One of the most difficult tasks in discussing a story is to find the words to articulate our discoveries. The problem is, in part, an insufficient specialized vocabulary. The problem is also not knowing how to be precise, as well as personal, without simply saying, “I like this,” or “I think this is just beautiful,” which is no good, empty, unless you can say why.
The Reading Response emphasizes how craft guides, reinforces, and enhances the meaning of the work at hand. It is essentially a practical endeavor. Instead of asking what this story means, we ask: how was this story made? The Reading Response is neither a scholarly effort, nor book review, but one writer writing to another writer (and to herself) about a third writer’s work. The formal act of writing out our responses forces us to move beyond our initial impressions, to look deeper, and to develop theories of our own sensibility, which will guide us in our own craft decisions.
For this class, the reading response will have three distinct parts:
A) What's your initial reaction to the story? What are your impressions? Why do you think you feel this way?
B) A discussion of one particular craft element in the story. Prompts for Part B will always be given out in the agenda on the day the story is assigned in class.
C) How does this story influence your thinking about your own writing?
What to Avoid:
When reading responses go wrong, they summarize the story. Your reader (me, your peers) has read the work. Go right to the point.
Reading Responses should be two full pages double spaced, typed.
Good Luck!