Jason Chen
December 11, 2019
My Theory
I was unfamiliar with the concept of “Theory of Writing” prior to this class, and the very idea of it seemed peculiar to me. “There’s a theory behind writing?” I thought. However, as time progressed, and as I attended my classes for a freshman compositions class, I’ve come to realize that it’s a writer’s approach to writing. As cliche as this may sound, this class has been an eye-opening experience as I went on a little self-rediscovery, learned how to write creatively again, and even came to appreciate writing as an art form. This particular composition is really a personal letter for me to reflect on, and to you, the reader, to show my developments as a writer. Letters are among the many existing genres, and they’re unique in that they act as a medium that tells stories, activities, events, and thoughts from an individual’s perspective. They encompass a multitude of tones, stances, moods since the writer can just write about anything that pops into his or her mind. They can also be private since it houses all the writer’s emotions and thoughts, but it’s entirely dependent on the writer’s choice to keep it personal or open. Due to that fact, it appeals to a very niche group of people. For this “Theory of Writing” composition, I don’t expect adolescents nor the average reader to read this, given what it focuses on: how I came to develop my theory of writer. It really appeals to prospective writers who are seeking inspiration or trying to establish their theory of writing. But what is my “theory of writing”? The definition varies from person to person, but my theory of writing is simply a conversation on paper. It’s derived from a collection of all the class lectures, and me coming to terms with myself that I can’t mimic professional writers. I’ve learned to let go of those high standards I held myself to write as if I’m talking to someone, and for the most part, this writing philosophy has worked for me. I’m able to write more freely and maintain a high level of engagement with readers.
Prior to taking this course, I abhorred the very thought of writing and thought very little of it. I didn’t have a particular approach when I was tasked with writing a prompt and had the “wing it” mentality that most students have. My compositions did not have a purpose to beginning with, and I had to figure it out as I was writing the composition, which is a recipe for an incoherent mess. Looking back on my developments as a writer, I’ve identified that it was my high school writing experience as to why I came to despise writing and develop that mentality. The only two prompts my instructors assigned were argumentative and informative essays. This hurt my creativity. As a writer, it was painful. Just imagine. Writing the same two prompts for four years straight with little to no deviation, and following the same repetitive, formulaic structure: establish a focal point backed by supporting evidence. If you were to read one of my prompts, you could see the emotional, physical, blood, sweat, and tears that went into writing it. It lacked creativity, and was unbearably bland. These prompts are formulaic, uninteresting, repetitive, and, most importantly, required little thought.
My did instructors provide some “sample” essays of what she expected from us, the students, which only went to worsen the situation. Ever since my introduction with these sample essays, I was surprised by its delivery and the level of expertise that went into the composition. These sample essays utilized words I’ve never seen before, had complex sentence structures, and maintained a professional tone which created a false expectation for me. For me to get a good grade, I had to write like the writer in the sample essay. Thus, I mimicked it. Although it worked to some degree, I slowly saw myself failing and forgetting how to write in other parts like creative expression, word play, establishing moods, and making my writing interesting. It’s funny to see that what sought out to do, mimicking a professional writer to improve my writing, failed spectacularly.
My writing became extremely bland, lacked engagement, lacked appeal, lacked direction, was uninspiring, and began to sound like a list over the course of my high school career. I acknowledged the abomination and was in disbelief that my writing was the equivalent to that of a fourth-grader. I started to over-analyze sentence structure, grammar, idioms, and diction in fear of being called out for my shortcomings as a writer. A good writer can express his or her thoughts clearly and maintain a high level of engagement with readers so that they can follow the writer’s message. I lacked those skills and thus considered myself to be a subpar writer. I struggled with expressing my thoughts. I was awkward, and all that didn’t translate well onto paper. If I were put in an improvisational situation where I am tasked with writing something, my mind blanks out and will most likely spend a good fifteen to twenty minutes just thinking about how to start the composition. I would much rather prefer it if I can avoid writing at all costs. However, I’m aware that can’t be done as writing is a part of everyday life, and I would have to face at some point in my life.
It’s through this class that I’ve learned that there’s a purpose in every composition, develop a different approach for different audiences and genres. Although that may sound simple and obvious to you, it wasn’t so for me. It just goes to show the kind of toll writing the same two genres for four years had on me. I had a very closed idea of writing, given how little my English classes explored different genres. The two most important lessons I derived from this freshman compositions class are the lesson on rhetoric and genre. Rhetoric is a compositional technique that utilizes various persuasive elements to create compositions that either inform, persuade, or motivate readers. Before this course, I understood rhetoric consists of pathos, logos, and ethos and just a general guideline solely used to attain a higher score on the writing portion of the SAT. Rhetoric would be used to understand scenarios so that you, the writer, are prepared to respond appropriately, and its how well prepared you are for that scenario that determines if it’ll be a positive or negative outcome. It’s broken down into three parts: curiosity to understand circumstances, desire to have others react in a certain way, and anticipate an encounter to set up a positive experience. I soon came to learn that there is a much higher application of this techniques as it’s also applicable to real-world scenarios. This was probably the most significant awakening I’ve ever experienced. I would even go as far as to say that there’s a parallel between my development as a writer and as a person, all of which stems from the lesson on rhetoric. I believe that having mastery of this skill gives an individual an inherent social advantage. When it comes to person to person interaction, he or she is able to able to express their ideas clearly and create pleasant experiences. Most people wouldn’t consider utilizing rhetoric in real world scenarios since most of what they learn in an English class stays in an English class. I’m here to debunk that practice and prove that the implementation of rhetoric beyond the traditional classroom setting is viable. It isn’t just for academics and is very much applicable in our daily lives as it plays a role in how we interact with others in the real world, and that is translated in our speech and mannerism.
Just as an example, I recently started working at a car dealership, and it’s an absolute necessity to know how to talk to people. The application of rhetoric in my work has been tremendously beneficial to me, and here’s a quick break down of how I utilize it, understand it, and implement it. When people come to car dealerships, they’re typically looking to get a car. My role is to show customers around the car, answer general inquiries, and give them the best experience I can. So what’s my response to this situation? I learn all the quirks and features of all the cars, learn the subtle variations between models, and learn how to talk to customers professionally, so I’m prepared to answer any question they ask me. Here is a question many customers have asked me: “How come there’s no spare tire? A lot of other brands come with spare tires, do I have to pay extra for that?” I would respond to this particular like so: “All models come with standard run-flat tires, which are designed to withstand tires punctures. When there’s a puncture in these tires, you can go up to 50 to 100 miles before you have to change them. Compared to the conventional tire, you would you have replace the tire yourself and immediately. With run-flats, it should be enough so that you can reach an auto shop so a mechanic can replace the wheel for you. It’s all about convenience.” Most of the time, this response answers their question. After some time utilizing rhetoric in real world scenarios and talking to people more, it just clicked with me: why can’t I write like the way I talk to people? It’s really at that point when I realized to treat writing as if I were talking to someone.
The second lesson that contributed to my theory of writing is the lesson on genre, which goes in tandem with applications of rhetoric. The crux of any composition is how well the author responds to a particular situation, so it creates an engaging piece where readers can interact with. In such instances, the author’s ability to create an appealing composition is dependent on how well he or she understands the situation. Before this course, I thought there was one writing style that appeals to all readers and scenarios. However, that’s simply not the case. There is no true preset writing that will appeal to everybody. You cater your writing style, language, and format to the audience, not the other way around. As an example, if you were to own a restaurant, you would hire the best chef, properly train the staff, and much more to create a stellar experience for customers so that they’ll come back next time. If customers come back, then you know you did a good job. The same philosophy can be applied to writing. Understanding genre aids you in eliciting an appropriate response to whatever situation you’re faced with. There is no one genre that’s suited for every scenario you’ll be faced with, and you need to be articulate as a writer considering the various situations that exist.
To reiterate, my theory of writing is simply a conversation on paper. Although that statement may seem overly simplified and degrading to some people, it’s that simplistic that allows me to perceive writing the way I see it. This course has changed the way I write, as I now write with intent, direction, and purpose, where I previously did not. It has taught me how to create engaging and creative compositions through each lecture and how to implement techniques like rhetoric in writing and in greater applications. If you’re looking for inspiration to establish your theory of writing, my best advice is to explore your options. The only way to become a better at anything is to explore your options and keep doing it. Some people have the tendency to complete tasks in a rush, especially adolescents and students, considering everyday responsibilities, work, school, and much more. Given all that I’ve said, there is a greater lesson that’s told: life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it. Slow down, learn things well, and ponder about the greater application of certain things. There are always more ways to learn and improve your writing, and you should look forward to learning new viewpoints and writing techniques. Even for me, I still think that there are ways to improve my writing. There are no perfects, only improvements.
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