One of the big things that professors consistently tell me about 'pre-writing' is to just simply start writing. When thinking about a project, many have suggested making a rolling list of all of my thoughts that could be incorporated in my piece. Also, a good professor that I love encouraged me to read often. He says that in order to write well, you have to know how to read well.
Most of my professors have actually mentioned some form of pre writing and one even called it that. She said it was essential for "planning and working through a good piece of writing." The piece of advice that many writing teachers give for pre writing that makes me cringe every time is one simple word - outline. There is nothing that I hate more about writing than being forced to make an outline. It is legitimately nearly painful for me both physically and emotionally. Now, don't get me wrong, outlining may be fine for some people, but a technique called 'reversed outlining' is what works for me. A professor showed me some years ago this method and it is awesome.
Something that really stood out to me in the reading was the quote in line 8: "Speech is a powerful lord...it can stop fear and banish grief and create joy and nurture pity." It seems as though the author is touching also on themes of justice in regards to Helen. Is this quote basically the definition of rhetoric? If it is, how does something so wholeheartedly on the side of justice get such a bad name throughout history? This reading made sense to me generally, but I just couldn't get my mind around whether or not the author was arguing justice for Helen or praise to his supreme speaking abilities.
