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Writing Project 2: Reactional Essay Responding to Writers Taking Risks

To explore the nature of creative risk-taking in writing, compose reactional essay in response to a piece of published nonfiction writing where writers are taking risks. The types of risks may include addressing controversial topics; taking a non-dominant or unpopular perspective; or using unconventional writing features, including vocabulary, style, language variety, genre or visual design. You will choose one outside source that exemplifies a writer taking a risk, and you will complete a summary, analysis, and response to this source in essay format. Overall, you will analyze the effect of this risk taking: Does it make sense considering the author’s purpose, audience or genre? Or, does it fall into the “crazy” category?

As you explore your ideas, you may want to consider the following questions:

• What aspects of the text are risky?
• What kinds of risks might people take in their writing? What do they look like?
• What makes some writing riskier than others?
• What parts of the writing process/experience are affected by risk? (Topic/subject, word choice/diction, final layout/design)
• How do writers manage risks?  What factors determine how risky a writer can be? (audience, location of text, social expectations)
• How do writers make these creative, risky choices “work”?
• How does a risk-taking writer work with traditional norms and expectations of writing?
• Are there certain situations where taking risks in writing is not allowed? Why?

Once you choose your text, you may want to ask these even more focused questions:

• What kind of risks does the writer take?
• How does the writer manage the risk?
• How are the dominant and alternative perspectives represented in relation to each other?
• Who decides that the choices the writer makes are risky?
• What is the overall effect of the risk-taking?  Does it work, or is it a mistake?  Why?
• Why is the risk worth taking?  What is the writer trying to contribute by taking this risk?