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Summary Writing and the Words We Choose
My process and perspective change of thinking

by Annie Todor

10/12/2020


  https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*MvCu1ClMi56eVTQj.jpg



At work they call me the "word girl" because words mean so much to me but I can also be lazy with how I choose to use them both in speaking and writing.  So this assignment is a challenge to improve my writing skills and be a more effective communicator.  I've identified some challenges as well as some triumphs as well.

One of the first tips that the article I read focused on is using the THIRD PERSON not first person.  If I use (we, us, our ---this assumes that the writer had the same experience).   This will be a challenge for me to remember in my writing as I lean on writing from my own perspective.  The focus is not on me as I write a summary but rather on what the film is doing.

Dr. Kyburz sent us an article of elemental tips about summary writing that was very helpful.  This type of writing is a skill that I have not yet mastered but want to learn and implement.  I like the focus on using higher level verbs for impact in writing:

Using verbs such as: reveals, portrays, highlights, follows, examines, explains - - give me a place to start. This guide will help keep me within the boundaries of using useful verbs for description about the film vs my own opinion.  I am compiling a 3X5 card of these useful verbs so that I can begin to think differently as I write and add to the list as I learn this skill.

This quote that the article highlighted caught my attention: 

"My summary is about the documentary; I am summarizing its information and its structure, NOT identifying directorial choices."

When I have this mindset and perspective change, this will help me focus on what the film is doing and not how I see it.

My progress so far is that as I am compiling my summary, I find myself catching myself and making changes so far.  Celebrate the small changes!

To all of you reading this (my fellow classmates), I hope this was helpful as you construct your summaries.  Wishing you all the best.



Comments

  1. dr. kyburzOctober 13, 2020 at 6:50 AM

    I"m so glad you got so much out of the guide. It's KEY that you got this: "My summary is about the documentary; I am summarizing its information and its structure, NOT identifying directorial choices."

    I'll have to highlight that doc to the class!!

    Finally, I can't see your "publish" button for posting comments. It took me a WHILE to realize that my "disappearing" posts were not showing (I posted and reposted. Ayieee!) weren't posting at all because the post button (lower right from this field in which I'm commenting) isn't visible. If you work with your settings, you can fix that. I'd also suggest using a background that isn't red. It's very difficult to read text on a red screen. Thanks for considering it, Annie!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. dr. kyburzOctober 14, 2020 at 9:00 AM

    Oh this background is so much better! We always want to be sure our readers can *read* us :)

    ReplyDelete

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