Shirley 3
Mason Shirley
Dr. Charlotte Pitts
English 1301
27 September 2024
Writing Process Part One
At this point in my life, I’ve come to view writing as a useful way of
communicating ideas, opinions, information, or art. Writing, much like all forms of art, is
very diverse in meaning, which makes it difficult to define it at face value. There are
countless ways to write and countless things to write about, each with its own unique
perspective and significance.
When I sit down to write, I sometimes feel overwhelmed or optimistic about the
process. Despite these feelings being almost nothing alike, I usually don’t feel one
without the other when it comes to rhetorical knowledge. For example, when I have a lot
of different ideas about my writing and countless approaches I could take, the multitude
of possibilities can create a sense of confusion. If I’m overtaken with ideas, it can feel
just as overwhelming as having no ideas at all, leading to a kind of mental block that can
be frustrating.
Throughout the day, I find that sometimes I’ll message my friends, write
information for a slideshow or project, compose an essay or delve into a research topic,
or just write for myself as a form of self-expression. My audience and my reason for
writing will highly affect many things, including my approach to the writing process, my
grammar and diction, the overall length of my writing, and the way I choose to format it..
Shirley 3
This can vary from formal to informal, depending on who will be reading my work.
These things, in turn, will affect my rhetorical knowledge
I find that the classroom environment is way more conducive to my writing than
other places I could be. Usually, it holds significantly fewer distractions compared to
home or public spaces where people come and go.
I use rhetorical knowledge in my writing by ensuring that I display intellectual
humility, adequately citing my sources, and addressing my audience in an authentic and
veridical way. Adequately citing my sources is– to me– one of the most important parts
of authentic scholarly writing and rhetorical knowledge. I would sacrifice a
poorly-written essay that has proper works cited over a well-written essay without proper
credit where it’s due.