find that I was able to connect with the reading that much better because of it.
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I enjoyed the Becker book and found many of his suggestions to be helpful. I don’t know that it met my expectations based on the title since it didn’t really read like a “how to” manual, but I think that it offered good advice. It was reassuring to know that many of the struggles that I have, and do, experience are not uncommon experiences. In fact, there were times that I read the Becker book while taking a break from working on the discipline paper only to read about writing difficulties that I was currently experiencing. I did find that I agreed with much of what he said including writing often, writing without trying to make it perfect on the first attempt, finding the balance between “getting it out the door” and getting it “perfect,” and not choosing words simply to make it sound “classy.” However, I think that there are times that call for a less-often used word that he might view as being used just to make it seem “classy.” While I think that he might agree and see the distinction between choosing the “right” word and choosing a word to give a classy appearance, I didn’t feel that he actually said that. Additionally, it was a little disheartening to read that the struggles may not fade over time.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note: When we started reading the book, I was hoping that you would ask our opinion on it, not because I wanted to give my opinion necessarily, but because I wanted to know Eric’s opinion since much of the advice in the first chapter was advice that he had given me previously.
Evandra-- Becker’s book provided some of the basic rules and premises from high school English and elementary school grammar. Most of what Becker said, I believe creates angst in many writers. It is reassuring to know becoming a writer is a process many had to work through. Becker lays out some very important points, especially in the editing chapter. Since we are peer reviewing this semester, this chapter is extremely helpful for providing feedback to classmates. Additionally I found the chapter on literature to be helpful. At this point in the program, assessing the literature for theories or models seems so cumbersome, however Becker provides hope to the literature review process.
ReplyDeleteTo answer whether the book met my expectations, I would say yes. The title might be a little misleading, because I don't necessarily think I learned to start and finish, I definitely have a good starting place.
Tom--I had no real expectations of the book; but I enjoyed reading it. Many have already commented on the 'nuggets' found in Becker's book. I appreciate how he invites you into the emotional experience of writing. I don't recall anyone discussing this with me before. The book offers an intimate perspective of how a respected author approaches writing.
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked the section where he discusses why one produces scholarly writing. Ultimately, we choose to join the dialog of academic writing no matter how inadequate we feel when we begin. He offers a nice, practical invitation to scholarship.
I did not find Becker’s book to match up to the title. I don’t feel that many of the suggestions given are relevant to the actual writing of a dissertation or an empirical article unless you are willing to go against the grain. However, I did find some of the suggestions helpful for writing in general. I appreciate his notion of writing in a more personable style, however I don’t know how that will be accepted in actual peer reviewed journals. I appreciated his candid explanations and examples.
ReplyDeleteMarsha