Writers Authors and Genres

2. Between the three of us, all of our writings say essentially the same thing in different ways. We all agree that today, the definition of an author is blurred with the introduction and popularity of the internet. The creative process has been boosted immensely, because we are given access to a wealth of information, stories and opinions. It is easy to reach a wide audience in minutes, because on the internet, nothing is hidden, and anyone can publish anything instantly.

4.

Writers:	Authors:
Can write privately - like in a diary	Authors must publish their work to be an “author”
Based off an original idea that fuels the literary piece.	Original work (plot, concepts, content)
Writing can be completely individual, or shared with a specified audience. (writer's choice)	On the flip side, publishing yields your work available to anyone.
Writers may try to hide their work from the public eye or protect it from any possibility of that happening, like a diary or top secret document.	Sometimes people become authors inadvertently, the perfect example of this would be Tamim Ansary’s email sent to a few friends went public.
Disconnected from the critique of others.	Work is public, therefore open for discussion.

5.

Type of Writing:	Why you Enjoy/Despise it:
Poetry	Creating flow and rhythm is satisfying. It can be difficult to express real meaning in poetry, and hard to have the writing flow smoothly.
Personal Narrative	Gives author the ability to express his/her own experiences
Persuasive Writing	Requires rhetorical listening, researching, learning, and writing. Takes more time, but is satisfying when you’re successful in making your point.
Original Fictional Story	It is difficult to create your own original ideas, but it is rewarding when accomplished.
Letter	Can be somewhat informal, but also sincere. sometimes difficult to write formal letters.
(Shopping) Lists	Simple and to the point, assures thoroughness

6.

Letter:

Dear Johnny,

I’m writing to you regarding the party next Saturday, and was hoping you maybe lend me a hand (you're invited of course). So far I've gathered some plastic utensils, plates and cups (for easy clean up), but have not bought any food. I was hoping you could make your famous spaghetti and garlic bread ;). I sent out the invitations that say the party starts at 4:00, but I was hoping you could show up around 2:30-3:00 to help set up the decorations. Speaking of which… could you bring your boombox and TLC mix-tape? Also ask your daughter if she would be interested in babysitting the kids for the night. If you think of anything else don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks Johnny!

• Loui

List: Things for party - Will you buy utensils, plates and cups at Party City? - Can you help me set up the chip table? - I need help cutting the watermelon in star shapes. - Tie the balloons Bob’s chair, please! - I will put the candles on the chocolate cake, if you will cut the cake after we sing “Happy Birthday.” - Thanks for your help! :)

Shopping Haikus: Hello, John. Please buy Forks, spoons, knives, plates, and napkins. Thank you very much. Please go get flowers From the flower shop for Bob They are red roses To Party City For balloons and confetti It smells weird in there Stop by Sluy’s for cake Bob likes gooey chocolate cake Thanks for doing this.

Is Everyone an Author?

    Anyone who has communicated any information in the form of writing is by a loose definition, an author. Today the experience of becoming an author is available to almost anyone because of the ability to self-publish anything imaginable. The internet has given the average person to publish their own work, and hyper publish the work of others, through forwarding and sharing tools commonly seen in email and social media. This hazy meaning of the word author; defined as someone whose work has been “published,” truly fades the lines between writers and authors. To answer this question, a book by the affirmative title “Everyone’s an Author,” explains that most of today’s writing is part of what they call a “global conversation.” This is largely due to the fact than in today’s world it is impossible to have truly original ideas. All thoughts are influenced by what you have experienced, read, or heard from things in your life. This is explained by a poet by the name of John Donne in his words: “no man is and island, apart from the main.” This sense of connection is only getting stronger as technology advances. As things like blogs and social media getting more and more attention, our ideas and opinions become more sophisticated and concrete. This ease of access to masses of information gives anyone the opportunity to become an “accredited” author. By simply taking the time to do a little research before publishing your own work, you can appeal to a much more scholarly audience. Why not take advantage of the information, after all “the world is literally at your fingertips” (xxxii). Research is what gives writing authority. Authoritative writing is what makes a statement, in what Kenneth Burke calls “the conversation of humankind.”

    *Many of these quotes and ideas are pulled from the book “Everyone’s an Author” by: Andrea Lunsford, Lisa Ede, Beverly J. Moss, Carole Clark Papper, and Keith Walters.

Collaborative Writing on Writing

For people our age, the most common form of writing would have to be school papers and writing assignments, however smaller things like sending an informal text message or a social media post seem to dominate out of school writing. The persona swings pretty dramatically between formal literature and informal communication, with a massive consideration for the audience at hand. Our writing style is adaptive to the variety of audiences we write for to make our work appropriate. Writing a paper for your english teacher differs drastically from sending a quick text to your friend. Tying these two polar writing styles together is the “personal narrative” style, meaning writing where the author uses “I” and “you” freely throughout the paper to seemingly blur the lines between formal literature and informal communication. What we have gathered through our years of school is that if you can somehow weave in tone and voice into a formal piece, then it becomes second nature in everyday writing.