Taking an Approach

"In taking an approach, you rewrite not passages or ideas from a text but another writer's mode or style of working."(pg.95)  As stated by Harris, this is the main difference between taking an approach, and forwarding and countering.  In taking an approach one must ask questions that pose problems for the author's theory.  Harris uses three terms to describe taking an approach.  They are acknowledging influences (Noting writers who have impacted your writing), turning an approach on itself ("Asking the same questions of a writer that he or she asks of others"), and reflexivity (analyzing the key choices you've made in writing your text).  In acknowledging influences you talk about what aspects of a writer's style and way of thinking have influenced your own work.  In turning an approach on itself you take questions that the author posed for the readers, and turn them back on the original work.  Lastly, in reflexivity the writer reflects on the choices he or she made in his or her writing, whether it be approach, goal, or even a certain term that has  been highlighted.  These three terms come together to explain Harris's idea of taking an approach.

I have found it difficult to find an example of this in the New York Times, or the blog I've been reading (engadget.com).  So I will instead try to take an approach with Rewriting.  I would say Harris has had a profound impact on my writing since I began reading this book.  In his book he has been combating difficulties with using other writings in your own work.  He has done this by coming up with terms that he relates to writing (countering, forwarding... etc), and using other writing as examples to help explain his terms.  I've found myself trying to incorporate the works of others more often since starting Rewriting, and the methods he gives for forwarding and countering have been very helpful.  I now ask myself and Harris's Rewriting "What is the project?" and "What are its uses and limits?"  The project is obviously to instruct people on ways of including the writings of others effectively into one's own work.  The uses range from how to build upon the ideas of others, how to effectively counter another person's idea, how to using non text sources (like a Dodge commercial), and how to effectively analyze the writing style of another.  He draws strength from the writings of others, and those are the spots where his book truly shines.  I've found the biggest limit is the one Harris acknowledges himself.  He finds some of his own definitions lacking, like in forwarding he even asks the reader to come up with other methods of forwarding.  I find that he is trying to use his own limit as a tool to help illustrate his point to his readers, in the hopes that they will build upon his ideas, like he has done with so many others in Rewriting.