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At 09:47 PM 16/01/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Perhaps, we could agree that any type of writing is real to the person >who writes it and to the person who receives it as a reader. > >-- >Natasha Artemeva Hi Natasha and All, I don't post often here, but did feel called upon to reply about the "real workplace writing" vs. "unreal school assignments" discussion. First of all when one is a student, their primary job is to be a student. Thus, it would make sense that part of their job description is to learn how to write academically. Yes/No? Secondly, I find that in the rush to get students streamlined towards the workplace, the craft of writing is given short shrift. The professor and/or the students spend a lot of time finding and making contacts with business professionals to the extend that there's not much time to rework drafts and polish texts. Everything is all about context and not about how to simply find pleasure in writing, in writing something better. A well made thing can given one a lot of satisfaction, and somehow I think this is overlook. A well-put together essay, a well-written report, in and of itself, can be pleasurable. In some senses, it matters little what you write, as long as you keep writing and reading. More importantly perhaps, is to develop a passion for these two things. Also there are structural components that one can find in almost any sort of text, such as beginnings, middles, ends, the paragraph, the sentence. If one focuses in on how to better craft these elements that expertise can be carry over into all sort of genres--academic, or workplace driven. Thirdly, I think most of our students can look forward to a life-time of reading nothing but memos and business reports--a somewhat dreary prospect. Yes/No? Shouldn't the few precious years at university be a time for them to luxuriate in something more pleasurable, more critically and creatively thought-provoking? Best, Charlotte Hussey