Discussion Questions for Altick, Chp. 7 (Philosophy of Composition):

• What are the main principles of writing according to Altick and Fenstermaker?

• What are your thoughts on the use of �jargon� or �crit-speak� in your writing?

• Thoughts on revision: �Rethinking calls for rearrangement, and rearrangement means rewriting:  perhaps a paragraph here, a whole page there � or the whole article or chapter.  But one can find a positive gain in necessity.  For if the process of writing is in part destructive, exposing as it does the flaws of one�s thinking, it can also be creative, because by forcing reconsideration of what has been said, it sharpen insight into the means of one�s material, suggests new sources of data, perhaps make sit possible to extend the argument a further step� (229). 

• By the way, what do you think about the use of the first-person in literary criticism? (237)

• Pages 242-244 contain some very good bits of advice on writing and publishing.  What do you find most helpful?  What do you learn from this?