Types of writing I have done this past week:

·         Filling out forms

·         Jotting down notes

·         Making tables

·         Summarizing a conversation

·         Texting

·         Writing blog posts

The three forms of writing that seem to be the most different to me, would be filling out forms, texting, and writing blog posts.

                When I fill out forms, most of the time the context is very professional. The information I am providing is required and should not have any additional frills or language attached to it. I am not writing to persuade or argue, the only goal of my writing in this case, is to answer the questions I am asked in a clear and concise way. Although many forms are filled out online now, they are also very common in paper still, and unlike a lot of different genres, the format or structure does not change much overall when looking at the two different mediums.

                When I am texting, the audience is very different from the other two genres I have chosen. Most of the time I will be communicating with very close friends, in a very different tone. Instead of distancing myself with language, or presenting myself in a way that would be appropriate or appealing to my audience, the language I use is very familiar and informal. The words I use even, are different from the ones I would choose to use in a different setting. For example, when texting my friends, I may start a conversation by saying “hey, what’s up”, but if I were to start a conversation at an interview, the language would be more formal and informative. For example, “Hello, my name is Riley Zook, thank you for taking this time to meet with me, it’s great to be here”. The diction shifts, because the audience and my overall goal has changed. Instead of talking to my friend, I now am talking to a potential employer, with the goal of being hired. Texting also, is not face-to-face but in an electronic form. It is still slightly different though even from E-mail, because an E-mail still implies some sort of formality, and does not operate at the same rate of back and forth as texting does.

                Writing blog posts once again shifts my language and tone back into a more professional realm. I am very aware of my audience, a professor who will be grading my work, and I try to accommodate my writing to be more effective. I use more formal language, and follow prompts. In this way, it is guided writing, but I am still free to draw conclusions as I wish, and explain my personal ideas and feelings in relation to the given topic. The format also, can be more informal, as it is online on a blog, but I try to make up for that with formality in my writing.