These chapter relate broadly to the topic I want to explore in my exploratory (redundant) paper. In fact, most of the reading have related to the broad topic I have chosen because my topic is "pre-writing," or "what do we write before we write" or maybe just simply writing in the invention stage. I will be the first to admit that my writing usually suffers from a lack of "prewriting," or heuristics as this book calls it. While I am no stranger to the last minute total overhaul, but a little lot more preparation could have probably saved me a lot of sleepless nights. However, the readings on contract and communal grading have got me thinking that perhaps these evidences of my laziness where not entirely my fault. (As a "good boy" and twin, I am quick to shriek blame). But seriously, maybe the reason that literally every undergraduate paper (my own included) that I have ever read seems to suffer from either myopathy or indigestion is because no one that I know goes through the process of that is necessary to discover (or create?) kairos, constructs legitimate counter arguments, or takes a tangent a rewrite the whole around it (on purpose). Weak writers and strong writers often share the same prideful demon that says, "You wrote it, therefore it must be part of your paper." If you were like me, you might have been a little weirded out by the potential of contract grading to reward poor work, but I want to argue that rewarding students for doing "poor work," that is work that doesn't produce good results and is indeed work, is a necessary step in developing strong writers. Writing students like math students need to be given credit for showing their work. That means if you want students to ask themselves the Four Questions, first answer Devin's question (how), then give them stand alone assignment(s) where they must produce a document that looks something like what the writer of this book gives us, and finally give them credit for it (if they did it). This might seem obvious, but I have never had a class that required more than an annotated bibliography. Will they perhaps unlearn this process in other courses that don't give them credit for this kind of "extra" work? Perhaps? But, in the spirit of Dissoi Logoi, perhaps not.

One of the assignments that I have been thinking about is to get them to tell me which way they are leaning on whatever issue and have them argue the other side. I found this helpful but frustrating when I did it accidentally as my mind went on weird tangents starring at my word processors and I think it would be much less traumatic if it was required.

I am sure there are many other I can do, but I plan on exploring that in my (once again redundant) exploratory paper, so I will get back to you on that.