Jan 27

Tomlinson
In the article Tuning, Tying, and Training Texts: Metaphors for Revision Tomlinson discusses eight different types of metaphors that authors use to describe their own revision processes. Tomlinson brings these metaphors to the readers attention because she wants use to see which metaphor we use when it comes to our revision process.

Summary
I thought it was interesting how the authors were creative in describing the different ways to look at the revising process. It made the writing process seem less of a "white and black" method and has us see the writing process as something else like the tuning of a car, or sewing and tailoring.

QD
1. Tomlinson uses sources from authors who describe their "composing practices" with figurative language while she uses interviews as evidence of "discourse about composing".
2. Focusing on a metaphor as a way of seeing writing is also considered not seeing writing because writing should not, and cannot be looked at as something else. When people think of writing as "wax" or "molten" they may not be getting the best results out of their work. We can get around this problem by having individual ideas about writing, or using your own strategies to write, and not be looking at it as something that it is not.
3. The "Fixing Things" metaphor seems true to what I do when I write, because like "tuning up a car" as they discussed, I somewhat have the same thinking process. I will write my entire paper and keep looking over it, making changes here and there until it is better than what it was before.
4. I do think that Tomlinson is going a step too far when she states that there are different stages when it comes to the metaphors, because a paper should always be able to change and make revisions to. I can argue this because she states that the revision process is "cyclical" which should indicate that the paper is always "molten" and ready to change.
5. The metaphors that I use to describe revision do not shape the ways that I revise, because there is not set strategy when it comes to my revising. If there is something that I see that I want to change, then I change it, even if I'm in the "solid" stage the Tomlinson discusses.