An Open Letter

An Open Letter to the Instructor and Students of ENG 102

By Jess Gonzalez

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. I have some skill with words and I’ve always earned excellent grades in English. My high school teachers told me more than once that I write very well. I’ve even written a few comic books. It’s fun and I haven’t ever taken it very seriously despite how I obsess over authors like Ernest Hemingway. This class has introduced many new concepts that I’m glad to be learning about. I didn’t know the true scope of what writing can be used for. It is an amazing way to communicate.

Now that we’re almost finished with the class, I know that my writing is something that I will have to develop beyond my attachment to big words and stylistic themes. I read a great deal of philosophy and I’ve discovered that this has influenced my writing more than I ever knew. I’ve always tried to keep my writing simple and concise, and now I see patterns I didn’t notice before that have surprised me. For example:

“When, a little over a year later, the photographer committed suicide, it was widely rumored that it was this criticism that prompted the act.” This sentence is from my draft of rhetorical analysis. It is structured in such a way that many commas are needed. This is technically correct, but the structure can be somewhat overwhelming. I used this structure much more often than I realized. Being aware of it will enable me to better judge where its use is appropriate.  

I’ve been aware for a while that I tend to imitate the style of the author that I’m reading at any given time. Most philosophy texts I’ve read are written in roughly the same style - academic and formal - and I see now that is where I tend to go when I write something. This has made me more aware of what inspires me as a writer. Now that I have that knowledge, I will be sure to read authors that I’d like to emulate.

The readings for the class were surprisingly useful. The section on grammar was complex but it was written well and made sense. The examples were helpful in translating my own work to follow the correct format or structure:

                     

As long as the proper form is adhered to, the content is irrelevant. It’s a simple way to learn formatting rules, which helped me quite a bit; every citation has a different format which can get unwieldy when trying to organize for the writing process.

Grammar is more than sentence diagrams and parts of speech. It can actually change the entire meaning of a statement. The readings themselves were interesting because they contained the best approach to the assignment without constraining any content. In other words, they were written in a way that was easy to learn and apply. Taking the time to learn the basics again was worthwhile. It will save time and confusion later on during the writing process.

There are also many other avenues of doing research and getting ideas that I hadn’t yet been exposed to before taking this class. A lot of the writing tools like Popplet seemed like they might be useful later on for developing ideas and doing coursework. (http://popplet.com/app/#/2585398)

Organizing research and drafts in a consistent system is another important aspect of writing. Done effectively, this extra effort can save time by cutting down on searching for important details that may not be readily available. Having access to organized notes and files has to be done to survive in the sea of applications and programs that are offered. Developing a system of note-taking and research has been a valuable skill to learn. This class, for instance, kept up a fast pace for weeks. Without a reliable system in place, completing the assignments would have been considerably more difficult. My approach to this aspect of writing has changed to accommodate the use of helpful tools and applications.

Editing in the peer-review process was something new for me. I’ve never felt comfortable being a critic, but each of the comments I gave the other students was made in good faith and with a sincere desire to help. I also kept aware of my own reaction to criticism of my own writing, honestly considering what the comments suggested. I put myself in the position of my reader and attempted to see my work through their eyes. Of course there’s no way to please everyone, and so after giving the suggestions serious thought, I simply went with what I thought was best. Sometimes this meant applying the suggestion, but when I felt that what I had written was correct, I went with my original thought. I’m not sure how many of my suggestions to others were followed, but it’s not important. I feel confident that they were considered and respected as a peer’s opinion.

Revising can be the most rewarding of writing experiences but also one of the most painful. At times I had to cut a well-written phrase or idea because it wasn’t appropriate and I knew it would only add clutter to the text. If I saw an improvement after making those cuts, the extra words stayed gone, well-written or not.

I will now sometimes keep sections I had to cut, ideally for use in another text. For instance, in my rhetorical analysis I decided to cut the sentence “It is an impossible burden to bear alone.” I don’t want to become a phrase-hoarder but a few of the ones I’ve had to cut are too valuable to me to throw out.

Until now I’ve always considered genre to be a category of written work, like historical fiction or psychology, until I learned that it also refers to different ways of communicating. Different genres have certain styles, language, audience considerations, and venues. They can be used for different types of communication. For instance, the Quick Reference Guide (QRG) is appropriate for disseminating information about tetanus shots.  A Tweet, on the other hand, is appropriate for a brief comment on a current event. I have had to make adjustments to my adopted style of writing, which tends to be more formal, to fit the different styles of the genres.

I collect small independent writings called zines, which have a very diverse application and is a genre all its own. Using the right genre increases the impact and reach. I am active in causes that benefit animals, especially dogs. A zine, which in some cases is a little like a QRG, would be useful in spreading awareness about issues like spaying and neutering to control the pet population. Knowing how to write in different genres will help me communicate as effectively as I can.

It would be impossible to learn all there is to know about such a broad subject as writing. It’s so prolific that there have been times I’ve taken written communication for granted. Not all of what appears in print is accurate, ethical, or even very good. But it is a skill that is much more valuable and potent than I thought. Anyone who can learn to communicate using this powerful medium will have an edge in reaching their goals in the future.