Responding To: Why Write?

What is writing? What is the writing process? Why do we write here?

Writing is...

A cohesive way of sharing ideas, stories, opinions, and information.

The Writing Process...

Writing Process varies depending on genre, audience, and purpose.

In our current case, we are preparing to write a research essay. This process is very different than writing a children's book, or home improvement blog post. Writing a research paper takes preparation, time, and patience.

You begin with brainstorming a topic. You can do this with lists, flowcharts, google searching, talk with peers, and/or freewriting. Personally, this is my favorite part of a research paper. Determining what subject you think will meet the criteria for the paper, and what you find interesting enough to complete extensive research on is like putting together a puzzle.

Once you have determined your topic, the research begins. When compiling research, it is important to use credible sources. I start with plenty of research and resources, then determine which of my sources will best inform my readers.

Next, I create an outline for my paper. I determine what flow seems most logical. From there, I plug in my outside research and add my own personal remarks and connections.

There are many drafts following the initial paper. I share my work with peers and professors for their input. After taking their critiques into account, I complete my final draft.

Why do we write here?

Students write at FSU to further their knowledge and the knowledge of those around them.

Take the time to think about "Understanding Genres." Briefly discuss the rhetorical situation. What genres have you written in? What genres do you hope to compose in in this class?

A rhetorical situation is the "context in which you create a composition." As the writer, you need to be keen on the two parts of a rhetoric situation- what you want to say, and what the audience expects. In order to be successful with the rhetorical situation, the two must be balanced.

Most genres that I have written in have been determined by my previous English classes. These genres include fiction, article, non-fiction, poetry, fairytale, speech, blog, satire, fable, biography, review, personal narrative, and more. I write song lyrics in my free time.

In this class, I hope to compose in research, personal narrative, review, and article.