Elizabeth Wardle conveys the definitions of authority and identity very well in her Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces by explaining theoretical portrayals of said definitions in writing and real life. The theoretical explanations were personally somewhat difficult to digest, as for me is challenging to read and write about writing. The example of Alan help me understand and visualize the concepts in a more relatable way, since he, a neophyte, went through the same learning curve we all go through as college students in real life jobs.
Though this concepts are new to me, in regards of writing, it seems logical to believe they go hand in hand. One’s authority on a subject will always be directly related to one’s identity, a version of this concept was first introduced by Aristotle and his rhetorical appeals. Ethos is easily a combination of both authority and identity. One believes something depending on who affirms it, the same way someone gains agency and credibility by assuming authority and a firm identity.
Considering this, forming an identity while writing seems to be the first step in the path to authority and credibility. This identity, just like Wardle says, needs to be adaptable to the discourse community one belongs to or is now joining. Laurel Leigh, an author and structural editor, assures that by listing out answers to one’s topic’s preliminary questions, knowing the message and why it’s relevant, defining the audience of the text, taking into account possessed skills that can benefit the writing, decide what is attainable, understand the media in which the text is going to be public, and knowing the goal of your writing is the best way to cultivate one’s writing identity (Leigh, 2021).
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