My Philosophy of Writing
Rhetorical Situation
AUDIENCE: Who are you writing this critique for?
I am writing this for people who are interested in the many different beliefs others can have in the subject of writing
PURPOSE: What are you trying to achieve with this critique?
I want to express how self-expressionism and a good understanding of the writing process can lead to great works of writing
STANCE: What is your attitude toward your subject?
Open to other beliefs but adamant about mine
Introduction: Throughout my many years of being taught English and writing, I’ve been able to understand many things about it. One of the many things I’ve come to understand about writing are my beliefs in the writing process and personal expression. In my philosophy of writing, a strong sense of personal expression and a good understanding of the writing process allows for great works of writing.
Body 1: Writing and personal expression are two things that go hand in hand with each other because writing is a way of expressing yourself. Writing, in and of itself, is a way of putting into words your thoughts and creations. Authors who write books such as Rick Riordan, who created the “Percy Jackson” series of novels, have entire universes, characters, and unique stories put into words that have been published, shared, and read by millions of people throughout the world. When I was in the 5th grade and read through Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”, I was astonished at the world and characters that Riordan created by building on Greek Mythology. The “Percy Jackson” series of novels have become synonymous with Rick Riordan to the point that you can say it is an extension of himself. Reading someone’s work of writing is like gaining insight into how their mind works and what they are capable of creating. Many people use websites like Wattpad to upload and share their writing to the thousands of people on that website who share the same interests. For example, many of my friends would frequently visit Wattpad to read and write stories based on TV shows or other books that they were passionate about, which lead to them eventually becoming avid writers and creating their own stories. For a lot of people, writing is the only way that they are able to truly express themselves. Because of that, every piece of writing tends to be unique because no person writes the same. In every piece of my writing, I try to write while being truthful to my personality, which adds a unique voice to my writing that can make it stand out. Everybody writes differently because their writing is their personal expression and voice being put into words, and that no one can replicate.
Body 2: Another belief I have is that everyone is an author. Everyone on this planet has a story to tell that they can share with the world through writing. Just by sharing a post to family or friends on Facebook, many people who may not consider themselves an author have already become one. To quote FIU’s “Everyone’s An Author”, “In fact, the web has blurred the distinction between writers and authors, offering anyone with access to a computer the opportunity to publish what they write.” Modern-day technology has opened the doors of writing to an astronomically large amount of people, before what was only available to those who officially published their works is now available to millions. The very definition of writing has evolved past just words, with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, entirely new ways of sharing your narratives have been creating. Quoting from “Everyone’s An Author”, “Writing, for example, now includes much more than words, as images and graphics take on an important part of the job of conveying meaning.” Being an author has now expanded into sharing a narrative through mediums like videos and using graphics to convey your story. Giving a new way to express yourself, many people have made entire careers using mediums like YouTube to share their stories and be themselves, gathering thousands and even millions of people who are interested in the unique expression one person can offer. With the increase in works of writing, many more people are now able to express themselves more easily. This creates a space of endless works of writing full of creativity and personal expression of many different people around the world.
Body 3: Being proud of your culture and your heritage and expressing that in your writing is key to producing great writing. The most unique pieces of writing that gather a lot of attention are those that explore the topic of heritage and culture. The reason for this is that the amount of personal expression poured into pieces of writing that explore these topics are immense. A core aspect of personal expression is diving into what makes you, you. A big aspect of who you are is the way you grew up and where. Your cultural surroundings shape you as a person, and because of the many different cultures out there, delving into someone else’s culture can be fascinating for readers. Pieces like Jamila Lyiscott’s “3 Ways to Speak English” explore this topic very well. Lyiscott utilizes “code-switching”, a practice where a person switches between different languages or varieties of languages in a conversation, to express her cultural background. During the last two lines of her TED talk, Lyiscott says “I can say: “What’s good” “Whatagwan” And of course… “Hello”. Because I am “articulate”.” These lines express her diverse cultural background, and how she is fluent in her different idiolects, ranging from her mother tongue of Jamaican to formal English. Exploring your background in ways likeLyiscott did are excellent forms of personal expression. Being proud of your cultural background and who you are and including that in your writing will allow you to make great forms of writing that align truthfully with who you are.
Body 4: Writing is a process, and a good understanding of the process pave way for great pieces of writing. “Writing is a process. We must teach it as one that’s responsive to students’ needs even as it’s mindful of the standards. When we address a student need that also happens to be a standard, we build a writer.” This quote, from Jeff Anderson’s “What Writing Is and Isn’t”, encapsulates one of my core beliefs of writing. Writing never was a one-step job. Many teachers try to teach writing this way and as a result, many students are unable to flourish in writing. Not having a good understanding of the writing process shows in your writing and will be detrimental to the effect your writing has on your readers. According to “Everyone’s An Author”, writing is “… a process: a series of activities that take some effort to do well.” Putting in the effort to have a deep understanding of the writing process allows you as a writer to be able to express yourself freely, clearly, and eloquently in your writing. It is important to understand each part of the pre-writing as well: understanding your purpose, knowing your topic, having a clear stance, establishing context, and knowing what medium you will utilize. Skipping over any of these beginning parts of the writing process is a fatal mistake as every part of the writing process is equally important.
Conclusion: There are many different aspects of pieces of writing that make them either good or bad. I have a strong belief that most good pieces of writing include strong senses of personal expression and a good understanding of the writing process. I implore writers everywhere to treat their works of writing as extensions of themselves and to deeply study the writing process. By doing so, you are able to make sure that all your pieces of writing have a unique style of writing and voice that only you can replicate while still following the basic structure all good writing needs to have. Doing all these things will leave lasting impacts on your readers if done correctly and establish you as a great author.
WORK CITED LIST
Anderson, Jeff. “What Writing Is and Isn’t.” Educational Leadership, April 2014. Rpt. In
Lyiscott, Jamila. “3 Ways to Speak English.” TedTalks, February 2014. Rpt. In