Writer's Evolution Essay: Encountering New Versions of Earlier Selves
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Evolution is a change that may result in total transformation, but other times in modification that builds upon earlier versions of existence. The evolution of life, for example began with microorganisms that ultimately transformed into humans and coral and lions. But in experiences like identity and skill, evolution may not result in reconstruction. Our intellectual and emotional capabilities evolve through expansion, not necessarily transforming or narrowing in specialization, but building upon earlier versions of self.
Throughout my time in the writing minor, my relationship to writing has evolved through practice and diversification. Rather than a writer transformed, I find myself more versatile, with a better understanding of methods to adapt prose, structure, multimodality, and creativity appropriately in context. Although my identity as a writer will continue to morph, the classes I’ve taken have gifted me with practical adaptability that will serve me well in my first job after graduation. Exploring the evolution of my prose, structure, multimodality, and creativity in writing, I reflect on the expansion of my abilities but also seek to understand where opportunities lie for growth.
Prose
Comparing the first pieces of writing I produced as a college student to the latest, it’s clear that, in many ways, my natural prose style has not much evolved. Even here, my reflective voice remains similar to pieces I wrote as a college freshman– readable, syntactically predictable, and sometimes diffuse. I don’t find that my writing prose, nor my attitude toward it, evolved much during my experiences in the English and Social Sciences classes I took as a Writing Minor. Despite this stagnancy, years of classes in the Business School have taught me how to adapt prose style appropriately in the corporate world. As Business major, I learned to write economically, a style demanded in the realm of consulting where I will be working next year. This type of writing was not a style I encountered until I began classes in Ross, and I attribute the most significant expansion of my prose style abilities to my assignments there.
As opposed to other genres, business writing does not leave room for voice. It values logical information flow and unambiguous word choices. Writing must look professional and be easy to skim-read. I’ve learned to exclude idioms and avoid sentences longer than two lines. It took practice for me to assimilate to the economical writing demands of Ross, especially because I value the beauty of poetic prose. However, I learned to categorize my business writing differently than writing in other classes. Business writing assignments became methodical. Sentences in these pieces are not poetry. They are formulas whose words serve to convey a clear point, concealing nothing under the surface.
I am grateful for the opportunities I had in Ross to improve my business writing. Entering my first job out of college as a consultant, this will be an essential skill. Further, these writing assignments remain enjoyable; they satisfy the craving all writers have to thrust ideas into written words. But they discourage linguistic experimentation. For better or worse, after picking up on the “tricks” to successful business writing, I have become satisfied with my abilities, no longer seeking improvement or guidance. Throughout college, my experimental prose projects were confined to a personal journal of song lyrics and poems. In this way, my writing abilities have expanded practically, but I crave the catharsis of writing in niche, creative ways.
Structure
In addition to enhancing my abilities to adapt prose in the working world, my college classes have introduced me to different types of rhetorical structure. Before college, I was accustomed to the 5-paragraph essay. However, years of University classes forced me to experiment with different structural styles, specifically heightening my writing aptitude in the business and academic realms.
In the Business School, the 10+ group papers I worked on proposing firm improvement ideas or investment recommendations shared the same outline: I. Executive Summary, II. Company Background, III. Industry Analysis, IV. Firm Analysis, V. Recommendation, VI. Conclusion. In addition to facilitating the division of group work, the rigidity of these guidelines helped me to understand the importance of clarity in section headings and information flow. As I move forward with a career in the business world, I feel confident in my skills to develop crisp and logical structure and work with others to write long analyses when required.
In contrast, several classes I have taken in for the Minor in Writing facilitated creative experimentation with structure, often uncomfortably. Two classes specifically come to mind as catalysts to my growth as a writer in this way: one, a CompLit class in which we wrote several reviews, and two, an Anthropology class in which we wrote several academic pieces that required the incorporation of multiple theological ideas.
In CompLit 490, I had the opportunity to write reviews for a movie, a play, and two novels. This class forced me to analyze my own writing from a reader’s perspective: if he or she has never seen or read the focal piece, how will I be able to communicate the most essential elements? How will I make a distinction between my interpretations as a reviewer and objective analyses of the art (if such a thing exists)? I practiced structuring the paper as a funnel, beginning with broad statements before incorporating paragraphs that critiqued more specific elements of the focal piece. Another structure I tried was writing a series of paragraphs that were funnels in themselves, each addressing a specific point. This class was one of the most fun for me because I could experiment with style for a specialized purpose. Although it is unlikely that I will pursue a career as a reviewer, the experience of structural experimentation contributed to my identity as a writer that can adapt structure to audiences of different types.
Similarly, Anthropology 327 forced me to experiment with a new kind of structure. In my mind, I describe the structure as cyclical; in contrast to the distinct sections that Ross assignments required, these papers called for the incorporation of the central thesis in every paragraph. Each of our assignments required us to interpret a contemporary article through the lens of three different anthropologists studied in the course. I struggled writing these papers, finding it difficult to connect three different and sometimes contrasting ideas, to one argument. To attain coherence and connection, I gradually learned how to structure essays more circularly, dedicating space in each section to discuss the relevance of that idea to every point made previously. Though I struggled most in this class than any other class in the minor, it is one where I learned the most. As a writer who depends heavily on initial outlines, I learned to view each assignment as a holistic piece rather than a series of parts.
Multimodality
To date, one of my weakest abilities as a writer is the seamless incorporation of multimodal elements, likely due to lack of practice. My evolution into a more adaptable writer largely excludes realms like blog posts and quick-read articles. My impression is that multimodality most greatly enhances pieces like these, which require engaging visuals and links to content that may provide important context should the reader desire additional knowledge. However, I struggle to creatively incorporate multimodality into academic essays.
Although I also experimented with multimodality extensively in the Gateway class, I sometimes struggled to find its substantial relevance. Attempting to incorporate loosely related gifs and memes in a blog post came off as forced, and sometimes detracted from pieces. Reading online news sources, I know that audio-visual elements enhance articles, but ran into difficulties searching for additions to my own writing. However, I loved experimenting with website design. In both the Gateway and Capstone course, I spent hours reconfiguring the website layout, taking advantage of all possible navigation tools. In these projects it was essential to consider multimodality from the start rather than as an afterthought, which led to more seamless integration.
Additionally, most writing assignments I completed in the Business School required appendices with diagrams and graphs that conveyed information pictorially. In my presentation classes, I learned how to communicate through diagrams and empty space – in PowerPoint presentations, using words sparingly is often more powerful. In these assignments, I learned the value of multimodality in conveying information, but it was confined to a structured appendix that my groups often fluffed out for the sake of length. In my evolution as a writer, though multimodality is not a skill I’ve practiced to perfection, it has certainly been placed on my radar as a tool for engaging readers and adding personality.
Creativity
Though my writing skills have evolved practically into a repertoire adaptable for my upcoming job, I have not harnessed many opportunities to train in creative niches of writing. I regret not seeking out poetry or story writing classes in college, especially because I love to write poetry and song lyrics in my free time. I know that I will continue to write in my own creative ways in personal journals, but would love at some point to receive feedback and converse with others about their creative writing processes. I don’t believe that practicing different kinds of writing in my business and writing minor classes has impaired my ability to think creatively or seek out creative experiences. I simply have not experimented much adding personality and originality to my writing.
Perhaps my attraction toward special, creative niches of writing is facilitated by the fact that I’m somewhat unsatisfied with the very practical evolution of my writing skills. I desire to strengthen my identity as a writer, and learning about new styles is one way I can satisfy that craving. I do not expect nor seek to transform my natural writing style as the years go on, but aspire to expand my knowledge and become a more skillful and multifaceted version of my current self.