"You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh." Then start again."
These words from the end of a poem by Ron Koertge, explain perfectly my advice for anyone beginning WSC 1 with Dr. Lay. She forces you to not only think outside the box, but to write and compose in ways that are far beyond that box's boundaries. She teaches like this poem - writing is certainly not a clean, linear process, but instead one that spirals and moves in all directions.
My advice to anyone starting out would be to release any fears or preconceived notions about writing. I have found that my best writing comes when I stop worrying about what I am going to say, and just say it. It also helps if the subject matter means something to you. So, make EVERYTHING mean SOMETHING. Also, do not be afraid or even hesitant of the writing processes suggested to you. Yes, some may seem strange, but take advantage of them - they really do help you to see things in a new way. At one point in the semester, Dr. Lay gave everyone a piece of paper and crayons. We had to respond to a question using this medium, instead of the usual blog space or a pen. The resulting products further explained and explored a previous subject of conversation regarding visual arguments. In answering a question about flexibility of speech, we also discovered more about visual creations.
Never be afraid of writing anything too strange or too silly. Write with all your heart and spirit and never look back. Create. Explore. Innovate. Write.
Thank you for your thoughtful post. I agree with you. This writing class was not what I thought it was going to be. There were many things we did that I would never have thought of doing. Like using Twitter or blogging, two things I would have never done if it wasn't for this class. I think you give good advice to future classes. Thank you for posting.
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