Writing is an extremely important action that influences everyones daily life.  The actual definition of writing according the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “the act or process of one who writes: such as the act or art of forming visible letters or characters”. It’s something that I think a lot of people don’t realize the importance of. We learn basic writing when we are young, after we learn to write, people almost become jaded to the significance of it.  We use writing to communicate, instruct, advise, inform, and express emotions. 

I feel like I have a very loose view on what successful writing is, just because there is a huge range of different types of writing along with style and objectives. I’d consider writing successful if the writer was able to convey accurate information to their audience in a manor that was clear, informational, and appropriate to who they’re writing for. If you’re writing a textbook at elementary level, you should make sure it is comprehendible for kids. 

I think I’m an average writer, but I could definitely improve. I love to read and in high school I used to write a lot. But now it typically takes me a while to get inspired to write and I have to really zone in on what I’m doing or my mind will go blank and I will get frustrated then give up. I do love writing and I really love public speaking (which is weird considering I have social anxiety) once I’m educated on the topic and motivated about it. 

Key terms:

1. Summarize 

2. Describe 

3. Inform

4. Express 

5. Argue 

After reading the Billy Collins commencement address, I took away a lot regarding execution of writing. How he organized his writing was extremely effective in keeping my attention and created an easy transition from one point to another. I think he definitely was appealing to his audience which was more than just the student body, it was also the families attending graduation and staff. I also noticed how he referenced many different people throughout his commencement. 

I would say that Billy Collins commencement would fall under my definition of successful writing. From the criteria I created above, I would definitely say he was very clear and informative in everything he said. He went into fine detail and analyzed every piece of advice he was giving to his audience. I already said this above, but I believe he was very appropriate with his content for his audience. 

For the key terms I listed above, I do believe they could use revision. My original list is more on the specific side, I don’t think its broad enough for all writing types. It leans more towards a speech or informational writing.