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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I thought that Moore's chapter "Write what you wish you knew" was very informative. I honestly saw nothing wrong or something that I did not like. He provided examples of himself when doing research and the outcome of it. He provides examples from other authors who conduct research before they start writing and how that ends up coming out. He even gives us example prompts or ways to do research or even start to write. I really enjoyed his reading. In Jacob's chapter "The meaning of Mangoes" I really thought that the final paragraph or second to the last paragraph where she describes them eating a mango was quite satisfying after all the build up and made my mouth water. Even now when I think about it. Mangoes are my favorite that's why. I thought that the chapter was entertaining and I enjoyed reading about her experience with mangoes. The way she caps it off how it was a perfect moment in her childhood was pure bliss. You can tell it was a perfect moment for her and will always remember that memory because of the way she can still say what type of cigarettes her parents and Aunt and Uncle were smoking afterwards.
ReplyDelete-Marco Garza
Moore’s chapter “Write What You Wish Knew” had a lot of great information and advice. One of my favorite things he said was when he quoted Philip Lopate, “...what do we need to generate non-fiction? I would say, curiosity. It sounds more tepid than obsession, but it’s a lot more dependable in the long run. You follow out a strand of curiosity and pretty soon you’ve got an interesting digression, a whole chapter, a book proposal, a book.” The right kind of curiosity and in a way, infatuation with your work or what you’re writing about can really change the way you write and can also make your work more relatable and intriguing to the reader. I found this to be true while reading Jacob’s “The Meaning of Mangoes”. Throughout her story Jacob always gives off the impression that she loved what she’s talking about. I assumed this because of the detailed information she provided to really get the reader involved in the story. For example, when her and her sister anticipating the ripening of the mangoes and how long they’d waited for them. I felt their longing for the mangoes and because of that, them finally getting to eat them made me happy for them.
ReplyDelete-Starleen Rendon
Moore's "Write What you Wish you Knew" goes into detail regarding experiences and how the writer's own drive towards writing about a certain subject can help propel a narrative. Most professional non-fiction writers tend to have a variety of experiences which they can then write about. In this sense, however, their innate curiosity and drive can also be used to write about something which can occur in everyday life. This is reflected in "The Meaning of Mangoes" where the Jacob's family toil to grow a set of crops. In the end they are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor giving us, the reader, a sense of closure as well as the characters described in the narrative. Something as simple as eating mangoes can go a long way in narrating character dynamics between the family and their satisfaction that their work was rewarded. As the reader we are able to infer many things about Jacob and his family despite the fact that it is written about mangoes. Food has a way of invoking certain memories which can then be used to relate to the reader. Going back to Moore, as usual, his analysis is concise and to the point and offers other resources in order to help supplement his teachings.
ReplyDelete-Eutimio Longoria
Moore’s “Write What You Wish You Knew” is an excellent piece for those who have considered going beyond their usual patterns when looking for new material to write about or to support their writing. When condensed, the chapter simply explains that taking in new experiences can help support your current ideas by providing new insight. This includes looking at aspects that we generally overlook, which Moore explains that Susan Orlean does expertly. Overall, new experiences that we do not generally write about can provide new insights to our own existing work, which is why Moore suggests we empower ourselves by doing that which we have not done before.
ReplyDelete“The Meaning of Mangoes” by Dianne Jacob is an example of what we could achieve through Moore’s “Write What You Wish You Knew”. In the story, Jacob describes her new surrounding in Vancouver upon coming from Shanghai. Her everyday life is a now permanent detour from her norm, as the background and aspects behind Shanghai were unique to that location. However, Mangoes, which are an embodiment of her former home, remind her about her past experiences. Upon this moment, we realize that her writing about Mangoes is the different thing now, as she is no longer in Shanghai. Thus, the consumption of Mangoes is considered a new experience and vividly contrasts her current life in Vancouver.
David Leal
Moore’s chapter, “Write what you wish you knew” encourages you to write about what you don’t know and how the process of writing it will allow you to creates new content and thus becomes something interesting to read. What the writer learns is what we as readers learn as well. It becomes an adventure. I think both saying are okay, write what you know and write what you don’t know/wish you knew. It can be exciting in both cases. Now the article, “The meaning of Mangoes” made me desire a mango, unfortunately we didn’t have any. Anyway, whenever we read something its either interesting, relatable or both (in some cases), in this case it was both. It brought back memories (again) about my sister’s love for mangos and an issue she had with them a couple of years back. After reading this article it got me thinking about how amazing it is that we are all somehow connected in some way, shape or from. We can all relate to something. I really enjoyed reading this article. I really liked how the author wrote that they weren’t the “right kind of Chinese” but that they also weren’t, “the right kind of Jews.” I think that makes them unique.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Rodriguez
I really liked Moore's write what you wish you knew. I've always loved learning things. I've always been very curious; I take on different hobbies and try to teach myself new things. I think that having to do a little research to write is not a bad thing. If we aim to inform with out writing then whats wrong with informing ourselves? I really liked that Jacobs The meaning mangoes is an example of Moore's chapter. Jacobs does no understand why her family loves mangoes or what it means to them but she writes about it and learns.I think that we can take this lesson and apply it to not just our writings but also to our every day lives. Learn a little, explore a little, be a little curious, and this will improve more than just your writing.
ReplyDeleteDawn Bustamante
In Moore’s chapter “Write What You Wish You Knew” it is talked about how “Write What You Know” isn’t correct in fact research and knowing your subject inside and out, as well as personally is the best way to go. I was taught to write what you know but then again that is in Fiction, Non-Fiction is a different subject. If the topic is either given to us or we choose it ourselves we must find out everything we need to know about it and some more after that. I enjoyed where Moore made the readers think about what they would do if they all had free time to do things they like. Made me think of all the things I was missing out on because of my busy schedule. I would want to be a Travel Writer and talk about everything even myths of the place I was visiting. Jacobs short essay on Mangoes goes hand in hand with what Moore wrote. Jacobs did her research and learned of the other culture differences aside from her families alone. That is what us as writers must do, yes we must write what we know to a certain extent but find out the facts as well.
ReplyDelete-Christina Velasquez
Moore goes into detail in “Write what you Wish you Knew”, by explaining and describing experiences of himself doing research and how to research properly. He explains that there is nothing wrong with doing research when writing and being curious can help you write better. I really enjoyed the chapter, because going through a different route when writing can change the way you write and make you a better writer. In “The Meaning of Mangoes” by Jacob, really makes me think about how I write the way I do, if that makes sense. Because she does not understand why her family loves mangoes or the meaning behind them, but still writes about it. I believe that if I apply what Jacobs did in her writing, I will be able to come out of my shell and experience different writing strategies. Writing what you know and writing what you wish you knew can have different outcomes, mainly because it can be related to writing how you normally do and writing in a different way. As writers, I think researching and exploring can help us write to a certain extent, only because I feel that if you’re sometimes stuck and can’t think of how to express yourself or explain yourself, you can just do some research.
ReplyDelete-Claudia Anzaldua
I enjoyed Moore’s chapter, “Write what you wish you knew”. Moore goes over about how doing your research would help your writing since you will have a better understanding of what you are talking about. Curiosity leads to more content, which is because it leads to more knowledge. More knowledge helps with producing quality content. New isn’t always bad and it can be refreshing. In a way it can be both refreshing to the writer and the reader. It can help the writer produce a piece of writing that will stand out. The idea I gathered behind, “Write what you wish you knew,” is that if you don’t know something, then find out more about it. Once you are knowledgeable enough, write about it. Your curiosity will guide you to the content you produce. What I liked the most though was how Moore defined research. When I think of research, I think about opening a book and studying. Moore brings up the point that research can also be experience related. In, “The Meaning of Mangoes” by Dianne Jacob, he goes over his past when he tasted his first mango. It was an old memory that had was a new experience for him as a child. It was a good short read. I can see how Moore’s chapter can be tied into this since it involves a new experience and prior to Jacob ever tasting a Mango, he wondered about it.
ReplyDelete-Benito Reyes
In Moores, “Write What You Wish You Knew” he talks about writing what you don’t know. Writing about getting out of your comfort zone and exploring something for once. Researching the topic that interests you rather than writing about something you already know. I enjoyed what Moore had to say towards writing about what you wish you knew, because it allows you as a writer to take a different angle. To take a different angle allows you to focus on things that wouldn’t had been important if you hadn’t research and applied yourself to the writing. Also, I liked how Susan Orlean states, learn the facts, but always remember the people, the people are the story (178). You can’t forget that the people are what make a story not just the statistics or the facts. In Dianne Jacobs “The Meaning of Mangoes” I liked how the incorporation of a fruit was used to bring back memories of an event so special in their lives. The mangoes represented their ancestors and their old life and eating eat at the very end was the feeling of home of just comfort. The family for once seemed at peace even though that they were not back home. I really enjoyed reading throughout both of these passages.
ReplyDelete- Abigail Vasquez
In the “Meaning of Mangoes”, Dianne Jacob takes us to a time in her childhood where she remembers her parents’ longing for a type of mango from Shanghai. Jacob really goes into detail concerning her parents’ past when they lived in China and the culture shock they experienced upon moving to Vancouver from Shanghai following Mao Zedong’s Communist uprising. You could tell that she definitely had to interview her parents when writing this essay in order to find out what significance the mangoes had and why her dad was adamant at not touching them. This does tie into the basis of what Moore talked about in “Write What You Wish You Knew”, as he talks about how you can use your curiosity to write about things you don’t have extensive knowledge of if you do your research. One of the things I could relate to in both readings was not knowing the story behind the traditions and beliefs that were held strongly my parents, grandparents or people I’ve met until I eventually figured out on my own through observation or by simply asking them what their deal was. Overall, I thought Jacob’s “Meaning of Mangoes” tied in neatly with Moore’s chapter and the one before as she describes to us what the significance of a certain food was to her family as well as most likely interviewing her parents for the information.
ReplyDeleteNarciso Garcia Jr.
In Moores chapter "Write what you wish you knew" He explains how writing what we you know isn't always the best way to go, and encourages outside resources such as research to help make the writing more interesting for our readers. I thought this chapter was very informative. I think its true when it comes to doing your research on a certain topic would be beneficial not only as a writer but for the reader as well. I feel like at times we think we know the facts on a certain topic, but I also feel like there are other important things that we might be missing out on, so through research we are able to really dig deep into the core on things and not leave anything important out of our writings for the readers. Jacobs “The meaning of Mangoes” was a great read as well. My favorite part of the read was the last two paragraphs when she explains the whole cutting and eating of the mango. I could almost taste it as I was reading through it. I think that Jacobs essay was a great example of what Moore is trying to explain to us. It is clear that Jacob did her research therefor making it more interesting and easier to understand as a reader.
ReplyDeleteLeslie Luna
I feel that as an English major, research is one of the things I'm great at. I figure that given the time I spend online, it only makes sense that I be so good at it. But like Moore says, it doesn't have to mean sitting at a desk and looking up things online. It can be climbing a tree to see how tall it really is, going out of your way to visit a new country, or even trying a new meal off the McDonald’s menu. Research is all around us in different ways. And I do feel that it’s vital as we write. Lord knows that I’d be embarrassed to receive a letter, years from now when I’m published and successful, telling me that Obama was inaugurated in 2009 and not 2008. Might not seem like such a big deal (hey maybe it was just a typo that nobody caught?), but it’s a simple mistake that could’ve been prevented. With Jacob’s piece, I couldn’t help but think of my uncle Jorge while reading it. My uncle Jorge loves mangos. In fact he loves mangos so much that he developed an allergy to mangoes and can’t have them anymore.
ReplyDelete- Angie Acuna
In “Write What You Wish You Know”, Moore tells the reader to expand his/her scope. Writers are fed this mantra to: Write what you know. Most writers, I believe, take it to heart. I believe that writers who want to become great, are willing to take that first step into unknown. Research was an important thing for Moore. If you want to write about something that is out of your wheel house, research it. I like to think that Hemingway did all the crazy things he did for research. There was one thing that I didn’t agree with, which was the Twain example. I felt like that wasn’t a good example of what the reading was referring to. I did enjoy this essay. I learned about expanding my horizon. To not only write what I know, but to research and write what I want to know.
ReplyDeleteIn “ The Meaning of Mangos” I felt like Jacobs wrote a great piece about what mangos meant for her. She gives a back story on her parents and their struggles in Canada. The writer doesn’t over explain things but shows the meaning of what the mango means for her. I liked this story very much and wish to read it again.
Mathew betancourt
I really enjoyed "Write What You Wish You Know" as I feel I can relate to it very much. With any type of writing, fiction or nonfiction, it's never a good idea to limit yourself. Yes, writing what you know can work in some situations. But if you continue to just keep writing what you know and never challenging yourself, you're pretty much barricading yourself. There's a whole world of ideas out there to explore, yet you're forcing yourself to stick with these "safer" ideas that you know. Being open to other things is what can lead to very unique and interesting writing pieces that you never thought you would have written before. I guess one way I myself can relate to this is that I myself have a hard time challenging myself and not wanting to take on subjects that I have little knowledge about, preferring to stick with the subjects I am most comfortable. Not that I'm not trying to tackle these hard subjects. One fictional story I'm currently working on talks about the life of a famous musician. I know very little about celebrity lifestyles and in order for me to portray one accurately, I'm going to need to do a little research. And I know I can write something wonderful by going out of my way to tackle this foreign concept for me. Maybe I won't become an expert on these concepts, but I can still find a way to get some written material out of them.
ReplyDeleteMichael McCormick