Theory of Writing

I think of writing as asserting a piece of yourself into a form of communication. As the text says, this may be for “communicating information, making an argument, expressing a creative idea…[and involving] ethical choices (31). Each time you write, you leave a piece of yourself behind in what you’ve written, the words you’ve chosen, the way you’ve written them, your handwriting, the medium, and other details that give the reader information about you. Writing conveys so much more meaning that the text that is read. This is why English is a study in addition to a language- the way the text was written changes the story.

Writing is also an interaction that involves an audience, writer, and text, which “are all dynamically related in a particular context” (20 1.2). I think that the most difficult thing to understand about a language is this relationship. For instance, nothing out of a textbook will teach how to choose between the words pretty and beautiful. People learn to choose because of the context these words have in their personal lives, and each person may have a different idea about why these words are different. One may be valued over another, and other people may use them interchangeably with no difference. Ultimately, understanding the relationship between your text, your intended meaning, and your audience is difficult, but the connection must be made on small and large levels.

Context is also an important aspect of writing. Context is the reason you may not address your professor by their first name in an email. It is the difference between sarcasm and seriousness. It is the reason that saying “all lives matter” at a black lives matter rally may come off as insensitive. It plays a key role in audience interpretation, and is also subject to change with time.

Key terms for thinking about writing are audience, context, interaction, positivity, personality, technique, and style, among so many others. I hold these foundations very closely, and also try to teach by them. I think no pieces of writing should be identical. Sure, some writing will have the same text, but it will never have the same relationships, context, and timing. For example, consider the following message

I’m coming over tonight.

If this message is received in a text, it seems casual, like it’s between friends.

If this message is received in an email, it may seem like a confirmation.

IF this message is received hand written and anonymous, delivered to the reader’s door, it seems super creepy.

Context, audience and writer relationship, and form really change the interpretation of the same words, and are essential aspects of writing.

That said, there is a systemic technique essential to writing: syntax. I am not referencing grammar, using oxford commas and correct clause structure, but am instead referencing form. Form conveys a great amount of meaning in itself through many facets. Form can be poetic, rhythmic, or it can be simple, like a grocery list. It can be formal and typed, like a letter of recommendation, or casual and texted like a group text with friends. No matter what, form dictates what is communicated to the audience, just like in the text examples of “I’m coming over tonight”.