SQR5

Rachel Reyna & Lisa Lopez
ENG 1301.28
Trang Phan
Sept. 26, 2010

Writer-Based Prose: A Cognitive for Problems in Writing Summary

Linda Flower. “Writer-Based Prose: A Cognitive Basis for Problems in Writing”. College English, Vol. 41, No. 1. (1979), pp. 19-37

Writing can be seen as a complicated way of one expressing his or her feelings. In this article, there are theories and strategies used to prove that, in writing, the gap between a reader and a writer can have a solution. Writer-based prose is a common way for the writer to mislead a reader, which is a cause for underdeveloped ideas and pointless discussion. An answer for this type of dilemma is reader-based prose. The reader-based prose is a strategy used to communicate directly to the reader. This is more useful than the writer-based prose since it reflects more on the purpose, rather than the process like in writer-based prose. The author used a psychology class’ drafts an example to show that the mistakes made would be based off of writer-based prose. The writing-based prose includes three principles that can have a useful purpose: function, structure and style. The functional system can be used by a writer to conduct his/her thoughts in way that will cause simple understanding to the reader. The structure of a writer can show how they usefully use information and the style of the writer comes from their flow of thought.

Question: What is egocentrism and in what way does it benefit someone? How was it described in the article?
Egocentrism is when someone speaks their mind or says whatever is on their mind. A great example used in the article is that of a child. The child is used here as an example of egocentrism because at a certain age children usually talk about themselves. It’s not about boasting though, it is more about self discovery. When a child talks out loud, or figures out that they like ponies and they talk about that certain thing all the time, each day they learn something different. Egocentrism is not about selfishness or boastfulness; it is more about self realization. Writers can benefit with egocentrism because of the fact that it lets them express their beliefs and what they feel is right. I know I was egocentric at one point as a child. When I was about three years old, all I could do was ask questions and speak my mind out loud. Nothing was able to stop me from speaking my mind because I didn’t really care. I could go on and on about ponies and cats. Egocentrism could help a writer depending on the circumstance. A writer can use this to help him create better ideas and learn more things about himself. Egocentrism is like a brainstorm except it includes the person to talk about themselves, to themselves, and to others.