Even before this class, you were a writer. In fact, you are a writer. It’s best to just embrace this identity right out of the gate. The definition of “writer” is someone who writes, so you qualify. But what kind of a writer are you? How do you write? What are your attitudes toward writing? In this opening Blog Posting, I encourage you to explore your previous experiences as a writer. When we consider our past, we are more prepared to fashion our future!
Some questions to consider: How diverse are your writing experiences? Have you written lots of different things or do you feel like you’ve mostly done variations of the same thing? How much (if any) of your attitudes about writing is linked to what happened in school and/or grades? What about other kinds of feedback you’ve received on your writing? When have you most enjoyed writing? When have you least enjoyed it? What is the difference between those experiences?
A major focus of our learning community is growth—the learning process as we experience it, not just the products that our labor produces. I encourage you to check out the "Growth Mindset Self Talk" image. What statements can you adopt as you consider who you are as a writer?
The HOW of this learning activity
Try your hand at a blog posting! In your Sutori blog, try answering the questions above regarding your writing experiences.Your posting could contain text, video, images, links, etc. You are considered the composer of your blog, so there is no limit to the creativity you may use!
Who is my audience? Try writing for someone who is curious to know about you and your experiences as a writer: what you’ve done, how you feel, what you hope to do. Perhaps they know nothing about you or your past experiences writing but want to get an idea of what you’ve done and where you’re coming from.
What should I consider? Before writing this blog posting, try spending some time thinking about your experiences as a writer: what you’ve done, where you’ve done it, why you’ve done it. Consider your attitudes toward these things you’ve done. How do you see yourself? What shaped your views?
Try drafting & revising your blog posting. Remembering that your audience knows nothing about you, try drafting a communication to them that fulfills their needs. You can write directly to your audience. When you're done writing your draft, try reviewing your posting for coherence and structure. Are you telling the audience what they need to know in an order that helps them understand your message? Think of it like a game of show-and-tell. Saying “I like writing” may make your experience vague and abstract to your audience. They’re likely to wonder why you like writing or what sorts of things you like to write or when you like to write. Instead, try showing your audience your message through examples that illustrate what you’re telling them. Since you're making your first impression on someone with whom you’ll be working, try to make the kind of impression you desire.
The POSSIBILITIES in this learning activity
Reflection: In the process of considering the audience as you were writing, hopefully you learned something about yourself. You won’t be surprised to hear me say that declaring you are good or bad at writing—as though this is a fixed and immutable state—is not a great way to improve a skill. Even saying you are good or bad at writing probably isn’t that helpful. Remember that there is no finish line for writers. Worry less about how good you are, and think more about how practicing writing will make you better.
Remixing: Considering your reflections, design your ideal writing situation. What kind of writing would you be doing? How would you be doing it? Who would be reading it? Who would be judging it? Where would you be writing? What would you be writing about? Put this into a brief statement on its own, something that could fit on a four-by-six index card. Keep this nearby when you’re writing as a way to reflect on what you’re doing in the moment and to see if there are ways to bridge any gaps between the actual and the ideal by changing your point of view.
Creativity: As the composer of this blog posting, you can choose how you want to format your writing. Do you want some images? Do you want to use multiple text boxes and/or headings? Do you want to include some examples of your previous writing for which you may be especially proud? It's all up to you!