Journal 7

I define writing as a process that comes mostly from the writer. It can be anything ranging from a poem, to technical writing. It has such a wide range of value that it is hard to define it as something specific. Editing is going back and fixing your work, but not just based on your own opinions. Editing requires peer review to reach its full potential. Composing is something that includes writing, editing, and a world of other things. This includes everything we have discussed in class such as audience, purpose, exigence, etc. Composing can be morphed in many different ways depending on the goals of the author, therefore, it is hard to give it a single definition. Key terms necessary to define all three are purpose, audience, assemblage, circulation, and medium. Each term allows the composer to check off a part of their process, to ensure they are composing to their full potential. The way they are connected is not linear. There is no numbered checklist that has to be done in any particular order, they are just things to consider throughout the process. My experience with project two have shaped my definition in that not every term requires the same amount of focus. When I transformed from one medium to another, I realized that certain parts of the process required different amount of attention than others. This is what gives composing such a broad definition in which nothing can be set in stone. My experiences outside of this course with writing, editing, and composing have mostly come from social media. Specifically, my definition of composing has been shaped by it. With figuring out what to tweet that will get the most likes/retweets, to what Instagram posts will get the most likes, I feel like I have an understanding of how to run my own social media accounts based on my understanding of circulation. One specific change I would have made to my theory of composing since week two would have been on the importance of a focus on circulation. We hadn't really talked about it in class much, but when we started to, I realized that if a composer doesn't work on the circulation of his/her work, it is absolutely pointless because it can never reach its full potential.