Three Writers and Their Passion

Adler, Lamott, and Bradley are all essential resources when it comes to writing and finding the right passion for books; the sources teach you about writing and annotating. They are taking us a step further to becoming better readers and writers.

In Mortimer J. Adler’s essay “How to Mark a Book”, he reveals his thesis by stating “You know you have to read “between the lines” to get the most out of anything” (Adler). The thesis is stated directly to the audience since it is in the beginning of the essay and reveals what the author is going to talk about. The author supports his claim by revealing his opinion of “marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love” (Adler). Adler goes on to tell us that it keeps you awake, engaged, and shows that you understand the text. I agree with Adler when telling us that marking a book can show respect and love to the author; it shows that you enjoyed the book and have a good understanding of it. The essay reminded me a lot about high school since we were forced to annotate our required readings; however, it led to better reading habits in the future. I believe that the essay wants me to annotate my book more and teaches me different techniques in annotating better: underlining, stars, numbers, circling, or writing in margins. The essay questions my understanding of certain texts, and I learned that I have trouble understanding certain books. Will I become a better annotator and understand the book more? I certainly will after reading this essay.

According to Anne Lamott’s essay Shitty First Drafts, the idea of shitty first drafts is that “all good writers write them” and “this is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts” (Lamott). The author clearly reveals the thesis in the essay by talking about the main idea of the essay and give a brief overview in the first paragraph. Lamott supports her thesis by stating that “very few writers really know what they are doing until they’ve done it” (Lamott). The reading reminded me of the times that I did not want to write a rough draft; however, it helped me with perfecting my essay. After reading the passage, it made me feel more inspired to go all out on my first draft and revise it more carefully. The passage suggests to me that I should question my writing skills in my first draft and improvement skills; I will start to make better improvements to my first draft instead of just submitting my first draft with very little corrections. The essay talks about your strengths in improving your first essay and staying confident; therefore, I will learn from this and improve my writing.

In the Ray Bradbury video, there is not much of a thesis, but the main topic is about Ray Bradbury and his book Fahrenheit 451. In the video, Bradbury did not have an office for his writing and rented a place to write Fahrenheit 451. I find it quite amazing that Bradbury never stopped writing books, and he loves doing what he loves no matter the circumstances. It made me realize that I have so many resources at my disposal that I should be able to become a better writer and appreciate the writings that were given to me. Bradbury tells us to do “things we love” no matter what people tell you to do (Bradbury). He questions what we truly love in life and that we should go on to achieve it.

Sources

Adler, Mortimer J. HOW TO MARK A BOOK (n.d.): 1-3. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Bradbury, Ray. “The Big Read.” Fahrenheit 451. The Big Read, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Lamott, Anne. “Getting Started: Writing the First Drafts.” Writing and Speaking in the Technology Professions A Practical Guide (2015): 1-2. Web.