Week 8 post

I was reading over the topics that Prof. Scott gave us, and I thought the most appropriate one would be "What do you think are some of the most important decisions writers make when they approach a writing task?" since we are starting to do that with our essays.  First of all, writers need to think about what the focus of their essay is.  As our class on Wednesday showed, there are many different ways to go upon writing an essay.  I think the writer really needs to think about how they are going to approach the essay and what is appropriate for their topic.  This also correlates to the audience.  A writer needs to identify his or her audience.  Once they have done that, they can write to their audience.  

Another important aspect of the essay that the writer needs to think about is their tone.  If the writing is a scientific essay it will probably have a more serious tone than a satire that is telling a story from the past.  In finding the tone that they want to use, writers should also consider what they want to invoke in the audience.  Do they want the audience to feel comic relief or a sense of panic and horror? The way that one writes can greatly change these moods.  Lastly, the writer needs to have an outline or some sort of organization.  It would probably be much more effective if the writer sets aside the research they may use and the different quotes or rhetorical questions they might want to add.  Organization was one of the main characteristics that our class agreed that a well written essay possesses.