They Say, I Say Has Influence

Hey everyone!

I feel like I’m going to be outnumbered when I say this, but They Say, I Say has been very influential and I found that I’m subconsciously utilizing their templates!  I know a lot of our classmates consider this book to be very elementary, but I think it never hurts to be exposed to different ways of wording comparisons/opinions/quotes, etc.  As Mike always says, you pick up on certain details and writing styles as you read different texts.  I agree that They Say, I Say may not be the typical, sophisticated text that college students generally read, but it does emphasize that writing is a process and requires a lot of thought.  At times, I think we lose sight of how we generate our ideas, and as tutors, we need to understand the basic components of writing so that we can help anyone that comes into the Writing Center.

I must admit that I never thought of incorporating a They Say, I Say format into a subjective assignment like our session reflections.  However, I found that I was able to add depth to my ideas by including how I felt about a certain aspect of my session/tutoring strategy and relate those ideas to what is presented in The St. Martin’s Sourcebook for Writing Tutors.  My opinions about the English 101 session were paired with different expert’s ideas, thus enhancing my credibility.  Structurally speaking, I found myself utilizing more sophisticated sentences and then clarifying with a simpler statement.  This writing tactic is one found in They Say, I Say, and I previously blogged about it.  I think it worked really well because my complex thoughts were broken down into relatable ideas, which enhanced the overall flow of the paper.  In addition to varying sentence complexities, I also found times in my writing when repetition was used.  I think this strategy helps the writer understand the importance of each point described, and also makes the reflection rather easy to understand.  I know that some excerpts from previous writing assignments could not be read as gracefully as need-be, and I think that using repetition wisely (different from redundant!) can help the reader confidently grasp the author’s thoughts.     

After thinking about all of the strategies I used while writing the session reflection, I definitely appreciate the insight that They Say, I Say offers to writers.  Everything written in that book is certainly not new material, but the way the book offers suggestions and gets you thinking about your writing is important for improvement.  We always say that we’re not perfect, and nor will our sessions be.  I think this mindset can be applied to our writing- we’re good writers, yes, but not perfect.  We should always find ways to better our writing and relate to the writers that come into the Center.