PB2B

When thinking of the term “moves,” you may find it difficult to define. As there are moves in every aspect of our lives, from writing to real life, it can also be confusing concept to learn. Personally, the best way to describe it is a certain technique or decision that someone --whether it be a writer, singer, or anyone else – makes, that accomplishes a certain goal. As everyone is different, everyone has different preferred moves. For example, a writer may use quotes to show that a word is being presented as a linguistic example (as I did in the first sentence) or they may use italics instead. A singer may repeat words or phrases to accomplish the goal of emphasizing their importance, where others may sing those words or phrases in a different pitch to accomplish the same goal. Over the last week in writing 2, we have seen many different moves from authors and now its time to dig deeper and discover why those authors’ chose the moves they did and what those moves accomplished in their writing.

They Say, I Say gives several examples of “the moves that matter in writing.” After exploring several of the moves provided, I chose five that I found to be the most prevalent among our readings.

     1.  In the text How to Read Like a Writer, Mike Bunn uses the move “Introducing Objections Informally.” When he asks the questions “What kinds of evidence does the author use to support his/her claims? Does he/she use statistics? Quotes from famous people? Personal anecdotes or personal stories? How appropriate or effective is this evidence? (89)” in this informal, direct question way, its very effective in reminding readers of what they should be looking for. It is straightforward in accomplishing the goal of getting readers to ask themselves questions while reading.

2   2.  In Navigating Genres by Kerry Dirk, she demonstrates the move “Capturing Authorial Action.” Dirk says “Amy Devitt, a professor who specializes in the study of genre theory, points out that ‘genre develops, then, because they respond appropriately to situations that writers encounter repeatedly. (20)’” This technique used rather often, accomplishes the task of building credibility by referencing other individuals.

3   3. Laura Carroll uses the move “Naming Your Naysayers” in Steps Towards Rhetorical Analysis when she says “For example, philanthropists who could raise money for arts education or legislators who might pass laws… (42)” This is effective in informing readers who or what group of people have to say about the topic being presented. This is important because if a biologist was giving input on an economic situation, readers may be lead to believe the information is not credible.

4   4. Carroll also uses the move “Adding Metacommentary” in his text when he says “In other words, rhetorical disclosure is usually responding to some kind of problem. (40)” This is very useful for readers and accomplishes the task of better explaining a quote in terms that are easier to understand.

5   5.    Dirk uses the move “Introducing Quotations” when he says “Devitt argues that “people do not label… (21).’” This is effective because he is using evidence to support his point that rhetorical knowledge is required to know who an intended audience of a genre is.

After going through some of the previous texts, here are some moves I found that weren’t mentioned in the They Say, I Say index:

1   1. Mike Bunn uses the move “Font Frenzy” when he says “Then you can go one step further and imagine what different choices the author might have made instead… (81).” He uses different fonts to accomplish the goal of emphasizing the words “different” and “might”.

2       2. Kerry Dirk uses the move “Who’s That” when she says “Carolyn Miller, a leading professor in the field of technical communication argues… (20).” I named this move accordingly because the author informs readers who his references are. This, along with many other moves, builds credibility as readers will feel more inclined to believe the information being provided if the author tells about a references workplace and a career instead of just a name.

3    3. Mike Bunn uses the move “Quest for Questions” in How to Read Like a Writer. He uses it when he says “Beyond these initial two questions, there is an almost endless list of questions you might ask regarding writing choices and techniques (88)” and “As you begin reading you can ask yourself whether the word choice… (89).” This move reminds readers to ask themselves questions while reading to better their skills of “reading like a writer”.

4    4.  Laura Carroll demonstrates the move “Dot Per Thought” in Step Towards Rhetorical Analysis when she lists a bunch of different types of rhetoric using bullet points. Each thought or different example is conveyed by a bullet point and this is effective because it makes it easy for readers to follow.

5    5. Janet Boys uses the move “Me, Myself, and I” in the text Murder! When she begins her writing with a self introduction about her life, career, and background. This makes readers feel like they can relate to the author and if they have common interests it may make a reader want to read the piece more.