Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
I appreciate that one of the rules is to break the rules when necessary! I sometimes forget I'm allowed to break the rules. Trust in our own instincts and common sense should prevail.
long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning
Not just in those genres, but in scientific writing too! I feel like I write several of these types of passages during my first drafts.
vagueness
I feel like vagueness is a plague in our field of writing. We often assume the reader knows what we are talking about so we speak vaguely when more precise language is needed.
A sentence is too long when it has more viable candidates for stress positions than there are stress positions available
Hmm this is an interesting definition of a long sentence. I think it is more true than the hard 100-word limit but harder to follow.
the reader must wade through 27 words
yikes I forgot what the subject even was by that point. I'll have to be careful about my own excessive subject-verb serparation.
arrange for the emphatic information to appear at the moment the reader is naturally exerting the greatest reading emphasis.
Here's an important and simple rule to follow. I can remember this one.
We have omitted this sentence both because the passage is long enough as is and because it raises no additional structural issues
Hahaha yes it is long enough as is and already has plenty of words I do not recognize in the slightest.
e would do well to understand better how readers go about reading
As we write we need to keep our audience in mind, just like we've already learned in class. However, I think this paper helps to understand not just WHO is reading our paper but HOW they are reading it.
We argue here that complexity of thought need not lead to impenetrability of expression
Agreed! I've read this article before and its simple ideas have greatly improved my writing. I've also read several really good scientific papers that did not have "impenetrability of expression"
I also check if there are references that I may be interested in.
This is a good step I haven't always done. I'll have to remember to do this more often to get my own library of references to grow and be current.
I start by reading the abstract. Then, I skim the introduction and flip through the article to look at the figures. I try to identify the most prominent one or two figures, and I really make sure I understand what's going on in them. Then, I read the conclusion/summary. Only when I have done that will I go back into the technical details to clarify any questions I might have.
This is my strategy as well. I get the big ideas first before trying to understand details. Figures are definitely the most important to me, as the paper is all about the figures.
the stumbling blocks are real, and it is up to each scientist to identify and apply the techniques that work best for them
I like how they clarify that these techniques are individual. I have some strategies that I don't feel always work best for others.
Can you imagine if mainstream magazine articles were like science papers?
They wouldn't be very popular most likely. Many scientific papers need to do better at being understandable. The most popular papers keep their language to a certain level of understandableness.
Third, research how others have responded to similar situa-tions
This is the step I need to do more work on before I write. Researching similar literature first will save me time in writing and make my writing better.
genres require more effortthan simply following the rules.
I can improve in this regard. I tend to try and follow a formula in my writing because I think it's "the rules". However, I should be guided by the principles and ideas I've been taught rather than restricted by rules I place on my own writing.
citizens know what to ex-pect from such an address
In my scientific writing I can be better understood as I follow the expectations of the genre so that readers don't have to waste energy trying to figure out the basics of the paper.
toorient me to the expectations of this genre”
Getting context and finding audience is critical. It's cool to see the author of this essay doing that so obviously here, setting an example for the students they are writing to.
Repentance and revision have much in common.
Just as repentance leads to success in life, revision will lead to success in writing. No good paper goes without edits. I'm guessing the best ones probably had more edits and revisions than the flawed papers.
If these people care about us, they will be honest but kind so that they help us become better writers
Honest but kind feedback. This is a good model to strive for. Feedback that isn't honest isn't helpful, but mean feedback isn't helpful either. Find a balance between both with empowering comments.
Do we place ourselves in the best places to choose examples that will shape our lives in the way we want them to be? Do we have as friends and associates people we want to be like—people who help us become our best selves?
Peers and mentors will be an important part of the writing process. My thesis and future research papers won't be good if it's just me writing it. I should surround myself with competent people.
The parts of the process weren’t sequential.
Writing doesn't have to be done perfect the first time. It's cyclical, iterative. My thesis will likely go through many drafts and revisions.
But Lauren wasn’t intimidated by the length; she worked on it a bit at a time when she was able, knowing that it would be done someday.
I could use a bit more of Lauren's courage and planning. Breaking down a big project into smaller chunks is an important skill I hope to get better at.