PB2B - Moves

With regards to the field of writing, a “move” is a decision that the writer makes in order to shape their work a certain way; it could be word choice, paragraph transitions, or even sentence phrasing.  As such, understanding a writer’s moves is crucial to understanding their thought process behind the creation of their work.  With different purposes and audiences for each work come different moves to back them up and help get the point across. 

            Consider Mike Bunn’s essay, How to Read Like a Writer.  Bunn wrote this essay with college students in mind, intending to help students understand the idea of “reading like a writer” which involves analysis of a writer’s moves.  Of course, Bunn uses some moves of his own in an attempt to get this idea across to us.  For instance, he opens his essay with an anecdote about his life as a college graduate in London.  This is an important move that Bunn makes, as he knows his target audience consists of college students.  By including such an anecdote, and more specifically by revealing his status as a college graduate, Bunn presents himself in a relatable position to the readers; thus, they can see Bunn as a credible source, and might be more open to reading and understanding his work.  Looking at that decision, he could have just as easily gone straight into the topic of “reading like a writer” instead of putting the anecdote first.  However, Bunn’s awareness of audience played a role in his decision to go through with the anecdote.  Bunn also incorporates insight and advice from his students about learning this new style of reading.  With this move, Bunn accomplishes two different tasks.  First, by mentioning his former students, it shows that Bunn is or was a professor, and has taught this reading technique in classes prior.  This, in turn, may help the readers open up even further to his opinion, as Bunn is trying to get the readers to learn just like his own students.  Also, he asks said students for advice on how to read like a writer, even saying directly, “who is better qualified to help you learn…than students who recently took the courses themselves?” By doing this, Bunn shows he values the opinions of his students, and he believes their thoughts will be conducive to helping other students (the readers) learn.  Alternatively, Bunn could have tried to make points in his own way, but he recognized that hearing the idea from his former students would be more successful in teaching the student audience. 

            In a similar vein, Janet Boyd shows other kinds of writers’ moves in her essay, Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking).  For instance, she writes this article with definite breaks, explicitly telling the reader to stop reading and complete certain activities before continuing, almost like a lesson plan.  As a writing professor, this essay is Boyd’s effort to teach rhetoric to the readers.  As such, by following along with the essay, Boyd can get the reader to understand why rhetoric is important and how it applies.  By putting these breaks in, Boyd also breaks down her “lesson” in to smaller, digestible parts in order to keep the interest of the college-student readers.  This was an essential move from Boyd, as keeping the interest of the reader is crucial to getting her message across, especially if the readers are college students.  Another move that Boyd makes in her essay is that she poses many questions for the reader to think about.  Again, Boyd’s role as a writing professor could have played a role in this move; since she is dealing with a student audience, she can understand that learning about rhetoric may be harder for some students than others.  By posing the right questions, Boyd can help the reader think in the right way and ultimately help them understand how rhetoric works. 

            Despite having a similar purpose, Bunn and Boyd approach their work in different ways; they make different moves as a result, each with varying degrees of success. For instance, both Boyd and Bunn provide examples or advice from their own students to help solidify their points.  This is a successful move for both writers because they play to the target audience properly; students may be more compelled to take advice from other students instead of hearing it directly from an authority figure.  In Boyd’s case, her “lesson plan” approach can fail; students who don’t take her activities seriously will not get as much out of Boyd’s lesson as intended.  However, the rest will benefit from doing said activities, and will get the most out of Boyd’s essay.  Finally, Bunn’s opening anecdote in his essay is a successful move because he opens a door into his own personal life; readers can relate to his past status as a young college graduate and recognize Bunn was once in their position.  Thus, they can be more open to his ideas presented in the essay.