I think this text is very thought provoking. It showed that we romanticizes the actuality of writing letters and how blogging arguments makes you think more precisely and make deeper connections. Before this excerpt, I had never considered what writing more could improve. I relate to the section about “hand waving”. I heavily rely on hand waving and expressive hand movement to get through most of my everyday conversations, especially when I don’t really know what I am talking about. When the author says “when you face a real audience … hand waving has to end,” I completely understood what she meant. When you blog, you have to know what you are talking about, or there is no point trying to convince people of your point, because your opinion is not enough to persuade them.

A main claim is writing helps you think better as well as learn more. I think these claims are very true. As I was reading Thompson’s work I couldn’t help thinking about what I write and why I write. I write everything from due dates, notes for a class, and my grocery list. Why do I write well it’s simple, to remember. I need to recall when I have something due in a class so I know what I need to do that day, I need to know my notes for my exams, and I write my grocery list so I know what I need to get so I don’t have to go back anytime soon. Even if I forget my grocery list I still can remember most, if not all of the list in comparison of very few items when I don’t. I can learn more new things and think back on my old thing just because I wrote them down. It’s so interesting how the brain works. What I really loved about this writing was all the studies he used, they were all so interesting. 

Another claim is that people now write more than people back in the day. It is also very true if you think about it. We write in our daily post, chats, and lists or reminders. Since I have gotten my smart phone, I don’t think one day has gone by without me texting one of my friends or family members. Back in the day people had hardly ever actually write down what they wanted to say because they were near the person they wanted to say it to or every so often write a letter, which were fairly expensive to mail.