Elbow 76-116

Welcome back Mr. Elbow...I have missed you.
I enjoyed this chapter because it really gets into the fact that writing is a a "transaction" between yourself and other people. That is an interesting thought:a transaction..."do more business". I imagine two people standing on either side of a cash register. One with a piece of paper, trying to sell themselves through their writing. The other person, contemplating, has to buy into it and purchase it. Thus, the "point of a teacherless writing class(Elbow, 76)".
When Elbow states, "..What you aren't getting is the main thing that helps people speak better: direct feedback to your speech- a directly perceived sense of how different people react to the sounds you make (Elbow, 76)." It made me think of what it is like hearing your own voice on a recording, and how different it sounds. When you write a paper then have someone else read it, this is a similar experience. Certain methods changed the way the original product was intended, altering the outcome.
I agree with Elbow that there needs to be a diverse group of people in a teacherless writing class. Although people want to understand each other better, it helps for different folks to give completely fresh feedback. "...each needs to experience what it is like for the other to find the writing worthless, and where the other sees glimmers (Elbow, 79)." I love when someone, who i never would have expected, can give me whole new ideas and inspirations on a paper.
On page 83, Elbow suggests to allow at least a minute of silence after reading for impressions to become clearer for listeners. I am definitely guilty of NOT doing this. I think I get nervous about reading my work out loud in general and just want to say it quickly.
I think this entire chapter could be used during an English or Language Arts class during a paper writing preparation activity. I can see it being beneficial for everyone involved.