Writers, Authors, and Genres

Similarities: We all agree that writing is increasing on a global level because of the accessibility of the internet and social media. We agree that people are authors without realizing they are, or with the intent to be. Lastly, we all agree that authors now are not coming up with new concepts, but are building on their own ideas to a previous authors ideas.

Differences: We debating that an author is someone who creates work with the intent to be published, while a writer is someone’s work that they do not want to be published, or did not put in effort to use concepts to grab people’s attention.

Writers:	Authors:
Write for their personal benefit without the intent for others to agree with.	Write for the intent for others to see it.
Writing is not as thoughtfully planned out to appeal a certain audience.	Writing in a specific format with special care of their words to attract their target audience.
Express themselves through words.	Express their work with words, illustrations, music, etc…
Ability to write freely without any constraints.	Have to have a focus point or a reason to why others should review their work.
They contribute to a conversation, so they don’t have to give credit to anyone.	Have to give credit to other authors where credit is due.

Types of Writing:	Why I Enjoy/Despise it:
Expressive writing/Journaling	It’s a way I can express my feelings and thoughts from my day
Timed Writing	I enjoy pushing myself and stretching my imagination with a certain amount of time
Critical Thinking writing	You have to push your mind to think out of the box and to develop each side of the predicament.

Text Message: Hi Tina! I could really use your help with the party this weekend. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind stopping by the store on your way over on Saturday. Billy only likes pie and I custom ordered one with his name on it from Walmart. Could you pick it up and bring it over here before the party starts? I paid for it when I ordered it so it should be ready to be picked up by 2. Thanks! –Sarah

Letter:  Hello friend,

I’m throwing a party and am in need of your assistance. First, I need you to drive to my house and pick me up. Then bring me to the store. At the store we will need to collectively pick out supplies that are appropriate for the party.  Once all of the supplies are decided on, we will split the bill. We will need to hurry home and set up the supplies tastefully. Thank you for all your help.

Sincerely,

Mataya

Rap: If you’re smart you’ll drive to Walmart, to pick up Billy’s party supplies. Don’t get a cake because Billy only likes pies. Without a doubt, before you checkout, get Billy a birthday surprise to fill his eyes, with joy, oh boy, you still need to help set-up, grab the forks, plates and cup(s).

Is Everyone an Author?

The world is changing. In today's society the line that distinguishes the difference between writers and authors has blended together. Social media has played a huge hand in this because it gives people the accessibility to post their work and reach thousands of views with just a click of a button. So this leads me to the question, is everyone an author?

 YES! An author can vary from an elementary school student's work being showcased to present-day presidential speeches. Today's authors are rather unique to the definition of an author a century ago. Authors work together as a team to understand and challenge other authors to further improve their skills. They build upon, reflect, critique, and mash up what other authors have already created. Think about it like this, "Rather, today's authors are part of a huge, often global, conversation.” We have grown up with reading and updating our Facebook and Twitter and analyzing and responding to posts or blogs. Our whole lives we have been surrounded by authors and writing, we have become desensitized to how little effort it takes to become an author yourself.

In conclusion, everyone is an author because of the generation we have grown up in. We have the accessibility of the internet, newspaper and social media sites that was unavailable just a few decades ago. Giving us a huge advantage of being able to share your thoughts and ideas to others.

Collaborative Writing on Writing

Writing is a thoughtful collaboration of words used to express certain ideas or thoughts. Writing can consist of formal or informal ideas used to persuade, explain, express, or compare topics.  Your persona drastically shifts based upon your target audience because you would not want to talk to a child the same way you would have an intellectual conversation with your professor. Both ways of communication are important but you have to know when to use one over the other. For example, writing an essay is a formal way of conveying your ideas, whereas a text message is a quick and informal way of communicating your thoughts.

Personal Bio

My name is Mataya Giffey and I am a 17 year old Running Start student at Olympic college. I live in Poulsbo in the same house I grew up in, yet I'm still finding new places, stores, and hiking trails in the Poulsbo limits. I am the middle child with an older sister and a younger brother. I'm an absolute fanatic when it comes to sloths (The sloth is my spirit animal) and I can eat mangos, tacos and chewy sweet tarts all day if I had the time too!