Michelle Zarifis, Rita Cinquemani, Tilly Hallett, and Pat Joy
Professor Lay
WSC 002
1 May 2015
Writing About Writing
At the beginning of the Spring 2015 semester at Hofstra University, each student in Professor Lay’s Writing Studies Composition 002, Screenshots: Our Technological Selves, was told that the class would center around blogging and the different forms of expression the digital space could provide. Over the course of the semester, students created a WordPress blog, Jing Screencasts, Medium articles, and images to represent who they are as writers. Based on the work created in the various mediums, the following questions come to mind: “Who are you when you write in online spaces?; What is happening to writing?; What defines one’s technological self?” (Professor Lay). Although no answer is definite, due to the data collected, one could argue that the digital space allows users to take control of their own identities and in the process, change the culture surrounding writing from strictly academic to more personable, filled with emotional and logical appeal.
The first assignment that was given to the class asked each student to create a WordPress blog with a title that suggested something about the blog’s purpose as “a space to generate, develop, and present ideas and arguments” (Professor Lay). This implies that the purpose of this assignment was to have students think critically about the writing process online and create an argument based on those thoughts. As a result, the blog title was intended to act as an indirect thesis. However, instead of directly following directions, each student seemed to internalize the prompt and made it his or her own by directly connecting the title to his or herself rather than the writing process. Consequently, many of the titles became personable and gave the reader an insight to the way the writer sees his or herself, both on and off the page.
Upon observation of each blog title from all the students in our class, many of the blog titles expressed a certain attitude toward writing or referred to the blogger’s personal interests. As a result, many of the titles could be grouped together. For example, some of the students titles make it seem as if they did not want to write the blog at all, while others seemed to be open to writing in a new environment. Other titles were very witty and demonstrated the blogger’s personality. After observing the various blog titles, three to six attributes were assigned to each based on their references or overall tone, and then grouped together based on their similarities. At the end of this process, six categories were established: Personal Interests, Rejection of Writing, Signature, Confidence, Aspects of the Writing Process, and Performance.
While grouping allows blogs to be connected and easily organized, by only looking at the titles, one can only base the connections on assumptions. In order to legitimize these categories, it would be helpful to look at the authors’ “About Me” pages and the paragraphs they wrote when they changed their blog title. For example, if a title is grouped into the category “Rejection of Writing,” an observer could read the biography of the writer to understand his or her feelings towards writing. Furthermore, one could also go through the blog posts of the writer and make similar inferences. Since these steps were excluded when students initially assigning categories to the blogs, it raises the question of whether or not the groupings are reliable. In order to authenticate the work completed, a person could ask the writer directly, since many of the writers are present in the classroom. In doing so, a person can conduct first hand research and get direct answers to any questions that arise.
Soon after this was completed, the class was asked to change their blog titles to reflect their progression as a writer and where they believe they now stand in relation to their blog as a writer. When the revised blog titles were observed, many of them shared elements from their original titles, while others changed entirely. This shows that some people were very content with their initial blog titles and did not want to change them, but others took the opportunity to start fresh. For example, our classmate Skyler’s title transitioned from “Performing Offstage” to “Road Trip”. By changing the title in this manner, the author is still keeping the idea of movement, both off the stage and on the road. This possibly indicates that as a writer, she is still transitioning and has a lot of ground to cover before she can define herself as a writer in a certain way.
In contrast, many of the new titles changed to incorporate the idea of technological mediums for writing, displaying a greater knowledge and confidence with writing. What was interesting is that the new titles, although shifted to incorporate the writing process, juxtapose the initial titles created. For example, our classmate Kristine’s initial blog title was “Blank Spaces.” The title implied that, as a writer, she does not have a lot to say. Instead, she spends time staring at the blank screen before her waiting for the words to appear on the page. Yet her new blog title is “Infinite Words,” which indicates a shift in the way she not only views herself as a writer, but approaches the writing process. The title seems to imply that the writer possesses a constant stream of words in her subconscious waiting to be introduced to the page. As a result, she is no longer staring at the page, but owning it.
Titles were originally long and intended to summarize the main events of the novel, set the scene and introduce characters, some of them being up to twenty words. However, that was when there were less than one hundred novels in circulation. Writing has changed over the years, it has become more informal and titles are supposed to be a way to grab the reader’s attention. Notably, the majority of student’s titles did not reduce in length, but that is because their initial ones were already short. However, the concentration of the title tended to shift from personal interests to feelings and opinions on writing. Therefore, even though the title lengths did not change, their meaning increased. Furthermore, as suggested by Moretti, some of the students used puzzling titles with metaphors to challenge and gain the interest of the reader (152).
As well as changing blog titles, the students were asked to post images of their writerly selves. Some students posted pictures of themselves, while others chose to present images that represent themselves as writers, but which they do not appear in. Unsurprisingly, the photos varied by gender; many of the photos uploaded by female bloggers tended to be more glamorized than those uploaded by males. According to Jill Walker, self-portraits “[emphasize] the control a person has over her own self –representation” (2). By choosing the best image to place on their blogs, females own their identities and are able to thus manipulate the way others view them. It is as if the female bloggers needed to place their best image on the internet in order to create a veil from the outside world; they do not want the world to know their true selves. This is because the digital space allows individuals to recreate themselves allowing them to benefit from their mystery.
While glamorized shots are common for female bloggers, the air of mystery created by the images of writerly selves was seen across all genders. For example, many writers decided not to place an image of them at all. Instead, they chose to include an image that represented them in a unique way. According to Jill Walker, writers chose images not of themselves because “sometimes we want to keep a distance” (2). While there are benefits to sharing images of ourselves, many feel more safe writing in a space where no one knows what they look like. An absence of physical self allows for liberation since a veil enables one to say what he or she wants, when he or she wants without judgement. With this in mind, after observing all of the images, we created the following four categories: Nature, Whimsical, Mysterious, and Confident.
One of the photos assigned to the nature category was Rita’s photo. When Rita was asked to post a picture of her writerly self on her blog, she chose not to post an image with her as the subject. Instead, she chose to relate it back to her blog title at the time “The Sand Beneath Our Feet.” In her image, she chooses to focus on the shoreline and emphasize the incoming wave by having the composition at an angle. It seems as if the incoming wave is slicing through the sand, but the way it is positioned implies that the water is moving in a slow motion. In front of the wave is a word, her name. By writing in the sand, she is showing how writing is impermanent. Nothing that a person writes in this world is fully permanent. However, a person could try to make his or her words linger for as long as possible.
Additionally, Rita is also showing that writing is whatever the writer chooses to make of it. Think of sandcastles on the beach; sand can be molded and transformed into sculptures, words, or even shelter. There is no one way that sand can be used. Its flexibility allows a person to alter the medium in any way he or she deems fit. Similarly, the photo is taken at the marginal part of the shore. According to Rachel Carlson, the marginal space between the water and the sand is filled with life (Carson 219). Without it, species would not be able to survive because they would have no source of food or shelter. By framing her photo in this way, Rita is showing that writing sustains life and in many cases, creates life. Writing, although it has many sub-mediums, is a medium of expression that gives birth to emotions, both for the writer and audience.
Similarly, the image of Tilly’s writerly self is intended to reflect the possibilities she envisions with writing. In the image, the viewer can see miles into the countryside, which is filled with fields, a pond, and homes. The style of the homes and layout of the town suggest that the photo was taken in Europe. After reading her description of her writerly self, a person learns that she is originally from England, indicating that the photo was probably taken there. With this in mind, the scenery reflects her time spent in England, which heavily influences her literary style. It could indicate that her writing is traditional in a grammatical sense. At the top of the photo, there is an emphasis in the sky; it is a vivid shade of baby blue with very few clouds. The broadness and intensity of the landscape and sky highlights an openness to the writing process and the ideas presented in her writing. Upon closer examination, one can see that there is a perfect symmetry between the sky and the land. Both fill about half of the composition and juxtapose each other. While both share intensity and vivid colors, the sky indicates freedom while the land indicates tradition. The contrast in composition in the image suggests a “colliding” of different influences and writing styles.
In contrast to Rita’s and Tilly’s images of their writerly selves, the photo of Michelle is a self-portrait and shows her in full profile. There is no beautiful landscape or anything, instead the image completely reveals the writer to the viewer. Other classmates had shown themselves in their photos, but concealed their faces; only four students, including Michelle, chose to fully own their identities as writers. In the image, Michelle has her eyes closed and is smiling while holding a teacup. It is unknown to the viewer whether or not the cup is full, creating an aura of mystery around her. What is in the cup? If it is empty, why is she holding it? While these questions lay in the back of the viewer’s mind, he or she cannot help to look at the smile on Michelle’s face. It seems as if the mere thought of writing makes her joyful. This interpretation of her smile may cause some to think that she is a confident writer. However, her closed eyes may cause other viewers to think otherwise based on the words of William Shakespeare. He once said, “the eyes are the window to the soul.” If true, then Michelle clearly hides hers. This tells the viewer that although her smile may show that she is confident as a writer, she may be hesitant to write; she is afraid to have others peer into the inner workings of her mind. Writing can be a very personal thing, and so is looking into someone’s eyes; therefore, by shielding her eyes from the audience the viewer doesn’t get a full glimpse at who she really is as a writer.
Apart from herself, Michelle includes a fragile tea cup which leads the viewer to assume that she probably thinks of writing as a delicate task and holds it close to her. Since the tea cup has intricate details on it, this could suggest that she tries to decorate her work and treats it preciously. The image is also symmetrical which might be to show that she attempts to make her writing feel complete or whole. Beyond the more prominent parts of the image, the viewer can see the outside world through the window. This shows that there is a coming together of the writer’s experiences and the outside world. Although she may forget about the outside world sometimes, she takes it into consideration whenever she writes.
Similar to Michelle’s image, Patrick chose to publish an image of himself that partially hides his persona as a writer. This is because he is fully seen by the viewer, but hiding amongst the shadows in between to trees. In doing so, he causes the viewer to ask the question, is Patrick hiding from writing? The answer lies within Patrick’s blog. On his about page, he states that he does not particularly enjoy writing. Thus, it is valid to think that he is hiding in the trees because of his fear of presenting himself to the world. It seems as if he would rather have his words linger in the shadows than be front and center of the composition. Another striking aspect of his image, is the smile on his face as he is hiding. In a way, his position between the trees, in conjunction with his smile, makes him seem as if he believes writing is a joke. His positioning leaves the viewer wondering if he is going to run away the moment he gets a chance. As an engineering major, Patrick probably does not have to do much writing. The expectations of his major could indicate that he writes only enough to enjoy the little bit that he is mandated to do, but does not actively go out and write, since it is not his passion.
In short, the digital space has revolutionized writing and a person’s means of expression. Through investigation of the class’ images of writerly selves and blog titles, we have witnessed the effects of the digital space on a user’s writing style and portrayal of his or herself. The majority of students’ writing styles transitioned from a more rigid and academic style to a more fluid and personable style with a unique tone. This shift to an appreciation of the online space as a means of expression is reflected in several of the amended blog titles. The images of writerly selves further demonstrate a person’s ability to express and represent his or herself online.
Works Cited
Carson, Rachel. “The Marginal World.” The Best American Essays of the Century. Eds. Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Atwan. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. 214-219. Print.
Lay, Ethna E. “Essay 3 – a Collaborative “Writing about Writing” Essay.” Web log post. Screenshots: Our Technological Selves. Dr. Ethna D. Lay, 1 May 2015. Web.
Lay, Ethna E. “First Assignment: Make a WordPress Blog.” Web log post. Screenshots: Our Technological Selves. Dr. Ethna D. Lay, 26 Jan. 2015. Web.
Moretti, Franco. “Style, Inc. Reflections on Seven Thousand Titles (British Novels, 1740–1850).” Critical Inquiry 36.1 (2009): 134-58. The University of Chicago Press, 4 June 2011. Web. 1 May 2015.
Walker, Jill. “Mirrors and Shadows: The Digital Aestheticisation of Ourselves.” University of Bergen Department of Humanistic Informatics, 2005. Web. 3 May 2015.
The Sand Beneath Our Feet 
