Interviewing “The Writer”

Danielle Aylesworth

  

1) What writers have you read that you could say had an authentic voice?

Describe the qualities that made them unique.

Augusten burroughs, who writes memoirs. They were like real life, and he was just telling a story, as opposed to seeming like someone went through and proofread all his work. It was real life.

2) How would you describe your writing voice? How connected is it to the way

you think and talk?  It’s really weird, and has been since high school. I never right ‘straight formal’. I’ve always had a slight sarcastic tone. I still use proper grammar and all that. I use a lot of big words, but not words you wouldn’t expect. Certainly informal, but still academic. When I talk I use big words and it’s very informal but I still speak clearly and academically, except for when I’m hanging out with friends. I use proper English but informally. It’s very similar to my writing style. Big words make you seem smarter.

3) What theories about writing we’ve explored in class speak to your own

experience? Were there moments you felt challenged by an idea? Did

you encounter any new ideas that helped explain hunches you had about

literacy? No specific theories directly connect to my life, though genre theory… I felt similar to you in that I felt it over complicated the issue and makes a person studying it want to know less about it. The more research we did the more exhaustive the information became.

4) What is your earliest writing memory? How did it inform your attitudes

toward writing?

I remember writing in kindergartern, but that wasn’t really ‘writing’. I guess my first memory was writing a “book” in third grade. It was about two guys that opened a toy shop. It was our first time using complete, complex sentences and I still have the book. It made writing more fun. I still don’t love writing but it definitely helped at that age.

5) What role did the adults in your life play towards your literacy development?

My parents didn’t really care about my schooling because I was really smart, so they just focused on my brother. I just skated through school, even with honros and AP classes. None of my English teachers stand out to me. I don’t think I’ve ever had a ‘bad’ teacher because I’ve always been relatively smart.

6) What is your best & worst writing experience?

Third grade writing was fun. Haven’t had a worst, writing was easy.

7) Finish this metaphor: “For me, writing is like __________.”

8) Describe the scene you imagine when thinking about your future classroom.

How does it integrate literacy practices?