When I am creating a text, I make an effort to consider the visual appeal and content quality of my writing. A part of that appeal consists of the structure of my document and as a student, I have written countless essays that follow the MLA structure. By following these standards, I can simplify the writing process and guarantee consistency throughout my texts, as discussed by Michael J. Klein & Kristi L. Shackelford in their journal article “Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom.” Not only does this improve the visual appeal of my work, but it also makes me feel satisfied and professional knowing that my writing is well-organized.
Furthermore, during the revision process, if my writing is organized according to a format like MLA or even APA, I am able to find mistakes in my writing easier. For example, recently I completed a visual description paper on an artwork. After finishing the paper and formatting it correctly, I saw that because I had included subheadings, two sentences that I had written in one portion of my work actually fit better in another. This not only benefits me as the author, but it also makes my writing easier for my readers to read and comprehend.
Regarding the writing itself, I believe I adhere to some of the procedures Melanie Gagich outlines in her piece “An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing,” regardless of the type of text I produce. My process consists of determining my objective, identifying the target audience, citing references, and carrying out the appropriate research. But there’s more I can do as a writer when it comes to multimodal composition, like reading and evaluating other multimodal pieces. Once I practice using this strategy more in my writing, I believe the content and focus of my texts will improve over time.
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