Journal #1

Writing is seen as a form of communication to me. Though it is not the only way to convey information, I see it as extremely effective. This communication could be conveying information, emotion, or an idea. I feel that writing is one of the most complex forms of communication, as well. At first, is seems as though this is not the case, but the complexity is uncovered when one tries to define it.

Writing is Clarification when it is attempting to inform a reader. This could either be clarification on nonfiction subject matter or, if in a creative work, clarification can mean elaborating on the setting of a story or character traits of a particular person.

Instruction is a definition because writing is always instructing the reader in some way. Of course, the most obvious example is found in nonfiction manuals or textbooks, but it can also instruct the reader by showing him or her how to compose a text properly.

Persuasion is in all writing because writing typically attempts to sway the reader one way or the other. It forces the reader to think about an issue and form an opinion on it.

Purpose is another way to describe writing because nothing is written without a clear intention, and all writing has some sort of effect on the readers. If the purpose is made clear in the actual writing, then the work is written well and the reader does not have to search any deeper for this definition. However, that does not mean that the work does not have a purpose if one is not immediately obvious. A work must be written for some reason.

Writing can also be release. A lot of times, it is therapeutic for the writer. It allows him or her to take their feelings and place them somewhere else. Writing can be a release of emotion, but it is also a release of ideas onto paper. In order to write something, one must have a mass of ideas in his or her head. Therefore, similar to feelings and emotions, a writer can take those ideas and see them in writing. It helps to better understand the ideas, and it allows the mind to be free.