16NovMethods

Outcome:

Draft of a text exploring a question relevant to your practice. This is material you can draw on when you work on your text on practice next semester.

In this close reading and writing session, taking Anne Boyer's text 'Questions For Poets' as a starting point, we will be looking at ‘mode of address’: how a text speaks to its reader. We will also consider how texts can be in conversation with other texts.

We will explore practical ways to facilitate the writing process using prompts and freewriting, with special emphasis on the question as a form for generating written material. We will also think about questions around our own work.

Revised Overview of the day

11:00- 11:45 Introduction to the text + Collective reading of the text + Intro to close reading exercise 12:00 – 12:30 Collective discussion

Break

13:30 – 14:00 Individual freewriting session (20 mins)

Intro to writing session - discussing mode of address + structure (10 mins)

14:00 – 15:20 Review of material for development into a text using the questions we have discussed OR second freewriting session (20 mins) Individual writing session – developing material to produce a draft text (1 hour)

Break

15:30 – 16:30 Small groups: discussion of draft texts

16:30 - 17.00 Collective review of session + wrap-up

The day in more detail:

11:00- 11:45 Introduction to the text: Anne Boyer's Questions For Poets:

   https://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/questions-poets#_edn1
   

Collective reading of the text

Intro to close reading exercise - overview of guiding questions:

What is 'mode of address'? How does this text speak to you as a reader? How is this text in conversation with other texts? What thoughts do you have about the structure of the text? What other comments, thoughts, questions, do you have on/about this text?

Break

12:00 – 12:30

Close reading exercise in groups of 3 Taking guiding questions as a starting point

Collective discussion

Break

13:30 – 14:00

Individual freewriting session in response to a prompt relating to your research Possible sources of prompts: Questions For Poets or scratch directory:

 https://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/ScratchDirectory

Individual freewriting session (20 mins)

Intro to writing session (10 mins)

Use your freewriting material (or elements of it) as the basis for a more structured text which asks a question of your practice, or its broader context.

Begin by thinking about the text’s mode of address: how would you like your text to speak to the reader?

Intro to the writing session - discussing mode of address + structure (10 mins)

Some questions you can ask yourself as you plan your text: What will the function of your text be? (e.g. To entertain, provoke, explain...?) Who will your reader be? What form will your text take? (e.g. script, diary entry, letter, essay, series of fragments) Will you include any structuring elements e.g. subheadings, short numbered sections What is the title of your planned text?

14:00 – 15:20 Individual writing session

Begin by reviewing your freewriting material for development into a text OR doing a second freewriting session (20 mins)

Work on text (1 hour)

Break

15:30 – 16:30 Group exercise

In your groups, read and discuss one another’s texts, paying attention to mode of address. Discuss how texts could be developed.

16:30 - 17.00

Review of session + wrap-up