Thirteen

Taking an approach is like working in the mindset of another writer. Harris sees a weak version of this as just taking the ideas of another writer and incorporating them into your writing, or applying their work to your own ideas. A better way to take an approach is to take someone’s work and to reshape it through the way you interpret it, and the changes you think could be made to it. An example of this that Harris uses is in the creative realm, where people take plots that have already been created and change the perspective or setting or other things about it to make it their own story. Taking an approach means using the style of a writer, the way they write, and not just their ideas and what they say. Harris points out three ways of taking an approach: acknowledging influences, turning an approach on itself, and reflexivity. Acknowledging influences is about giving credit to writers whose work you used to model your own after. It is about rewriting in someone else’s way of writing, and then citing them for using that style. Turning an approach on itself involves asking the writer what he or she asks of others, or taking a subject and method from the work. Reflexivity is reflecting on key decisions you made while writing. Throughout the New York Times, the examples of taking an approach are more in the editorials and personal pieces because those are more opinionated and leave more room for individual thoughts to come through. An example of taking approach can be seen often on YouTube. People often take songs and cover them to make them their own, putting their own unique style into the song. People often also make their own videos, based on original music videos or novels. They make their own adaptations and take a whole new approach to the things they are working with. Bloggers on YouTube also use this method a lot, stating why they think what they think. Examples of taking an approach can be seen many in different ways through many different kinds of writing.