Kyle E. Coons

ERH 250W

Reading Response 1

Chosen topic “Problem Solving: Language Problem”

Help Received: Microsoft Word, Erika Lindemann’s “A rhetoric for writing teachers”, class notes, handout on reading with group work (for ideas to build from) and the in-class discussion

I chose the topic of Problem Solving to go further in depth from the answer my group formulated during class, in specific the problem I face with forming thoughts into writing. Within this “problem solving” that Lindemann talks about on pages 28 and 29, she specifically discusses what every writer deals with, the “language problem”. “We may know what to say, but we can’t make the words work” (Lindemann, 29). I specifically wanted to talk about this problem because it is one I run into quite often. Reasons I believe writers run into this problem stem from over thinking what they want to say, frequently due to the audience they are writing for (which led to an overwhelming agreeance of the class that the issues discussed under the “Dynamics of Composing” (Lindemann, 28-29) theory are all interconnected). As a history major I see myself facing this problem when I attempt to translate what I’ve read in detailed history books into long thesis-based essays. One solution talked about in class that I find very useful is speaking (aloud) about what you want to say. This method has led to a solution for my “writers block” on numerous accounts.

Works Cited:

Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. “Writing” pg 27-29. New York: Oxford University Press.