Writing. A task that is more than simply jotting letters on page or typing text into a desired word processor. Writing can be pretty complex because it is. It is dense with complexities and nuances that need to be inspected to be harnessed.
You Could Learn To Write In General, by Elizabeth Wardle, is a short essay that disputes the claim that anyone could write anything “in general”. Writing “in general” basically refers to writing without intention of any kind. Wardle claims that this is simply impossible since writing is situational. When you write anything, whether it be an essay, a report, a study, or a story, you have to approach and execute your writing differently. Even if you have an idea of what kind of text you want to write, outside factors will always play a role in how your work is executed. These factors include but are not limited to: who the work is intended for, the values and beliefs of you/your community/your target audience, and why your work is being made in the first place. Wardle argues that even though your previous knowledge about writing can be reapplied at times, because of how fluid the medium of writing can be it is important that you are open to new kinds of writing so you can adapt to that fluidity.
When doing a writing project it is not uncommon to encounter some problems. But Catherine Savini assures us in her essay Looking For Trouble: Finding Your Way Into A Writing Assignment that this is a good thing. In fact, she even recommends it, since confronting these problems can help you find an interesting thesis that’ll give your work depth. Because identifying compelling issues can be difficult to do, Savini even supplies us with a four step method on how to find interesting problems that’ll bring depth to your body of work. 1.) Noticing, 2.) Articulating a problem and its details, 3.) Posing fruitful questions, and 4.) Identifying what’s at stake. Learning to notice patterns and reoccurring ideas can help you form the basis of your thesis. Explaining those ideas and patterns can help you flesh out your thesis. Posing fruitful questions can help you explore your thesis to the fullest extent. And identifying what’s at stake can help your thesis be focused. Savini reminds us that writing isn’t always finding a solution to a problem but exploring a problem.
A writing project can be challenging. But from Wardle we learn that the difficulties posed by writing can be channeled when you are open to adapting. From Savini we learn that these difficulties can be used to our advantage and aid in the writing processes.
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