I'd like to reflect a bit on Boice's use of evidence in this section, not because the strategies for finding balance in pre-writing aren't important, but because I feel I've been commenting on the same set of strategies in all of my blog posts. This repetition is not a deficiency, though. I see it, instead, as a well-planned, well-organized system that demands attention to only a few specific ways of doing. If writers can bring a practice of daily writing, in a comfortable, thoughtful, imaginative, mindful way, all elements of their writing process can be improved. That to me is a wonderfully comforting thought.
At this point in the book (and apparently in his sessions), readers are beginning to demand proof that what he is saying is true. To acknowledge this, Boice presents both quantitative and qualitative evidence that what he is saying about prewriting holds water. Boice's numerical, quantitative, statistical evidence is fine, whatever. I have serious reservations about statistics as a whole (it's a wonder how much stock people will put into a 'fact' if it is accompanied by a number. My skin crawls when people (mostly students) refer to the 'objectivity' of statistics. There is nothing impartial or objective about statistics, anymore than the people who create the systems and rules from which numbers are produced. Statistics are simply another representation of reality, and in my humble opinion, a piss-poor one that smooths over the rich and beautiful complexity of society, humanity, and nature. Alright, down from my soap box I come), but Boice compliments those 'hard' numbers with the qualitative narrative that gives examples of his points. Together, the numbers and the narratives, provided sufficient evidence for me to think that Boice might be on the up and up.
There was one specific point that stuck out to me in the reading for today. Boice once again returns to the idea that we must write ourselves into our prewriting activities (WIRMI note-taking, marginal comments responding to texts, etc). This is certainly something I am going to do in my BDS prewriting activities. Not only will it help me gain a truer understanding of my subject matter, but it will also do a great job preparing me for the actual writing (which I'm sure Boice will get to evenutally :)
********Listening Noes*******
On account of a wonderful little bundle of joy that came into the world yesterday, I am getting a bit sentimental. For your listening pleasure, John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy":
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