Although I was always taught how to properly format a paper, in the back of my head I never actually understood why formatting my writing would be important. I figured it shouldn’t matter as long as it’s legible. But to my surprise, the way you format your papers can affect the way that the audience views it. Certain fonts and colors can be distracting and take away from your paper. In the article “Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom” by Michael J. Klein & Kristi L. Shackelford, they discuss why it’s necessary to format papers. I honestly never put much thought into it because format guidelines are usually always given by the professors. And even when they’re not I usually just follow the same guidelines I’ve received from another professor because that’s all I’ve ever known to do. The basic Times New Roman, font size 12, double spaced, with page numbers, hasn’t failed me yet! Klein and Shackelford mention that by keeping everything the same font and color, it’ll make it easier for readers to interpret.
After reading “An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing” by Melanie Gagich, I learned the meaning of “multimodal” and how to apply it to my writing. Multimodal is defined as a piece of communication that can take different forms. For example, creating a collage or posting a picture on instagram. Using this technique allows you to approach your writing in a new and unique way. She also mentions how it’s not only the audience who is important but also the message, author, genre, and medium. If you can’t answer those questions before starting your writing process, then you’re not ready to write. All of these things matter and need to work together to create a successful paper.
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