This theory of writing ("a description of what we understand writing to be and how our own writing practices have worked in the past, currently work, and might work in the future") (Roene et al), forms a thorough explanation through analysis that describes what I consider the act of writing to be. I understand this act to be a process that involves engagement with the four outcomes titles within the "WPA Outcomes Statement" (WPA, Outcomes Statement), and metacognition, which is one of the "eight habits of mind" (WPA, Framework for Success) that can be found within "Framework for Success in Post Secondary Writing" (WPA, Framework for Success), which assists me with self reflection regarding my writing processes and their outcomes. Through detailed and considered analysis of various text (speeches, written words) created by leading rhetoricians from the Classical Age ("c.479-323 B.C.E.") (University of Pennsylvania) such as Socrates ("c.470-399 B.C.E.") (Kraut) and Aristotle ("384-322 B.C.E.") (Kenny and Amadio), and as a result of critical engagement with readings and presentations from more recent writers and rhetoricians such as Sandra L. Giles and Lloyd Bitzer, and engagement in discussion forums and peer reviews, I have been able to form an e-portfolio that assists me with describing my theory of writing.
What was my understanding of academic writing? The following quote has been taken from "Writers Journal #1-Outcomes Reflection", which illustrated my understanding of academic writing from the beginning of the course. This reflection was relevant because it highlighted how the impact of this assignment, which was taken from the first week (9 Jan-15 Jan 2017) of "English 101" (Roene et al), influenced my understanding of the act of writing:
"Academic writing is educational, and is of great value. It could also be described as Intellectual personal expression because the process of thinking academically makes one think deeply, followed by detailed expressive communication in order to relay our results to our audience." (Demicol, Writers Journal #1)
Further to this, during the second week, whilst composing "Writer's Journal #6-Your Writing Practices", I wrote that "I expect that as a result of completing this course, I would be able to think more quickly and efficiently when attempting to accurately analyse information", which I mention in relation to Socrates rhetoric, which was sometimes difficult to understand.
In considering how this support, and other examples of support demonstrated what I had learnt, and its relevance in terms of its significance in relation to "Rhetorical Knowledge" (WPA, Outcomes Statement 1), we can analyse other examples of my work. Throughout the last six weeks, reflection upon my writing experiences showed that I had gained a better understanding of what I was trying to communicate through writing a number of writers journals. This experience was occurring before I began to draft "Writing Project # 1-Autoethnography: Composition of Music Inspired by Nature", and was embedded into my daily writing routine from the beginning of the first week of the course (9 Jan 2017), which was in response to the requirements laid out within the syllabus. Whilst composing "Writer's Journal 2-The Learning Process" (Demicol), I specifically focused upon using my skills in Rhetorical Knowledge. Under the heading "Rhetorical Knowledge" (WPA, Outcomes Statement 1) in the "WPA Outcomes Statement", the following two examples are written:
"Rhetorical Knowledge is the ability to analyse contexts and audiences and then to act on that analysis in comprehending and creating text. Rhetorical knowledge is the basis of composing. Writers develop rhetorical knowledge by negotiating purpose, audience, context, and conventions as they compose a variety of texts for different situations."
"Learn and use key rhetorical concepts through analysing and composing a variety of texts"
Through understanding rhetoric, and reading about "The Rhetorical Situation" (Bitzer), I moved naturally forward towards the analysis of text written by Ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle, who were alive during the Classical Age (c.479-323 B.C.E.). A quote by Socrates, taken from "Plato's Apology" (Socrates), can be viewed within paragraph 7 by clicking on the following text "Writer's Journal 2-The Learning process" (Demicol) By using the words "Reflecting", "honest", "persuade", "virtue", and "wisdom", and through emphasising the need to "look to himself", and place the pursuit of virtue and wisdom before "his private interests" (Socrates), when describing his own style of persuation towards the public, he taught me to fully express my words in the best possible way in order to exert maximum impact towards my audience.
Moving forward through this reflection, the challenge that I currently think of the most is my ability to maintain high standards of research and composition that effectively communicate my ideas. When I am tired, and the time is late in the evening, but there is no choice than to write outstanding text, I find the act of writing to be a challenge, but as I have discovered, one can persevere with one's goals if the desire to succeed is strong enough. Whilst composing "Writers Journal #11-Reflection", I wrote the following:
"At this stage of my development, I feel that the skill of being able to 'tell ones story' is the most important part of the writing process."
I do still believe this this is important, and that rhetoric plays a key role in the act of writing. The ability to tell ones story in a more efficient manner through understanding more and more flexible approaches to writing is a skill that I have learnt since writing this journal. The ability to become "the inspired writer[a writer that is naturally driven to write with prominent cause in that moment]" (Allen) through telling ones story, is what I have found to be the driving force that allows me to persevere with the act of writing when I am under pressure.
When I "evaluate sources and evidence", and "Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various rhetorical contexts (WPA, Outcomes Statement 2), I enjoy the discovery of new information. This investigative work is rigorous in its nature, and relies on concentration and perseverance. When I wrote "Writing Project #1-Autoethnography: Composition of Music Inspired by Nature", I combined descriptions of my own experiences, with secondary research data, which was an enjoyable experience, and which resulted in receiving a high grade A (100%). In this paper I stated that "Consideration should also be given to academic research in the field of music psychology", and went further by describing what Juslin and Vastfjall explain that "Brain stem reflex" is:
"This refers to a process whereby an emotion is induced by music because one or more fundamental acoustical characteristics of the music are taken by the brain stem to signal a potentially important and urgent event". (564) (Demicol, Writing Project #1-Autoethnography)
This excerpt from "Writing Project #1-Autoethnography: Composition of Music Inspired by Nature", added credibility to my claims that somehow, nature played its role in influencing the creation of my music, and that it could be observed as a potential benchmark in considering this type of response to inspiration from nature. This work also emphasised how important critical engagement with secondary data is when a writer is using the act of persuasion within their text, which is the lesson that I learnt from Socrates. In addition to this, other lessons have been learnt from practicing skills in composition through research. The struggle that I experienced when upholding high standards whilst writing, was highlighted in a response that I made to "krisbrown97's post in a discussion forum that considered the importance of proofing and formatting, which was preparation for "Writers Journal #18-Proofing, Formatting, and Producing":
"I can relate to the importance that you place upon "a smooth transition between each paragraph" and "evidence that fully backs up our argument". I am currently learning to uphold higher standards in this area, which is in order to continue to create writing that is strong and effective."
Through composing "Writing Project #2-Ethnography", I learnt how to create a better blend of text which incorporated research, anecdote, assertion; paragraphs three and four show this. Through blending research with a second and third round of interviews with Keith, this time over the telephone, I was able to discover Keith's opinions on the relevance of my subsequent research, which I feel relates directly to the second heading in the "Processes" section of the "WPA Outomes Statement: Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing." An excerpt was as follows:
""Seventy percent of the world’s food products are produced by family farmers, whose activities are therefore crucial to combating hunger and malnutrition. In addition, small farms are often more productive than large industrial agricultural operations in terms of output per unit of land and energy use". (Quintana and Asin)
"In response to this blog statement, Keith commented that "big industrialised farms can lose efficiency", and that "enough personal involvement and attention to detail can be given" in the case of a "family farmer or occupier". (Demicol, Writing Project #2-Ethnography)
Although I had demonstrated that I could develop my interview strategies by conducting follow up interviews, I did not go further enough with the responses from Keith, which is something that I learnt from receiving feedback from my teacher. I could have discussed 'how' efficiency could be lost, and have given detailed examples in relation to this. I regard this part of the act of writing as a learning curve, and through self reflection and feedback, I have learnt to be more critical when describing evidence that is vague upon its first presentation. In addition to this, I could have used detailed observations regarding the 'space' to frame the ethnography, which highlighted the importance of answering the question that is asked within a paper, although, two revision tools that I have recently re-learned, can assist a writer with highlighting mistakes such as the ones I have just described, therefore, I have learnt a valuable lesson through readings in relation to Writers Journal #20-Reflecting On Reflective Writing.
Moving forward towards "Conventions (WPA, Outcomes Statement 3"), "Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work" (WPA, Outcomes Statement 3) is a sub title that can be found under the fourth heading: "Knowledge of Conventions" within the WPA Outcomes Statement". In paragraph 5 of "Writers Journal #11-Reflection", I wrote about this challenge. Click on the following link to read the text: "Writers Journal #11-Reflection".
Through writing the aforementioned paragraph, which was as a result of interaction with the "WPA Outcomes Statement", I was able to 'learn' how to reference other writer's work, evidence of which can be observed throughout this paper. This discovery added credibility to my writing, and also allowed me to 'enjoy' myself more than I had been, once I had overcome the difficulties involved with accurately citing other writer's work. This explanation adds further weight to my understanding of the act of writing; enjoyment is part of the key to success, and prior learning in relation to compositional skills nurture the love of writing.
Throughout this course, I have also engaged with the academic subject of metacognition. The "WPA Frameworks for Success in Post Secondary Writing" makes reference to metacognition, which can also be understood through taking a few moments to watch the YouTube video at the top of this page.
"Metacognition – the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking as well as on the individual and cultural processes used to structure knowledge." (WPA, Frameworks For Success 5)
I feel that engaging with this subject was so incredibly interesting, and because of this I could only find struggles within the more general areas that have already been mentioned such as the difficulty in conducting thorough research in order to achieve one's goals. The breadth of my research in relation to metacognition is a demonstration of this, and can be observed through engagement with "Writers Journal #1-Outcomes Reflection"
Metacognition can also be related to the "WPA Outcomes Statement" heading "Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing": "Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on) primary and secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books, scholarly and professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and informal electronic networks and internet sources"
""Initial research has unearthed an engaging paper titled "Metacognition: An Overview" (Livingston), which highlighted important information relating to Metacognition. Whilst reading the beginning of paragraph ten, which was labeled "Cognitive [connected with thinking or conscious mental processes] vs. Metacognitive strategies", Livingston wrote "Recall that metacognition is referred to as “thinking about thinking" and involves overseeing whether a cognitive goal has been met". (Livingston 2) (Demicol)
Following this example, I wrote the following, which I feel provides a conclusion that demonstrates how I have interacted with this knowledge of metacognition:
"When these chains of thought combine, they create clear thought processes, and show how academic thought can lead to self evaluation. These examples have therefore demonstrated that psychology plays a large role in the Course Outcomes and Habits of Mind statement." (Demicol, Writers Journal #1)
These examples, which can be fully observed in "Writer's Journal #1-Outcomes Reflection", highlight my enthusiasm for the subject of metacognition, early on in the course. Through a deeper understanding of metacognition, I was able to critically engage with academic research in the field of psychology, which broadened my understanding of my own earlier writing experiences, which was the focus of my autoethnography.
As part of the act of writing, I also consider that reading in personal time is an important element. I have bookmarked the "Times Literary Supplement" (The Times Literary Supplement Limited), and enjoy reading articles which enable me to observe the writing techniques of other writers who have specific audiences in mind, and are experts in their field. This process enables me to grow as a reader, writer, and critical thinker though reading.
At this stage of my theory of writing, it is clear that this course (English 101) has been great preparation for English 102-Writing and Research (Roen et al, English 102), which is described through the YouTube video above, because all of my journals and writing projects have highlighted a distinct interest in research and analysis of a variety of text sources. In addition to this, analysing text for credibility, and cross referencing evidence in a thorough and detailed way, is excellent preparation for a student that wishes to read law. 4 New Square Chambers (my previous employer) "Pupillage Policy" makes clear reference to writing under section "B. Criteria for pupillage".
In conclusion, I feel strongly that the act of writing described throughout this paper forms my understanding of what my theory of writing embodies; a complex arrangement of lessons that broaden the mind as a creative thinker of ideas and solutions essential for my communication requirements.
Works Cited:
Allen, Sarah. "The Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer". Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. 2010. p. 34-44. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Bunn, Mike. "How to Read Like a Writer" Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 2. 2011. p. 71-86. 2. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Bitzer, Lloyd. "The Rhetorical Situation"Philosophy and Rhetoric 1. Vol 1. No 1. 1968: pp. 1-14. Rpt. in Martin J. Medhurst and Thomas W. Benson, eds. Rhetorical Dimensions in Media. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1991. 300–10. Print. Web. 15 Jan. 2017. Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks VS Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis". Writing spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol 1. 2010. pp 45-58. Web. 14 Jan. 2017. Jstor.org. 15 Jan. 2017.
Council of writing program administrators. "Framework for Success in Post Secondary Writing". wpacouncil.org. 2011. pp. 1-16. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Council of writing program administrators. "The Framework for Success in Post Secondary Writing: Going Viral". Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 June. 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
Council of writing program administrators. "Outcomes statement for First Year Composition". wpacouncil.org. Vol 3.0. 2014. pp. 1-3. Web. 9 Jan. 2017.
Juslin, Patrik N, and Daniel Vastfjall. "Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms". Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2008. pp. 559-621. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Kenny, Anthony J.P. and Anselm H. Amadio. "Aristotle: Greek Philosopher". Britannica.com. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Roen, Duane, et al. English 101. English department. Arizona State University. Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
Roen, Duane et al. English 102. English department. Arizona State University. Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
Roen, Duane et al. "English Composition: Research and Writing | ASUx on edX | Course About Video". Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Socrates. "Apology". classics.mit.edu. 399 B.C.E. Written by Plato. Translated by Jowett, B. pp 1-20. The Internet Classics Archive, Web Atomics. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
The Times Literary Supplement Limited. "The Times Literary Supplement". the-tls.co.uk. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. "The Ancient Greek World". penn.museum. 2002. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.