Writing IS a social Practice

Photo by lunamarina.

http://glennschoolwaip.blogspot.com

I suppose I had always known that writing was and is a social practice, but it was never voiced, penned on paper, or even formed as a coherent thought. I have been writing for about as long as I can remember.  I do remember learning to read, but I do not remember learning to write.  It has always been something I have done.  When I was young I wrote notes to my siblings with bleached out driftwood sticks on the wet sands of many Washington state beaches, only to have them erased by over aggressive waves rolling inland.  I remember writing, in paint, on makeshift grave markers, the names of our fragile farm chicks who didn’t survive to adulthood. I even carved my initials into the bark of a tree with a knife.
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When I look back at all the writing I have done over the course of my life, I can see how every piece of writing, even my personal diary writing, was and is a social practice.  Bringing that knowledge to the forefront of my mind has been transformative for me.  I see how leaving my initials in a tree would, and possibly still will, allow any future passerby to know that a human being with the initials of C.L.M once loved another human being with the initials of G.L.W.  It’s almost too obvious now how the transient sandy messages to my siblings was a social communication between us, as a group, even as we laughed and yelled at the evil ocean waves that destroyed our precious text.  I see how the sloppy green paint on dirty rocks denoting “Petey” or “Chirpy” in that tiny chick cemetery was a means of communicating to anyone who happened to read them that the harsh realities farm life could be devastating for a young girl having to face death for the first time. We humans write to connect with other humans, even if we know we will never meet the individuals who may read our writing.

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The older I got, the more I wrote.  I am still writing today...that is all too apparent in the plethora of genres that I have had a hand in penning (See MY WORK tab).  Some of those genres even paid me the proverbial “pretty penny.” I have written letters to friends, essays to teachers, resumes to prospective employers, articles for newspapers, children’s stories for my nieces and nephews, talks for church, reports for bosses, emails to family, blogs for personal projects, well wishes and words of sympathy on cards to various individuals, Christmas letters to friend and families and too many other genres to mention in a blog post.  The point is, all of these practiced genres were for a social purpose.  They were either to or for some other human being. This very blog post is a social writing practice for me and my intended, or unintended, audience.

​For one of my university courses this semester, we read several chapters in the book Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies, edited by Linda Adler-Kassner and Elizabeth Wardle.  I loved this textbook so much that I bought a copy, though we weren't required to do so.  It will be a beloved addition to my home library.
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As a class we briefly discussed what was meant by the term “threshold concepts.” One of the points of discussion was that a threshold concept was transformative, that once learned it couldn’t be unlearned and would forever change the way you view the world of writing.  This was poignant for me because I think I had a foreboding (in a good sense) that this course, “Writing as a Social Practice,” taught by Professor Christie Toth, would be one of those transformative threshold moments for me. Once I went through the portal of this class, I would come out the other side a different, better writer.  
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During the course of the semester we studied the history of writing and writing systems, read many scholarly articles that debated various concepts within the discourse of writing studies, researched a specific online writing community of practice, visited a local community writing center, viewed different texts from ancient and modern cultures, and shared our thoughts and views on what makes writing a social practice worthy of study.  To finish off the semester, we were asked to reflect on what we’ve learned about writing being a social practice and how that will affect our future writing endeavors. To answer this in part, because I don’t think any of the students in this class will ever be able to fully answer that questions, I will share some of my marginalia notes from readings in Naming What We Know.

First, on the topic of reflection, Kara Taczak, one of the authors in the book who wrote in Chapter 5, section 5.4, “Reflection is Critical for Writers’ Development” in which she mentions that “reflection can be troublesome” to some writers.  My red inked notes compare my views on self-reflection with my husband’s views. In the outer margin, wrapping down around to the bottom of the page, I wrote, “I’ve always tried to be self-aware in all aspects of my life, but [my husband] hates self-reflection because it can be painful.” He’s right. Reflecting can be painful,  most especially for a writer.  I know there have been times where I’ve written something, thinking it was a masterpiece, only to go back later and realize it was garbage. I've submitted stories to my newspaper editor and had her send them back with negative feedback suggesting a complete rewrite. This concept is backed up by Chapter 4 in Naming What We Know, “All Writers Have More to Learn.” Section 4.2 “Failure Can Be an Important Part of Writing Development,” written by Collin Brooke and Allison Carr.  It illustrates why it’s okay to find the “garbage” in self-reflection.  My marginalia notes question, “Have I ever written a brilliant first draft?” And then I underlined, “NEVER, everything I’ve ever written has needed revision.” I think that’s why I loved the quote from Ann Lamott on the next page that says, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.” That should give hope to all writers, especially those that struggle with writing.

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www.greatbigcanvas.com

​I was just trying to think of what I would consider to be my favorite writing assignment from this semester, but as I came up with the one I thought I would say was my favorite, another assignment would come to mind that I found just as enjoyable and allowed me to learn just as much as the others.  For example, I’ve always wanted to learn more about the ancient writing system Cuneiform. Early in the semester, we were tasked with the assignment of researching and giving a presentation in class about a specific population's writing system.  I chose Cuneiform, of course. I am now somewhat of an amateur expert in the Sumerian Cuneiform writing system. 

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​I also especially enjoyed our ethnographic study of an online writing community.  Being a science nerd, I chose NASA’s Twitter feed.  The observation portion of the study was more fun than it was work. The results from the research and data gathered were surprising to me and may end up being a topic for future, more in-depth, study, a possible dissertation topic.

NASA on Twitter. Follow them by using the handle @NASA

As far as future endeavors go, it’s hard to tell just what lies ahead in the distant future for my writing.  I do know that in the near future, I have a lot of editing to do for an upcoming publication of a children’s chapter book I wrote several years ago.  Talk about writing being a social practice!  Here I am on the brink of sharing my writing with the largest possible audience I have ever personally encountered for my writing.  I will have to keep the knowledge gained from this book, Naming What We Know, and the concepts we’ve learned in this class, Writing as a Social Practice, forefront in my mind so that I can continue to learn and grow as a writer.

One last thought in response to a class discussion on writing being a cognitive practice; I wrote this in Sharpie black ink on the front cover of my textbook. “I think, therefore I am... a writer. I am a writer, therefore I think.” That’s part of the writing process, thinking, reflecting...and realizing writing IS very much a social practice.