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Mitchell Fratrik
Megan Keaton
ENC1102-01
30 July 2014
Theory of Writing
Ever since humans first invented written language, writing has continued to evolve into
the complex art that it is today. Compared to ancient times, writing can now be conveyed
through many different forms, or genres. Because there are so many different ways to
communicate writing, it is important to understand that the process of getting to the finished
product can be different every time something is written. As this shows, nearly every aspect of
writing is connected to form a final product. Therefore, writing is a process involving research,
analysis, and revision that meets at a final genre and forms a completed work. Writing, in terms
of literature, is an art form that requires much consideration and thought before finalizing a
work. Even with a definition, it is not enough to fully understand what goes into writing. The
backbone to writing a successful piece is to recognize how the actions of the process result in the
final product and how they directly impact each other even before a final piece is done.
Contrary to popular belief, writing a few words on a piece a paper does not count as
writing. As an art form, writing requires more than simple daily note taking. There is a longer
process involved if something is going to be considered quality writing. This process is broken
up into steps that results in a final piece of writing. One of the most important steps of this
process is researching. In itself, research is a process that build a platform for a piece of writing.
Research incorporates reviewing ideas for a topic, finding support for the main idea, and
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connecting patterns of information that will support the final draft. Even after the research is
collected, analysis has to be done before any actual writing occurs. An author must first review
the information that they have collected and pull out the most useful facts for their purpose. By
doing this, the author is able to put together the best possible facts and make an interpretation as
to the meaning of the findings. Once a draft has been written and the research applied, revision
must occur to make the product the best it can. Revision is part of what make writing unique,
because an author can always go back and make changes to their words. It allows for a writer to
remove any mistakes that may have been made and it provides an opportunity to add any extra
research that was discovered later in the process. This is the final step that culminates in a final
draft of a work of writing.
The writing process can be explained in simple terms but there are other aspects of
writing that have a major influence on the direction that the process will go. A writer must take
into consideration the audience when determining what to write. The audience is the ultimate
judge of a final product of the writing process. They are the ones who read through a writing and
determine if it accomplishes its goal. If an author does not tailor the writing to the desires of the
audience, then they wont be interested in reading it. Throughout the entire writing process,
audience must be considered when the author is making any type of decision pertaining to the
final product. The audience also influences the writers choice of genre. An author may choose
to write a picture book if the audience is an elementary school class, or they may create a graphic
display if the audience is a CEO of a company. Ultimately, the audience is the biggest factor in
determining which direction the writing process will take.
Writing can be thought of as an all-inclusive circle. At the center of the circle is the main
determining factor for an author, the audience. The entire process of writing revolves around the
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audience. Research, purpose, and genre are all determinant on who the audience of the work is
going to be. What results from this circle is a final product that appeals to the audience. Writing
requires time and effort to produce a work of art, but it is easier to reach that end product when
the each part of the circle makes sense.















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Mitchell Fratrik
Megan Keaton
ENC1102-01
30 July 2014
Final Reflection
This summer semester has brought some change to the way that I conduct my writing. As
I entered this course, I always thought of writing as a process that I could complete the night
before and still achieve success. I was quickly proven wrong when I first started college. Most
academic papers required more work than I was used to and I wasnt seeing the grades I wanted
on my papers. When this class first started, I was actually hoping to learn new steps and tips so
that I could write more efficiently and receive higher grades on my essays. I was able to modify
my theory of writing and learn new information not only through class lectures but by
completing the assignments. Each assignment served its own purpose in teaching a certain aspect
of writing. Through the Inquiry Research Project, I was able to discover a new way to research. I
always knew about the existence of library databases but I had never used them because I didnt
feel they were necessary. After having a chance to experiment with them during the research
phase of the IR project, I now have a new found appreciation for these resources. After an hour
of research, I had collected nine credible and useful sources for my paper. This discovery added
an element to my research process that will make it easier and quicker for me to find good
sources in the future.
With the completion of the final drafts of each project, we had to create a remediation of
our work. By having to remediate my findings, it gave me an opportunity to test out my writing
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ability in other genres. The remediation of the Key Term Exploration essay taught me that it isnt
difficult to mold research into any genre. This gives a new dimension to my current theory of
writing because it allows me to apply any of my future research to any audience necessary. By
picking different genres based on the audience, it will become easier to keep said audience
engaged in my writing. Since I know how fit research into many different genres, I can use this
skill to write for a variety of different courses and for other academic uses.
Completing semi-formal reflections helped me in a few different ways, especially with
the revisions of my drafts. Completing reflections made me look back at the work I had
completed, a step I never wanted to take to make my work better. These assignments made me
think about the topics that were addressed in class but they also forced me to look at past work
and analyze the quality of it. Specifically, reflection #2 forced me to look back at the revisions I
had already made in my Key Terms essay and think about revisions I could make to my already
edited work. Revision was also emphasized in class through our workshop activities. By
allowing my peers to critique my essay and provide suggestions, I was able to learn off of their
writing styles and use advice that I thought would be useful to better my own process. This also
gave me the opportunity to make revisions on parts of my paper that I may have missed the first
time I read over the final product.
The curriculum in this class has required a lot of work out of me but it is not without its
benefits. Most of the assignments and class activities forced me to think about writing in ways
that I had avoided in the past. This new level of thinking allowed me to change my own theories
about what writing actually is. My revised theory allows me to follow many steps learned in this
class to better the quality of my academic writing.