Decomposition on Composition
In this reflection I will be breaking on writing I have been composing all quarter.
Theory of Writing
Writing is to effectively communicate with an audience to get the writers point across. In order to define my theory of writing I have a list of key terms.
This list consists of terms such as: communication, rhetoric, reflection, discourse, discourse community, formal/informal, process, and individual.
Terms Meaning
Communication: means of sending or receiving information. My personal definition of communication would be “What is my purpose to share my thoughts or information I know with others”.
Rhetoric is a term I have seen in my English classes since Freshman year of high school. Throughout high school I dreaded seeing the term rhetoric. In previous English classes I was given a long list of rhetorical terms and was expected to know how to use all of them. Since taking WRD103 I have been able to actually learn about rhetorical terms.
Discourse/Discourse community means communicating within a group.
Formal/informal is how I go about communicating based on who I am talking to and what is the reasoning. Process is referring to my writing process. My writing process for a finsta post is different from how I write a text to my parents or how I write my cover letter.
Individual means my own way of writing and why it is important to me. These terms all connected because it is how i describe my purpose to write and how I write.
Terms such as communication and informal/formal are terms I used to define writing before taking WRD 103. Rhetoric, reflection, discourse, discourse community, process, and individual are terms I knew before taking this course but, I have learned a new meaning to them while taking WRD 103.
Connections
In my last map I used arrows to point out which terms connect together for my definition of writing. It looks crazy and hectic but for me the arrows connecting each term is everywhere. For examples, audience connects to two other terms. This is because when you recognize who your audience is then you can decided what genre will be most effective and if this writing piece will be formal or informal. Then terms such as purpose and discourse community connect to audience. Purpose is connected to audience because when in the beginning stages of writing a write has to identify what the purpose is and why they must write. Discourse Community is also connected to audience because that discourse community could be the potential audience for your writing or could be the purpose for why someone writes. While all of the arrows are crazy they all can connect in many different ways.
My Ideas about Writing Before WRD 103
Before WRD 103 I thought writing was just about trying to persuade people with nice words and flow sentences that my AP lang teacher would like. It is more than convincing Mrs. Marcinkus that the sky is purple. It is about the content of the writing. Then learning new ways of writing and why we write.
When working on project 1 I was able to use the rhetorical terms correctly and actually learn about what rhetoric is. Project 1 changed how I felt about rhetoric and how I can communicate by writing. In my AP lang class I was given 70 something rhetorical terms and had a week to find a definition on all terms, use it in a sentence, and make up my own example of it. That was intimidating. I was more focused on completing the assignment instead of learning all of the terms.
Now, my key terms maps. Rhetoric was was not mentioned on my first map. It was mentioned on maps 2 and 3.
In this class I quickly learned a few rhetorical terms and how to use them in a effective manner. While developing my writing skills, I do not think I could take rhetoric off of any future key terms maps. An activity that has helped me develop as a writer was “The Writing Process — ‘Traditional” activity. On this worksheet I had to write down my whole writing process, add steps, and add arrows to show how my process flows. I found this fun and it helped me realize how much time I actually put into my writing in order for it to be successful.
Growth Shown through Projects
Project 1 is a Project I feel as if accurately shows how I would write in High School. I used the same revision process that I would have used in High school, but, the content is better and I do use rhetorical terms more effectively.
Then Project 2 I interviewed an officer from DePauls DECA and I also observed their resume workshop. This pushed me way out of my comfort zone. I had never conducted a Interview for a writing piece. I have conducted a job interview while working in Human Resources. This was different. I felt more intimidated when interviewing for DECA because I am a Freshman and had little information on this discourse community.
Project 3 also pushed me out of my comfort zone. I created a Instagram page and made flyers to use for the posts. This was fun learning how to make flyers that were nice to look at. My purpose was to create a more effective Instagram that gave updates on DECA events. Using a flyer template for the posts was effective because I was a way to quickly communicate with members of this discourse community and potential members. This project was great because I could use some creativity and look at how to improve communication. Two things I enjoy doing.
Every Project assigned has been so different and I think it has been an effective way of teaching. If WRD 103 was strictly about writing essays I would have learned nothing. I also feel as if I have gained some new skills and have a better understanding of rhetoric which has made me a better writer.
My Writing Theory outside of WRD 103
How I write outside of WRD 103 will never be the same. At work I had to complete a variety of writing activities. For the more formal types of writing I would come across at work I would stress over grammar and punctuation. Which is important, however, the problem is I was not focusing on the actual content of my work. Of course I made it in a way I hoped my boss would like. Now, for future writing tasks at work I am going to take the time and think of what the content of the writing should be. Then after that I can clean up the spelling, grammar, and make any adjustments my boss see need be.
My relationship with my writing theory has improved significantly. I now take my writing more seriously and take pride in how I communicate when I feel as if it is effective after revision.
