Patrick Keen

Dr. Rieman

English 1101X

March 17, 2010

Lu and Horner Interpretation

The writing process is very different for every individual. Similar to writing most

people including myself seem to have different tendencies in different atmospheres or

situations. When addressing a particular situation or group there are two important

factors to take into account, the immediate context and the broader context.

It is human nature to only look at the immediate context when faced with

decisions but in reality the long term impact of how the situation is handled is much more

important. Recently I have learned to improve my decision making process the hard way.

Choices that I made last year are still playing a significant role in my life. Decisions are

influenced by social groups, friends, and the directed audience. These groups have

different expectations and requirements. For example, if I am at a party or social event

my speech would be much less formal than if I was in the classroom or at home with my

parents.

The writing process is very similar to the decision making process. The most

important part of writing is not the immediate satisfaction of getting some words down on

paper. Writing has to flow and have an overall purpose that unites the whole paper. When

I write getting started is usually the hardest step because I like to know the big picture of

my papers before I begin writing. A single sentence does nothing for me unless it

contributes to the purpose of the paper. Audience is also a major influence on the context
of a paper. A formal research paper or a letter to an important person has to be much

more formal than a letter to a friend or papers directed at a peer audience.

Like decision making the writing process is very different for every individual. It

is influenced by social factors and by personal preference. Writing and decision making

both have long term and short term effects that must be considered when looking at the

context. The immediate context is always going to affect the broader context.