COMPOSING!! WOOO

Editing writing and media has proved to be a far different major from creative writing. I took this class as an elective to give myself a little window into this type of writing. I figured, how different could it be? It turns out, very different. The actual writing and subjects we chose to write about are different from creative writing, but studying the key terms of rhetoric and composition I have found that the composing process is generally the same.

The newsletter project not only forced me to learn a great deal about style, but about all the other canons of rhetoric. I learned about all of them by trying to understand one completely.

Learning about style showed me that style is really not something you can teach. I have found that learning what type of audience you are composing for greatly shapes what style you write in. Your style is your identity as a writer so how can you tell someone how to style him or herself? Your style is your own identity personified in your writing.

Knowing one’s audience is pivotal to composing an effective piece of writing. The audience is whoever is going to read your piece. It is the composer’s goal to persuade his or her audience to feel the way that they do. They are putting their opinions or information into a format that is appealing to the audience they are speaking to. I feel that style and knowing your audience often overlap.

I really loved the first thing we read about the rhetorical situation. I loved learning that there was actually a word to define what I think we all knew existed. The rhetorical situation is something marked by exigence. Which is “Any imperfection marked by urgency; a defect, obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be” (Bitzer 6). The rhetorical situation is the state you are in before you feel the need to compose. For example, if I think that people should not eat celery because there is going to be huge global repercussions, which would be my rhetorical situation. Through my writing I want people to agree with my point of view so I will compose it for that point. It is like the intent behind your writing. Without this, there is no writing at all. I think that this is one of the most important terms because this is where the composing process begins.

The more that I research and learn about rhetoric and composition, the more I believe that it all boils down to your audience. The language you choose to use, the way that you try to convey your message, your delivery and your content all depend on who you are trying to speak to. The audience needs to understand your message and be able to comprehend what you are trying to say. If you compose in such a way that is geared to not your target audience, no matter what you say the message will not be received. It all comes down to the audience.