Throughout the semester I have learned and developed my theory of writing through various styles/genres. Using the knowledge, I have gained, I have come to an understanding that interpreting a writing task consists of many factors that I was unaware of before. This has changed my theory of writing from how I used to think about writing before to how I think about it now. To get my point across of how my theory of writing has changed, first I must introduce my previous style.

Writing was a big chore before I understood the mechanics and structure behind it. Coming from public school writing assignments were always assigned based on literature that was read in class. Every essay written would have the same structure intro, body, and conclusion. The body would always use textual evidence from the novels we read. This led to many works of the students sounding monotonous and repetitive. However, coming to city college has made me realize writing needs more than just quotes and explanation of them from text. Writing needs more thought put into each and every line written in order to flow well. The flow of the writing keeps readers engaged. Writing to the specification of the task was also very important and new to me as in writing. Before I was only given ideas and not allowed to express my thoughts on a subject and I would have to use textual evidence to support. While writing my second research paper I realized the credibility of an author also is important in persuading the reader. Running a background check was also useful in understanding where the writer was coming from. While working on that assignment I developed my sense of identifying genres which was greater than I had expected. With my previous history of writing explained I will now begin to explain my thoughts on how writing is to me as of now.

My theory of writing, depending on the task at hand you may use different language and tone from another work. Styles and genres can also vary but must tie into the assignment. The use of textual evidence may be needed or not in the case of a reflection piece. You may also wish to use various rhetorical strategies based on your goal. Some of which include logos, ethos, and pathos. My favorite rhetorical strategy among these is logos because I have written my assignments around scientific sources. To back up my evidence I had to understand the subject myself along with proving my point. I tried my best not to give my personal opinion, but some required it based on a model essay or model article. Some examples of this include the heading of a newspaper being bold and controversial with this I had to mimic the same style/format. I still have some beliefs that remain from my previous form of writing. I’ve been told grammar and mechanics is not important to writing but I am still conscious of it and in my writing. Observing mistakes in spelling or syntax often sets me back. Writing to a set amount of words or pages is also frustrating. I personally like to be frank and get straight to the point but also clear in my writing.

The various assignments given to me throughout the semester helped me explore and develop my theory of writing. I started off the semester with something familiar such as using sources and summarizing their ideas. I proceeded to analyze each source and translate their ideas without injecting my own opinion. Up until college, this is what I have been doing with essay assignments. This was different though because instead of novels assigned to the whole class, I had the freedom to choose the articles and research the topic I wanted. Exploring the topic of air pollution was definitely interesting, during peer review people had various opinions on it. Some agreed with mine while others did not. This does not mean that they were wrong or gave inadequate advice, but some definitely gave useful criticism regarding my writing. The feedback given to me genuinely improved my writing and my expression of ideas. Having a peer read my work helped me understand that my work was not always clear for the reader because they more than likely have not read the sources or evidence. I realized this when readers took my writing at face value and did not question the validity of it.

My theory of writing helps me creates knowledge. While organizing my ideas through summary, quotes, and analysis I can express my ideas in an organized way. Creating knowledge for readers is pretty basic if I am talking about something scientific or complex, I try my best to explain it simply for readers. For example, in my second essay I referenced CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) and HCFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) before that I explain what they are and their uses. This helps readers better understand their purpose and why they must be replaced with a better alternative. Terminology from scholarly articles is sometimes difficult to comprehend because the language used by highly educated professors is not used in everyday conversations. I paraphrase and explain to the reader what I believe the message is supposed to mean. I realized this was apparent during peer review and meetings with Professor Harris. A topic like Air Pollution may seem straightforward but the terms and background behind it are complex requiring a deep and well-thought explanation.

I believe my theory of writing can be applied to various genres inside and outside of the classroom. As an engineering major I will most likely be writing in a serious tone and clearly to get the message across. Writing short and concisely will be key because readers and my peers will not sit through a 4-10-page essay when it can be explained in a page or less. I realize that it is only a matter of time before I will have to write research papers but when the time comes, I will know how it should be done.