Thlog #1

This thlog is meant to reflect upon my first week in writing 2, and so far I can say I am enjoying the class.  We have begun with an analysis of genres and conventions, and I have found the discussion of what actually makes up a genre to be very interesting.  I found the writings of Peter Elbow to particularly interesting.  Elbow discussed how writing can promote both first and second order thinking.  He defined first order thinking as unrestricted and creative while second order is very critical and analyzed.  In the particular excerpt, Elbow asserted that the best approach to writing is a combination of both first and second order thinking.  He claimed that first order thinking is useful to produce new and creative ideas, while second order thinking is useful for refining those ideas and making them come together.  As I applied this reasoning to my own work and thought about my writing I realized I have gotten into the habit of relying on second order thinking.  Often times I am far too critical of my ideas before they even reach the paper.  This results in a lack of creativity in my writing and I feel I have to force words into a paper. After thinking about this concept of combining the two forms of thinking I plan to use this method in my future writing.  It is my goal for writing 2 this year to become better at utilizing this technique in order to improve the flow and creativity of my writing while still maintaining structure and intelligent thought.