9/12/2012
Writing 421
 Express
 Inform
and Reflect
and Explain
 Evaluate
 Inquire
and Explore
 Analyze
 Take
and Judge
and Interpret
a Stand/Propose a Solution
Writing 421A
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9/12/2012
 Expressive Writing:
• A piece of writing where you recall an event
from your own experiences.
 Reflective Writing:
• A piece of writing where you consider how that
event has influenced you.
 The
best writing comes when a writer
combines both expressive and reflective
writing.
 For
example:
• When the students expresses her thoughts on
her family member’s death AND transitions
(moves into) what this experience has taught
her.
 Expressive Writing:
• A student writes about her feelings following the
death of a family member.
 Reflective Writing:
• A student writes what she has learned from
having to go through her family member’s death.
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9/12/2012
 Good
reflective writing moves beyond
recounting (remembering and telling
about) the past; it brings new insight to
the writer.
 The
next page will show some
differences between reflective and
expressive writing:
EXPRESSIVE WRITING

First and foremost,
expressive writing is
personal writing. The
writer shares thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and
questions about his or
her experiences.
Usually written in the
first person point of
view (“I”), it exhibits
the author’s voice. The
author tells the reader
how he or she feels.
REFLECTIVE WRITING

Though also personal, reflective
writing often moves beyond
recounting an experience and
into an exploration of how that
particular experience has shaped
(affected) the writer. The goal of
reflective writing is not to share
final thoughts on a topic; on the
contrary, it is a way to explore and
discover new thoughts. In
reflective writing, the author often
looks at the past as a way to look
at the future.
Writing 421
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9/12/2012
A
very simple activity, once we learn
what a memoir is.
 What’s
a memoir?
• From dictionary.com:
 A memoir is a first-person account of one person’s life
and experiences; in other words, an autobiography.
 All
things considered, I’m doing well.
past is forgiven, not forgotten.
 Escaped my mother. Trapped by girlfriend.
 So the water’s deep. Man up!
 You’re never the same person again.
 Up at 6:00; teaching is hard.
 Started a family, surrounded by girls.
 Teach, grade, travel, speak, writer, tired.
 Didn’t quite work out. I’m glad.
 Read a book; smarter than yesterday.
 The
 Let’s
move things up a notch and use
twitter as an example.
 Again, write
memoirs of 140 characters
or a little less (the maximum length of a
“tweet”).
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9/12/2012
 What
will I be when I grow up? Thought I
wanted to be a clown; ended up a teacher.
Sometimes when one door closes, another
opens. Funny how things work out.
 She
chased raccoons. She bit a bee. She
raced me in the pool. She jumped out a
window. She stood by my side. She was
more than a dog; she was my friend. I miss
her.
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