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Richie Snook

Taczak

Writ 1133

Theory of Writing

Writing is something that is experienced differently by everyone. There is no set Theory

of Writing like there is a Theory of Evolution. The Theory of Evolution is the same to everyone

because every textbook states what the theory is in the same way: its survival of the fittest, its

natural selection. But everyone has their own Theory of Writing, their own way of explaining

what writing is and how it is experienced. That being said, to me, writing is creating meaningful

connections within my words and my ideas, with my audience, and with my community as a

whole.

At the beginning of this quarter, my Theory of Writing was much more cookie-cutter in

its design. I thought writing was just about connecting to a genre in a meaningful way.

Simplistically, I was thinking about writing in a way that was driven by grades and grades only. I

imagined each genre to have its own set of guidelines that I could work with in order to create a

successful piece of writing that would earn me a good grade. But as time went on and I thought

about my theory more, I realized that it just didnt cover everything, it was too simple.

After reading the piece by Vatz about the rhetorical situation, I started thinking a lot

about audience. I found truth within both Vatzs and Bitzers break down of the rhetorical

situation. I realized that my audiences reaction to my work was the most important part. I can

easily put my ideas out into the world, but if no one does anything with them, they will be lost.

Once my words leave me, its up to my targeted audience to take action and create a tangible

impact. But if I want my audience to take my words and run with them, I need to do my part and
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frame my thoughts in a way that deserve to be acted on. This means that I have a lot of power,

but my audience has more.

My work in years prior has always been about manipulating my audience in order to get a

desired outcome. In most cases, this desired outcome was a decent grade. And although my goal

while writing is still to have a desired impact on my audience, the emphasis has shifted from me

to them. I find myself writing for less selfish reasons. Its about making connections with them

that earn a response, not tricking them into doing what I want. Typing these words now is hard

for me because I never realized how self-serving my writing was before. I think back to my

writing classes before and I realize how much I changed the style of my writing so that it would

appeal to my teachers and earn me an A in the class. I connected with them, but not in a truly

genuine way. This quarter, I had no idea what Dr. KT wanted to see in my writing. I couldnt just

use things I knew she liked to get good grades, so I was forced to think and be vulnerable in my

writing. Ultimately, I think this experience has led me to the genuine connection I was lacking

before.

I also realized after reading the article about knowledge communities that my experience

with writing isnt just between my audience and myself. The example the piece uses about the

community of people who help each other to figure out the mysteries of Survivor before they

happen on air made it clear to me that I dont know everything. In order to create a piece of

writing that is going to spark a deep connection with my audience, I need to connect with those

around me and utilize their knowledge in my writing. I went from focusing solely on myself and

my interests and knowledge, to relying very heavily on not just my audience, but also my peers

because they can help me paint a full picture and to understand things more completely than if I

were just to try to understand them on my own.

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My journey from rigidness to vulnerability and openness in my writing can also be

documented through the maps we created throughout the quarter. My first map, which uses Nicki

Minaj to detail my theory, focuses heavily on voice and genre. Nicki Minaj, to me, represents

expressing yourself and allowing others to flock to you. I still love Nicki, but when it comes to

writing Ive realized that she isnt the best representation. I cant rely on myself completely, I

need my audience as well as my peers. My thoughts when creating my middle map were about

connecting my sources and my thoughts in my papers so that my audience would understand and

trust the things I said. My final map, although very abstract, is a representation of different

people, in this case, a dog and a unicorn, coming together to share their knowledge and

understand things with each others help so that a full picture can be presented to an audience.

Moving past this class and on to other things, I believe my Theory of Writing will follow

me because it frames every situation, every prompt, in a way that is personal to me. If I can

identify every layer of connections, be that with my genre, my audience, my sources, and my

community, then I can create something that will accomplish both what I want to accomplish and

what my professors, and at some point, my bosses, want me to accomplish.

Writing is so deeply personal, but also so deeply connected with everything and everyone

around you. A Theory of Writing cannot be generic, because we as writers are not generic.

Through this course, I have realized that connectedness is the most important thing for me when

it comes to writing, but that may not frame every situation perfectly for every other writer. It has

taken me 19 years and endless amounts of writing classes to understand what writing means to

me. It will take everyone time to develop what writing is to them, but once you let go and allow

yourself to be vulnerable with your words and the way you feel and the things you value, the rest

will come effortlessly.

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References

Jenkins, H. (2008). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New

York UP. p25-43.

Vatz, R.E. (n.d.). The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation. Contemporary Rhetorical Theory: A

Reader. New York: Guilford Press.

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Appendix A: The Maps

Map 1

Map 2
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Map 3