1. READING AND RESPONDING
THE WRITER AS READER
READING AND RESPONDING

2. Learning Objectives reading as a process of re-creation of meaning;
By the end of this section, you should be able to demonstrate an adequate understanding of:
reading as a process of re-creation of meaning;
making reasonable inferences; and
writing for an audience and purpose.

3. What do we mean by meaning in a text?
The meaning in a text is the author’s intended meaning: the significance is the particular relevance for each reader (what the work does for you—enlarges your mind, offends, etc.). You are actually thinking about what the author was trying to say and to do.

4. Why do texts have indeterminacies and gaps?
Although writers tell us a good deal, they do not tell us everything. So a text includes indeterminacies (passages that careful readers agree are open to various interpretations) and gaps (things left unsaid in the story).

5. What is consistency building?
As we work our way through a text, we keep reevaluating what we have read, weaving the details together to make sense of them.

6. What would be the first question that you would ask yourself in the process of writing?
For whom am I writing? In short, Who is my audience? If you are writing for people who are familiar with the author’s work, you may not want to say much about the author. The audience is actually your collaborator; it helps you decide what you will say.