What is the author’s purpose for this piece of writing?•Who is the intended audience?

Perhaps I should change the name and call this Reading Like an Architect, or Reading Like a Carpenter. In a way those names make perfect sense

you work to identify some of the choices the author made so that you can better understand how such choices might arise in your own writing

As I struggled to read in this environment, I began to realize that the way I was reading—one word at a time—was exactly the same way that the author had written the text.

My job (in addition to wearing a red tuxedo jacket) was to sit inside the dark theater with the patrons and make sure nothing went wrong. It didn’t seem to matter to my supervisor that I had no training in se-curity and no idea where we kept the fire extinguishers

Also, pay attention to your classmates’ questions. You might not need those answers now, but you may find them helpful later

Knowing what structures are acceptable within the discipline is also important

Writing assignments should not incite panic, but it happens. We’ve already discussed how panicking and other negative reactions work against you by clouding your ability to analyze a situation rationally. So when your instructor gives you that writing assignment, don’t try to read the whole assignment sheet at breakneck speed. Instead, take a deep breath and focus

Learning to interpret writing assignment expectations also helps encourage productive dialogue between you and your fellow class-mates and between you and your instructor.

“This is your first writing assignment for the term. It’s due two weeks from Thursday, so I suggest you begin early.” Your stomach clenches. For some peo-ple, a writing assignment causes a little nervous energy, but for you, it’s a deep, vomit-inducing fireball that shoots down your body and out your toes.

249Navigating GenresKerry DirkThere’s a joke that’s been floating around some time now that you’ve likely already heard.* It goes something like the following:Q: What do you get when you rewind a country song?A: You get your wife back, your job back, your dog back . . .Maybe this joke makes you laugh. Or groan. Or tilt your head to the side in confusion. Because it just so happens that in order to get this joke, you must know a little something about country music in general and in particular country music lyrics. You must, in other words, be familiar with the country music genre.Let’s look into country music lyrics a bit more. Bear with me on this is if you’re not a fan. Assuming I want to write lyrics to a coun-try song, how would I figure out what lyrics are acceptable in terms of country songs? Listening to any country station for a short period of time might leave one with the following conclusions about country songs:•Country songs tend to tell stories. They often have characters who are developed throughout the song.•

I decided to make this essay a mix of personal anecdotes, examples, and voices from teachers of writing. Such an essay seems to be the most fitting response to this situation, as I hope to come across as someone both informative and friendly. Why am I telling you this? Because it seems only appropriate that given the fact that I am talking about genre awareness, I should make you aware of my own struggles with writing in a new genre

Country songs are often depressing; people lose jobs, lovers, and friends.•Country s

Country songs tend to tell stories

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