Page 144 - Student: dazed And Confused

A passable knowledge of our language negates the need for too much debate over sentence
structure but also allows the necessary freedom to disregard all punctuation in the dream

sequences in Rock-a-bye. Perhaps not knowing it or being ignorant of certain writing

theories and practices is more ultimately powerful than knowing everything. For how can
we let out imaginations run and play if we are tethered to rules and regulations?

TUTOR NOTES - There's an important ingredient missing here, Wendy. You refer to
Rock-a-bye which I assume is a horror story (naturally), but don't include a copy of it as an
appendix. You also fail todicuss your process in writing it (I didn't have enough words) or to
analyse the content of the writing.
You do however, use two interesting role models to refer to and you take many useful
observations about the problems and challenges that present themselves to any writer.
However, if you are going to take issue with canonical writers like Woolf and Austen (no

issue, just not my thing), you need to present a coherent argument to support your points.
What's needed here is some more organisation and grouping of the points you want to
make. You make a number of different statements but don't really link them into a
coherent argument. I wasn't clear on what sort of writer you see yourself as being? (I'm still
figuring that out ! ) are you an architect? You don't say you are or give evidence to show it,
but neither do you present yourself as any of the other categories. Even if you feel that
Sharples' divisions are irrelevant, you need to pursue the point fully in a discussion of the
different types of writer and how these might or might not apply to your own practive or
thoseof others.
When writing critical essays, it's a good idea to work out what argument you want to make,
then plan how you will present it and what evidence you will use to support it. Think of it as

a lawyer presenting a case to a jury. She will gradually unfurl her argument attesting to the
guilt or innocence of the accused. She will support the arguments with witness testimony.
Finally, she will sum up her case for judge aqnd jury.
Finally, please don't use we (but I need one) in an essay. The occasional use of i is fine.

OVERALL MARK - 58