When writing an assignment, it is easy to think that your audience is your professor, but that is not the case. In most assignments given, you will have to choose who your audience is. While it’s always best to check with your professors, it’s really important to understand that audience shapes how you write: it sets up your tone, purpose, and context.
The purpose of your English class is to help you become an agile writer that can write in different situations and contexts, so if you keep imagining your audience as your professor, it might be difficult to transfer that knowledge to new, real-world writing situations. However, it’s hard to not think of your professor as your audience especially since you’re turning in your paper for a grade!
But when you write for your professor, you can either 1) not include enough information for the audience or 2) use too much jargon from your class that your audience may not be familiar with. Choosing an audience might feel weird. It may be something that you never thought of. A couple of theorists who explain ways to address an audience might be the help you need.
Many theorists have different perspectives on the topic—one is Walter Ong who states that the audience is fiction. What he means is that you make up your audience and when you do that, you often create values and needs for an imagined audience.
An example Ong gives is that sometimes when you write a letter—or text message—, you are already imaging the person you are writing to and how they would react to what you say. The point is that imagining an audience can help your writing! However, if you imagine your professor as your audience, you might only be envisioning how they will grade and how you have shown your mastery of the genre—and while that is a reasonable thought, to truly master a genre, you need to have a real audience in mind.
Another theorist is Peter Elbow! He explains that it is better to not have an audience in mind so that you can express your ideas in your first draft (Clark 111). But, this is only a first step because what tends to happen in a first draft, without an audience, is egocentric writing—writing for yourself.
That is, the first draft might be writer-based prose and not reader-based prose. Writer-based prose usually “omits contextual information or elaboration that an audience would need or includes information that an audience would not be able to understand without further explanation” (Clark 111). The next step after drafting without an audience is to revise and shape your writing to be reader-based prose—meaning, you add more information that the audience needs to know.
The next time you write a paper, try imagining an audience that isn’t your professor! Or, if you like to get your ideas on paper first, you can write for yourself and then imagine an audience as you revise.
References
Clark, Irene. Concepts in Composition: Theory and Practice in The Teaching of Writing. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2012.
You might be wondering why we’re talking about running in a writing blog post. I mean, this is a writing blog, not a fitness blog, right?
Yes!
Exercise, particularly running and yoga, strongly affect our ability to write for the better, and as writers, we all need to be aware of ways to improve our writing skills while maintaining our physical and mental health.
Plenty of famous authors and writers engage in some form of running or walking—among them are Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Malcolm Gladwell, Frederich Nietzsche, and Henry David Thoreau—and for all of them, running improves their writing or helps them push past writer’s block and sticky writing places. Even if you aren’t seeking a profession in writing, you are a writer for your classes, and you might benefit from reading a little further.
Why running and yoga?
When stuck on a problem, one of the best solutions is to do something physically active. This allows our brains to rest from their mental work and forces us to concentrate on our physical bodies, and it’s an effective solution to facing a mental block for several reasons.
We often develop writing ideas while doing something physical, such as exercising, crafting, or even gardening.
Physical activity offers a mental break from writing or creative activity, letting our subconscious work behind the scenes or just take a break! This is the main reason so many authors, journalists, and creative-minded people say they go for a walk or run while working on a project, and many of them say they get that “Aha!” moment (what I like to call a pop-up toaster solution–when an idea that’s been cooking for a while suddenly pops to the forefront of our consciousness) while in the middle of a run.
TWU’s very own Dr. Jacquelyn Elliott, Interim Director of the First-Year Composition Program, has researched this subject and divides her conclusions into two groups:
Generative knowers: people who generate writing ideas when running
Restorative knowers: people who use exercise as a “lubricating effect” on the brain, enhancing its work afterward
For those who set out on a run or a walk with the purpose of generating ideas, Dr. Elliott suggests that it’s helpful having a background in meditation to better filter out distractions and let wayward thoughts come and go. This helps generative knowers stay on track and focus completely on the action of creating. However, this shouldn’t stop you from walking and running if you don’t have a background in meditation! Running and walking will still help you sink into another mental state and “clear away the cobwebs”4 before you return to your writing.
Vigorous exercise, such as going for a run, a brisk walk, or doing a vinyasa sequence (a faster-paced type of yoga that links movement to the breath) pumps blood to our brains, helping them work more effectively.
Loudin, a Washington Post contributor and avid runner, writes, “running requires a high level of physical activity; writing calls for a high level of cerebral activity,” and the additional “oxygen-rich” blood going to our brains during exercise boosts brain activity. Finally, if you’re anything like me, you often hunch over your computer for hours while writing and researching. Hunching inevitably block our bodies’ blood circulation. Practicing yoga enables us to stretch and open our backs, chests, and shoulders, improving circulation and our postures.
Have you ever tried to write when you’re stressed? It’s difficult, isn’t it? For those of you who, like me, struggle to write when you’re stressed, here’s how running and yoga can help:
When you run, practice yoga, or engage in another form of exercise, your body releases endorphins and endocannabinoids (feel-good neurotransmitters)
These neurotransmitters naturally boost your mood and alleviate stress by lowering cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. You may have heard of this as “runner’s high.” Yoga also attacks cortisol by increasing dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin hormone production in the body. Yoga and running help us be present in the moment and forces us to not think about the past or the future and “to-do” lists. Simply put, exercise is a natural and extremely effective means of alleviating your stress, freeing up your brain to write!
What’s stopping you? Maybe some of these excuses sound familiar, and here are some solutions:
“I don’t have time.”
Good news! Plenty of YouTubers have at-home yoga workouts you can follow from the comfort of your bedroom. Minimal prep work needed!
Here are some of my favorites:
Yoga by Candace (Candace Moore is an internationally certified yoga instructor and is the author of the book Namaslay.)
Yoga With Adriene (Adriene is a certified yoga instructor based in Texas, and she recently compiled a playlist called Yoga for Uncertain Times that is quite relevant right now. She also has a yoga practice specifically for writers!)
Blogilates (Cassey Ho is an award-winning certified fitness and Pilates instructor based in California.)
“I’m not flexible.”
Flexibility takes time, and you don’t need to be crazy flexible to feel a creative rush. Do what you can, listen to your body, and give yourself grace!
“I hate running; it’s the worst, and the only reason in the world I would run is if a hoard of zombies was chasing me.”
No problem! If you hate running, walk! There are plenty of amazing hiking and walking trails in your area. Google some!
“I don’t have the proper equipment or location.”
Running is convenient—all you need is yourself, the outdoors, and some running shoes. As for yoga and Pilates, yoga mats, blocks, and straps are available at Five Below and TJ Maxx for under $10.
“I’m giving myself a ‘day off’” (that then turns into a week off, a month off…)
Give yourself a goal to work toward to motivate you, be it “I’m going to run to the end of the block and back,” “I saw this yoga pose on Instagram and want to learn how to do it,” or something else! And understand that you don’t have to run or do yoga for an hour to help you write—10, 15 minutes is all you need.
The next time you find yourself struggling to write, or if you just want to improve yourself as a writer, lace up those tennis shoes and head outside, or roll out your mat and check out one of those YouTube channels! And when you do, leave a comment below to let us know if this helps you, or share your experience if you can relate!
When people think of April, there are many things that come to mind. Rain, green, and blue skies are what I think of. For writers, however, April means the beginning of a relatively new writing challenge. Aptly named Escapril, this writing challenge was started in 2019 by YouTuber Savannah Brown. A month before the first of April, Brown posts all 30 prompts onto an Instagram page dedicated to the challenge. These prompts range from single words to short phrases. Examples from this year include: dawn, the view from up here, and chemical reaction. The prompts allow an immense amount of creative freedom, and the rules for the challenge itself are very relaxed. Here are the instructions posted on the Escapril website:
1. Write a poem
The event is centered around poetry but other types of short form writing such as prose and flash fiction are also welcome.
2. Post it online
A screenshot of a Word document, a photo of your handwritten work, a filmed performance – the form it takes is up to you.
3. Hashtag your work
…with the hashtags #escapril and #escapril2019. This makes your work easy to find, enjoy and share.
4. Repeat
…for the entire month of April. The event is all about challenging yourself!
This challenge is incredibly useful for writers who are yearning for a new source of inspiration. In addition, because this challenge is focused on shorter pieces of poetry and prose, it removes the burden of producing something of a longer length. Escapril provides a routine, enjoyable activity to complete daily, especially with the self-isolation and social distancing being put into practice during this virus outbreak. The best thing about this challenge is how it revs the motor of your mind and allows you to produce content you would not have thought of otherwise. Personally, I have been struggling with a creative drought and writer’s block for months now. Escapril has changed that. Just as its name entails, it lets me escape the dullness of everyday life by writing whatever strikes me. Although I am not versed in poetry, I have been taking part in this challenge since the first day. Here is one of my favorite pieces that I have written so far:
Escapril Day 5: “The view from up here”
Clouds thick like honey
Traipse across the sky
Arrogant in their monotony
Time cannot be accurately measured
When it is constantly slipping through the sieves
Between our fingers
Each grain of time holds a memory
The ones forgotten replaced by those with more weight
And the scale is full of numbers we cannot control
Too many zeroes and decimals to count
They have eyes and mouths and buzzing bodies
Nestled in capsules that grow closer and closer
It is only then that the entrance is opened
Difficult to let in but even harder to get out
There is no key underneath a welcome mat
Or strewn on top a table in the foyer
An invitation that cannot be declined
Sealed with a blood red stamp
Emblazoned with the symbol of scrutiny
Sent from somewhere above
Necks can bend backward
With arms outstretched to the heavens
But they will never be able to reach
The depths of what they cannot see
Savannah Brown’s writing challenge is an activity that all writers can participate in. Moreover, because it is social media-based, it makes it that much easier to share and leave feedback for fellow creators. It also showcases the distinct writing styles of all the diverse writers taking part in the challenge. I challenge everyone reading this to take part in Escapril. Challenge yourself, fuel your mind, and most importantly, do not hesitate to go out of your comfort zone! As Sylvia Plath said, “…everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
TWU Write Site 