Reading Response January 27th

Summary
In "Tuning, Tying, and Training Texts, Tomlinson describes several different metaphors to teach us how writing relates to processes like sculpting, sewing, waxing, painting, and tailoring. She is trying to prove to students that writing is a "long, grinding business" that doesn't just happen, it takes practice and can be related to other things, which she explains in metaphors.

1. Tomlinson thinks "discourse about composing" is sound research because it can be looked back upon to make sure it is accurate without any argument, while "composing practices" are coming from an individual's thoughts and might be misunderstood due to the author's race or gender.
2. If you focus on one metaphor as a writer, you might become stuck on that idea that may show a similarity, but still could be comprehended the wrong way. We can try to write "outside of the box" so our ideas will not be limited to what we are focused on, like a metaphor in the text.
3. I think the sculpting metaphor describes my process when writing something because I constantly write something and then "chisel" off what I don't think sounds appropriate or is misfitting. My mom used to sew a lot so I know how long the task may be and how when looking back at the pillow or stitches, you notice pieces that may have been missed. This is like writing, in that much of my text is added after my initial ideas. A metaphor I use when writing is "practicing game situations" because in basketball I always tried to practice my shot the way I will be shooting in a game; comparing this to writing, I try to write grammatically correct and publish my papers the way they will be required of a very strict professor, even when I text I try to write the right way.
4. No, I think different metaphors describe different writing situations. Not every paper is written the same way because one paper may be a research paper, while another one could be poetry. They require totally different approaches.
5. I think the metaphors I use are normally describe my revision process because they allow me to have some sort of framework in my writing.

Response
I thought this article was a little confusing with all the metaphors Tomlinson used to describe writing, but I do enjoy using metaphors because they help me get a grasp on what is being done. I really think this article could be helpful to me in the future with my writing because I understand metaphors and I can use them to revise my papers.