Exercise 2

I honestly wish that more research papers were written like Theories of Intelligence for the simple fact that they are easier to read and actually get something from. I feel like I got a lot more out of it because that not-so-subtle distinction from "dry" writing was present. I'm sure many of you would agree with me when I say that reading a typical research essay is pretty boring. More than that though, I tend to only pick up the pieces of information that stick out, while the rest of the essay would disappear into memory oblivion afterwards. However, after reading Dr. Ballenger's research paper, I felt that I understood the work as a whole.

After thinking about this concept, I was reminded of a memory I have of my high school journalism class. My teacher had written an article for the school newspaper and it was part of my job to look over it. The reason I remember this article more than any in the newspaper wasn't because it was so amazing that I locked it into my memory immediately, quite the opposite in fact. I remember it so distinctly because it shocked me that I didn't like it.

It wasn't that the article was "bad" in any way, actually it was exactly as an article was supposed to be written. What stuck out to me the most was that it lacked her voice. It was written in a way that you'd expect to to see in a journalism textbook. To me, it seemed dull and lifeless and I had to force myself to get through the full article. (Not to say anything bad about her, because she was actually a fantastic and teacher, one of my favorites in fact.)

What my newspaper teacher and so many students don't realize is the importance of making your writing YOUR writing. I wish I had learned this a little earlier, since the first time I even attempted to put any personality into a research paper was for my Senior Project. I'm actually kind of excited to write the research paper for English 112 and take my writing voice that much farther than I have done previously.