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Phillip Smith English 1101 Professor Adam Padgett November 25, 2013 Authenticity and Credibility: Keys to a Successful Paper The evaluation and self-assessment of the individual compass of the writing allows for the creativity and expression of ideas to be enlisted on paper to develop ideas. Once the acknowledgement of different central themes and areas focused on points of view then you have a backdrop for the paper. The formulation of ideas then has to become prevalent and has meaning and a more concrete understanding of the reading that is being addressed. Being able to discuss with clarity and knowledge of any subject makes the author have certain credibilitys about them. Good writing always has a certain atmosphere about it. The way in which it was written, and the overall direction it makes allows for the paper to be addressed. The writer I believe realizes when their writing has met a certain standard, and continues to exceed the boundaries that are set before it. When writing the use of punctuation, a narrow thesis and the proper use of grammar establishes an idea that you are able to formulate your ideas in very effective and concise ways to get your point across. In Stephen Kings booknovel On Writing he allots time to discuss what writing is. In the section What Writing Is, King makes a statement that holds evidence to the overall argument that you must not come lightly to the blank page. This
Formatted: Font: Italic Comment [AP3]: Im having difficulty deciding what exactly youre thesis is. So, is this going to be about credibility? Comment [AP4]: What does this mean? Comment [AP2]: Okay, so youre talking about academic papers in the context of this essay. Comment [AP1]: I like the title.

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argument stems to make me believe that there is a process that must be taken, that you must evaluate not only yourself, but the message that is trying to be conveyed to the audience . If you half- assert yourself within the writing then you fall victim to the hierarchy that is established. This triangle labeled in four4 subsets has a degree as followed: best, good, mediocre, and the last level of this triangle is bad. When you examine your own writing you begin this traditional outlook of what one may see as this checklist of known misdirections or errors pertained in the writing. These misdirections or errors are fixable and once a certain level of difficulty is overcome then you begin to move up the slippery and treacherous triangle where, any sudden change that is a divergent from the path can send the writer back to the very bottom. However, to delve away from this unpleasant experience, by expanding the writers paradigm that you may already have and filling up the figurative toolbox with various literary tools then one becomes more of a reliable source because there is a development of certain intellectual properties. Many of the preconceptions that are established in writing whether it focuses on authenticity and credibility is rooted in a person from the very first time that pen met paper. This idea of being taught the ends and outs of writing that examines and answers the question in which the teacher puts forth for you to answer. As I have progressed throughout school, I have begun to develop different techniques that focus on answering the prompt in a way that I know will capture the audiences attention. Just like the toolbox that Stephen King mentions, I have filled my writing paradigm with new grammar, punctuation, language, sentence structure. By not staying still at a certain level with my toolbox, the success rate by which the audience has found my writing credible and authentic has increased. To influence the rate by which one has success
Comment [AP9]: Usually paradigm is used when discussing larger more interconnected things as opposed to very personal things. So see what you can do with respect to using simpler language. Comment [AP8]: I would like for you to rephrase the writing here to simpler language and see what it does for your writing. Comment [AP7]: I really like what youre saying here but I feel like the language here is a little overinflated. Comment [AP5]: What does this mean?

Comment [AP6]: Okay, so I get what youre saying about the triangle, but it sounds to me like you maybe talking about a pyramid, since a triangle is usually reference to three points (as opposed to the four you have here).

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with writing depends more so on the approach and stylistic conventions that one takes to ensure that audience or fan base continues to buy and in which captures, and holds a constant focus on your writing. This shows in some ways that your stylistic approach has proven to be effective, and that perhaps your writing is deemed as good writing. My conception of what good writing is has been wrong plenty of times. Ive realized that in order for there to be a clear and concise idea or measure for writing to have meaning, there needs to be steps taken to resolve certain issues. Most of the time, especially in my younger years such as middle school,; I tended to rush through my writing prompts. My father would reread my work and realize that there were constant grammatical, sentence structure issues, and punctuation errors. By rushing and not taking my time with my writing I was stuck in the writers section of the triangle. After this brief acknowledgment I took the necessary measures to improve my writing, and establish better techniques that would explain my story clearer . The most important factor when it comes to writing is that you cant rush your writing at all. If the writer takes their time and proof reads their work and resolves the issues that they have like I did, it becomes prevalent that your writing has more clarity and the authenticity is there . Like Stephen King said as one of his rules, you should read and write a lot. This statement holds power because if you read things constantly especially novels, short stories and magazines, you begin to realize what good writing is supposed to look like. I personally say that George Orwells novel 1984 had and showed what it means to be good writing. Through the use of imagery, setting and figurative language it alluded to actual real life situations . The metaphors and analogies used created this sense that they pertained to real life events . I also believe that the
Comment [AP10]: I appreciate what youre doing with the triangle image here, but I think some thing else might help paint a clearer picture.

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work as a whole seemed authentic, and having a chance to be credible is due to the year, which is was written, as a measure of foreshadowing possible events in society. I would determine this to be good writing, because I was focused on the subject matter that Orwell had to place into context and the writing as far the horizon allowed him, he addressed within 1984. Finally, perhaps other forms of writing that can be seen as credible, and it is because of the genre in which it was written were Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie writings . These writings are what I feel like characterize what good writing is. Both authors examine their own personal hardships and then further explain how they overcame these obstacles. While Malcolm X was in prison he took the time to expand his toolbox and learned the dictionary word for word by doing so Malcolm X was able to discuss the transition from an illiterate reader and writer to one of the most influential individuals within society during the time. Sherman Alexie had a similar upbringing except his life had a different meaning. He had to read and write constantly in order to stand out against what was defined as a typical Native American . By telling their story and how it develops character as both a person and writer the knowledge that is built into the message that they put forth becomes even stronger. I determined both of the writings that we read for homework as good writing because of the story, and literary analysis that they were able to explain about themselves and the contextual breakdown was ever so present. In order for writing to be determined as good or not it depends on the overall personal opinion of the reader. It also depends on if the writer enhances the way their writing expands upon the overall effectiveness by which they want the audience to be entertained throughout the novel, essay, journal or magazine article. There are however, some of the listed items that have

Comment [AP11]: How so?

Comment [AP12]: Odd phrasing.

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no relevant significance to writing and therefore should stay in the dark where they belong. Without a clear thesis or exemplary strategies that expand beyond simple characteristics then the writing has no meaning. Writing should expand upon diction, imagery, technique, syntax and style. Without these components there is no such thing as good writing in accompaniment with the toolbox that any level of a writer should have. Phillip, I think you do a very good job detailing the aspects of writing that you value the most. I do like how you were categorizing the levels of writing as a means of organizing your ideas and presenting them to the reader in a visual and clear way. I do want you to reconsider some of your language here. You use interesting vocabulary, but I think your words choice is often maybe a little too inflated or convoluted to the point that I had to reread several sentences to decide what exactly youre talking about. So rein in your language. You have a good vocabulary, which can be a great asset, but pull some of that in.

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King, Stephen. On Writing. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.