Theory of Writing

Before going to college, I thought reading is just about knowing what the text is about,
writing is answering the prompt that teacher has provided, and have really no thoughts on
thinking about thinking. Most importantly, I have not been keeping in mind about the purpose of
writing or even know the function of writing itself. By attending English 5M class and
completing semester assignments, I am able to construct a meaning of writing. Writing is a
maximum exploration of a writers perspective with opinion.
Every writing has authors trait. In Donald M. Murrays article of All Writing is
Autobiography, Murray argues that we are autobiographical in the way we writeI have my
own peculiar way of looking at the world and my own way of using language to communicate
what I see (67). If every writing is autobiographical, then there must be a voice in every one of
our writing.

The screenshot above was the very first reading response that I completed without any input of
my own voice. This seems like I was restating what the author (Deborah Brandt) had wrote in
her report. However, with more practices on these responses, I am able to answer the question:
what is the most important lesson that a peer from this class should learn? The question serves as
a guide for English 5M students to put forth their voice. The screenshot below is from reading
response 10.

There is an evident difference between response 1 and response 10. Response 1 is lacking an
authors voice. However, in response 10, I actually insert my voice by taking a stand arguing
which should be the most important key point from the article. Upon completing reading
responses, I am reaching the goal of engage in reflective and metacognitive processes because
I am thinking about thinking. While reading articles, students grab the most important point from
the article and support with relevant evidence. Being able to comprehend a text, then target the
most essential idea from text, finally construct an argument are the steps leading upon an
authors opinion.
An authors perspective can be expanded through research. Towards the end of the
semester, students were assigned to a research paper which was an extended reading response
from one of the ten. We were to select a topic and compose a thesis that must have an argument.
Once again, the research paper is to express authors thoughts and opinions. On the other side,
research can broaden a writers view. My research paper was arguing that the authors identity is
the biggest contribution to the writing. Upon researching, I discovered that there were a variety
of sources I could use (as shown by the screenshot below).

In addition, exploring these sources expanded my view. My initial thought was only use these
sources to how identity is fitting in to writing, but I could utilize it to approach from a different
angle. For example, I used an excerpt from a report as a setup in introductory paragraph, instead
of using the quote as an evidence for the claim. The research paper allows me to have a different
method to set up a writing and thus branching off ideas that I can use to write the essay.
There are no right or wrong answer in writings. In the rhetorical analysis paper, I had to
compare a previous assignment to my major (business) writing and examine if it matches major
writing. My argument was The Term paper does not fit in business writing because of length,
context, and conciseness. This is where I am inputting my opinion to writing. By inputting a
voice, I am telling audiences of what my thoughts are and therefore, this writing has a sense of
purpose. There are no right or wrong answers in writing only if writers can prove their thesis.
What makes every writing unique is the writers voice. There are no duplicates of writing
because we all have different opinions. That is what I come up with the meaning of writing after
going through assignments like reading responses, rhetorical analysis, and research paper. By
completing the course assignments, I am processing the reading by identifying where are the key
ideas that authors are trying to persuade and engage in thinking about the elements of rhetoric by
imposing regular practices on texts. As a writer, I think as I am writing and think in a perspective
of audiences while reading drafts when editing. These skills can commonly apply to future
classes in college.
I am demonstrating my growth as a reader, writer, and thinker in this ePortfolio by
showing viewers the process of how I compose and finalize writings. The process includes
brainstorming, outlining and drafting to finalized draft. Coming from a blank piece of paper to a
full page of words with editing is showing my steps to become a better writer,
 Work Cited
Murray, Donald M. All Writing Is Autobiography. College Composition and Communication
42.1 (1991): pp.67. Print. November 10, 2017