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thevalleyisjolly · 3 years

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Hi there! If you feel up to it, would you be willing to expand a bit more on the idea of white creators creating poc characters who are ‘internally white’, especially in a post-racialized or racism-free setting & how to avoid it? It’s something I’m very concerned about but I haven’t encountered a lot of info about it outside of stories set in real world settings. Thanks & have a good day!

Hey, thanks for asking, anon! It’s a pretty nuanced topic, and different people will have different takes on it. I’ll share my thoughts on it, but do keep in mind that other people of colour may have different thoughts on the matter, and this is by no means definitive! These are things I’ve observed through research, trial and error, my own experiences, or just learning from other writers.

The first thing I guess I want to clarify is that I personally am not opposed to a society without racism in fiction. It’s exhausting and frankly boring when the only stories that characters of colour get are about racism! So it’s a relief sometimes to just get to see characters of colour exist in a story without dealing with racism. That being said, I feel like a lot of the time when creators establish their settings as “post-racial,” they avoid racism but they also avoid race altogether. Not aesthetically -they may have a few or even many characters with dark skin- but the way the characters act and talk and relate to the world are “race-less” (which tends to end up as default white American/British or whatever place the creator comes from). Which I have complicated thoughts on, but the most obvious thing that springs to mind is how such an approach implies (deliberately or not) that racism is all there is to the way POC navigate the world. It’s definitely a significant factor, particularly for POC in Western countries, but it’s not the only thing! There’s so much more to our experiences than just racial discrimination, and it’s a shame that a lot of “post-racial” or “racism-free” settings seem to overlook that in their eagerness to not have racism (or race) in their stories.

A quick go-to question I ask when I look at characters of colour written/played by white creators is: if this was a story or transcript I was reading, with no art or actors or what have you, would I be able to tell that this character is a character of colour? How does the creator signal to the audience that this is a character of colour? A lot of the time, this signal stops after the physical description - “X has dark skin” and then that’s all! (We will not discuss the issue of racial stereotypes in depth, but it should be clear that those are absolutely the wrong way to indicate a character of colour).

This expands to a wider issue of using dark skin as a be-all-end-all indication of diversity, which is what I mean by “aesthetic” characters of colour (I used the term “internally white” originally but upon further reflection, it has some very loaded implications, many of which I’m personally familiar with, so I apologize for the usage). Yes, the character may not “look” white, but how do they interact with the world? Where do they come from? What is their background, their family? A note: this can be challenging with diaspora stories in the real world and people being disconnected (forcibly or otherwise) from their heritage (in which case, those are definitely stories that outsiders should not tell). So let’s look at fantasy. Even the most original writer in the world bases their world building off existing things in the real world. So what cultures are you basing your races off of? If you have a dark skinned character in your fantasy story, what are the real world inspirations and equivalents that you drew from, and how do you acknowledge that in a respectful, non-stereotyped way?

(Gonna quickly digress here and say that there are already so many stories about characters of colour disconnected from their heritage because ‘They didn’t grow up around other people from that culture’ or ‘They moved somewhere else and grew up in that dominant culture’ or ‘It just wasn’t important to them growing up’ and so on. These are valid stories, and important to many people! But when told by (usually) white creators, they’re also used, intentionally or not, as a sort of cop-out to avoid having to research or think about the character’s ethnicity and how that influences who they are. So another point of advice: avoid always situating characters outside of their heritage. Once or twice explored with enough nuance and it can be an interesting narrative, all the time and it starts being a problem)

Another thing I want to clarify at this point is that it’s a contentious issue about whether creators should tell stories that aren’t theirs, and different people will have different opinions. For me personally, I definitely don’t think it’s inherently bad for creators to have diverse characters in their work, and no creator can live every experience there is. That being said, there are caveats for how such characters are handled. For me personally, I follow a few rules of thumb which are:

Is this story one that is appropriate for this creator to tell? Some experiences are unique and lived with a meaningful or complex history and context behind them and the people to whom those experiences belong do not want outsiders to tell those stories.

To what extent is the creator telling this story? Is it something mentioned as part of the narrative but not significantly explored or developed upon? Does it form a core part of the story or character? There are some stories that translate across cultures and it’s (tentatively) ok to explore more in depth, like immigration or intergenerational differences. There are some stories that don’t, and shouldn’t be explored in detail (or even at all) by people outside those cultures.

How is the creator approaching this story and the people who live it? To what extent have they done their research? What discussions have they had with sensitivity consultants/readers? What kind of respect are they bringing to their work? Do they default to stereotypes and folk knowledge when they reach the limits of their research? How do they respond to feedback or criticism when audiences point things that they will inevitably get wrong?

Going back to the “race-less” point, I think that creators need to be careful that they’re (respectfully) portraying characters of colour as obvious persons of colour. With a very definite ‘no’ on stereotyping, of course, so that’s where the research comes in (which should comprise of more than a ten minute Google search). If your setting is in the real world, what is the background your character comes from and how might that influence the way they act or talk or see the world? If your setting is in a fantasy world, same question! Obviously, avoid depicting things which are closed/exclusive to that culture (such as religious beliefs, practices, etc) and again, avoid stereotyping (which I cannot stress enough), but think about how characters might live their lives and experience the world differently based on the culture or the background they come from.

As an example of a POC character written/played well by a white person, I personally like Jackson Wei and Cindy Wong from Dimension 20’s The Unsleeping City, an urban fantasy D&D campaign. Jackson and Cindy are NPCs played by the DM, Brennan Lee Mulligan, who did a good job acknowledging their ethnicity without resorting to stereotypes and while giving them their own unique characters and personalities. The first time he acted as Cindy, I leapt up from my chair because she was exactly like so many old Chinese aunties and grandmothers I’ve met. The way Jackson and Cindy speak and act and think is very Chinese (without being stereotyped), but at the same time, there’s more to their characters than being Chinese, they have unique and important roles in the story that have nothing to do with their ethnicity. So it’s obvious that they’re people of colour, that they’re Chinese, but at the same time, the DM isn’t overstepping and trying to tell stories that aren’t his to tell. All while not having the characters face any racism, as so many “post-racialized” settings aim for, because there are quite enough stories about that!

There a couple factors that contribute to the positive example I gave above. The DM is particularly conscientious about representation and doing his research (not to say that he never messes up, but he puts in a lot more effort than the average creator), and the show also works with a lot of sensitivity consultants. Which takes me to the next point - the best way to portray characters of colour in your story is to interact with people from that community. Make some new friends, reach out to people! Consume media by creators of colour! In my experience so far, the most authentic Chinese characters have almost universally been created/written/played by Chinese creators. Read books, listen to podcasts, watch shows created by people of colour. Apart from supporting marginalized creators, you also start to pick up how people from that culture or heritage see themselves and the world, what kind of stories they have to tell, and just as importantly, what kind of stories they want being told or shared. In other words, the best way to portray an authentic character of colour that is more than just the colour of their skin is to learn from actual people of colour (without, of course, treating them just as a resource and, of course, with proper credit and acknowledgement).

Most importantly, this isn’t easy, and you will absolutely make mistakes. I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that you will mess up. No matter how well researched you are, how much respect you have for other cultures, how earnestly you want to do this right, you will at some point do something that makes your POC audience uncomfortable or even offends them. Then, your responsibility comes with your response. Yes, you’ve done something wrong. How do you respond to the people who are hurt or disappointed? Do you ignore them, or double down on your words, or try to defend yourself? Just as importantly, what are you planning to do about it in the future? If you have a second chance, what are you going to do differently? You will make mistakes at some point. So what are you going to do about them? That, I think, is an even more important question than “How can I do this right?” You may or may not portray something accurately, but when you get something wrong, how are you going to respond?

Essentially, it all comes down to your responsibility as a creator. As a creator, you have a responsibility to do your due diligence in research, to remain respectful to your work and to your audience, and to be careful and conscientious about how you choose to create things. It’s not about getting things absolutely perfect or being the most socially conscious creator out there, it’s about recognizing your responsibilities as a creator with a platform, no matter how big or small, and taking responsibility for your work.

In summary:

Research, research, research

Avoid the obvious no-no’s (stereotypes, tokenization, fetishization, straight up stealing from other cultures, etc) and think critically about what creative choices you’re making and why

Do what you’re doing now, and reach out to people (who have put themselves out there as a resource). There are tons of resources out there by people of colour, reach out when you’re not sure about something or would like some advice!

Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility

Thank you for reaching out! Good luck with your work!

#the valley is posting #thanks anon!#writing advice #hope this helps! if another POC has something to add - please go ahead!

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generic-hufflepuff1 · 3 years

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My Tma favorites (per entity per season)

In honor of the finale of Tma, I'm looking back and going through the seasons and picking out my favorite episodes. I'm sorting them by entity and Im gonna write a little piece at the end of each fear as to why I picked that episode. It is relatively spoiler free but still keep your wits about you.

Also this is only up to Mag 197

The Stranger

Season 1: 1 Anglerfish tied with 34 Anatomy Class

Season 2: 77 The Kind Mother

Season 3: 83 Drawing a Blank, with 96 Return to Sender as a close second

Season 4: 128 heavy Goods

Season 5: 182 Well being, but 165 Revolutions is very very good

Overall: 1 Anglerfish

So all the of The Strangers’ episodes are really evocative and well written and I have to say that it was a very, very close call for almost every single season and I still cannot really decide if I truly like Mag 1 more than Mag 34 but I have to say that Mag 1 is so very good at drawing you into the world and works as a stand alone piece.

The Buried

Season 1: 2 Do Not Open

Season 2: 66 Held In Customs

Season 3: 97 We all Ignore the Pit

Season 4: 132 Entombed

Season 5: 184 Like Ants

Overall: 2 Do Not Open

I love Mag 2 as the protagonist straight up did not have any of this bullshit. And they even got a mike drop moment with the frozen key. Like in this house we stan Joshua Gillespie. His determination to not have to deal with that shit is so incredibly strong that it sticks with you.

The Web

Season 1: 16 Aracnopobia

Season 2: 69 Thought for the Day

Season 3: 81 A Guest for Mister Spider

Season 4: 136 The Puppeteer

Season 5: 172 Strung Out

Overall: 81 A Guest for Mister Spider

Honestly Mag 81 is absolutely brilliant and serves to contextualise so much of season 1 and 2 and ends up being incredibly important to the world as a whole. That plus the delivery and excellent premise gives it a slight edge over Mag 172 that is a pure exploration of the controlling and manipulative nature of addiction

The Vast

Season 1: 21 Freefall

Season 2: 75 A Long Way Down

Season 3: 91 The Coming Storm

Season 4: 124 Left Hanging

Season 5: 174 The Great Beast

Overall: 174 The Great Beast

So the first half of season 5 does an amazing job of truely fleshing out each fear and the Vast is no exception. The split between the two protagonists makes it clear that The Vast is not just about big things or empty space but deep existentialism and the fear of the inevitability of life.

The Spiral

Season 1: 26 A Distortion

Season 2: 74 Fatigue

Season 3: 85 Upon the Stair

Season 4: 126 Sculptors Tool

Season 5: 177 Wonderland, tied with 187 Checking Out

Overall: 187 Checking Out

This one was difficult as Mag 177 and Mag 187 as both of them lingered in my head for literal weeks after listening to them. In the end Mag 187 was so completely mind boggling in how it completely changed my perception of the Distortion. And is a masterclass in writing a character twist.

The End

Season 1: 29 Cheating Death

Season 2: 70 Book of the Dead

Season 3: 94 Dead Woman Walking

Season 4: 155 The Cost of Living

Season 5: 168 Roots

Overall: 168 Roots

I have quite literally experienced some version of what the victims are describing. But more than that the realisation of the implications of this domain for the world as it elevates the episode much higher than any of the Ends other appearances as eventually the other entities will fear the End just as the mortals do.

The Flesh

Season 1: 14 Piecemeal

Season 2: 58 Trail Rations

Season 3: 90 Body Builder

Season 4: 131 Flesh

Season 5: 171 The Gardener

Overall: 171 The Gardener

Everything about Mag 171 just speaks to me. From the visual it conjures, to the brilliant use of botany metaphor to describe various body image issues, to Jared’s simple but weighty request. This episode lives rent free in my brain at all times. This is the first time that I have zero contenders for my favorite of an entity.

The Corruption

Season 1: 32 Hive

Season 2: 68 The Tale of a Field Hospital

Season 3: 102 Nesting Instinct

Season 4: 153 Love Bombing

Season 5: 164 The Sick Village

Overall: 32 Hive

Although Mag 164 does have a very particular place in my heart and in the history of literature due to its topic and the precise time it came out, but it does pale compared to just how brilliant Mag 32 is. As the first real mention of the entities it reveals just little enough to keep the suspense whilst providing just enough answers that it's obvious in hindsight. But once more none of that matters in the face of “There is a wasps nest in my attic” the shere delivery of this episode has placed it in many people's favourite lists.

The Slaughter

Season 1: 7 The Piper

Season 2: 42 Grifter’s Bone

Season 3: 105 Total War

Season 4: 125 Civilian Casualties

Season 5: 163 In the Trenches

Overall: 42 Grifter’s Bone

Mag 42 is very interesting. I’ve mentioned in some of my other posts that Im pretty sure that Jonny Sims finds some fears harder to write and the Slaughter is definitely one of them but I’ve only come to this conclusion by looking at how frequently they show up but listening to the show you would never be able to tell and Mag 42 is one brilliant example of this it is a brilliant way to expand on how the Slaughter manifests.

The Desolation

Season 1: 37 Burnt Offering

Season 2: 67 Burning Desire

Season 3: 89 Twice as Bright

Season 4: 139 Chosen

Season 5: 169 Fire Escape

Overall: 67 Burning Desire

I find Mag 67 so intensely interesting as it leads into one of the major themes of Tma, that love can and will defeat and overpower even the most gripping fear. The simple love of a simple man sowed just enough doubt to destroy an avatar of destruction. Tma is filled with similar moments but personally this one is my favourite.

The Dark

Season 1: 25 Growing Dark

Season 2: 63 The End of the Tunnel

Season 3: 86 Tucked In

Season 4: 143 The Heart of Darkness

Season 5: 173 Night Night

Overall: 173 Night Night

I remember the reaction to Mag 173. It was so incredibly powerful to watch most of the fanbase (myself included) react in exactly the same way the characters did to the reality of this domain. First with dawning realisation, then anger followed sudden confusion at where to direct that anger. It was quite eye opening to say the least.

The Hunt

Season 1: 10 Vampire Killer, with notable mention to 31 First Hunt

Season 2: 56 Children of the Night

Season 3: 112 Thrill of the Chase

Season 4: 133 Dead Horse

Season 5: 176 Blood Ties

Overall: 112 Thrill of the Chase

I absolutely love Mag 112. It is such a brilliant idea, and as a result I end up valuing it a bit more than Mag 133 or 10 which are particularly telling for me as it proves that the Hunt is weirdly the fairest of the entities and absolutely condones fighting back and even killing its avatars or that it just cares about the circular nature of the hunt.

The Eye

Season 1: 23 Schwartzwald

Season 2: 53 Crusader

Season 3: 82 The Eyewitnesses

Season 4: 138 The Architecture of Fear

Season 5: 183 The Monument

Overall: 138 The Architecture of Fear

Oh Smirke. Poor naive and enlightened Smirke. I love Mag 138 more than the other Eye related episodes because it is due to this character that we even have a metric through which to observe the world of tma

The Lonely

Season 1: 33 Boatswain’s Call

Season 2: 48 lost in the Crowd

Season 3: 92 Nothing Besides Remains

Season 4: 159 The Last

Season 5: 170 Recollection

Overall: 170 Recollection

Covid lockdown hit me quite hard and I have not seen a single piece of media that captures the feeling of having hours and days drift into each other quite like Mag 170 so along with Mag 164 it has a very strange place in my heart.

The Extinction

So this one is a bit of a different situation so im gonna simply list my top five in order

175 Epoch

149 Concrete Jungle

65 Binary

157 Rotten Core

156 Reflection

Mag 175 is another example of a statement that my mind will drift to if I leave it alone for too long. From the vivid visuals to the subtext of the descriptions to the delivery of every line it is easily one of the best episodes of Tma in my personal opinion.

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darkpoisonouslove · 4 years

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30 Days of Fanfic (Days 1-10)

I saw this and thought it could be fun but since I was already a few days behind and a little all over the place, I decided to do them in batches of 10 questions. So here are the first ten days!

Day 1 - How did you get into fanfic?

- How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

I don’t really remember how I got into fic anymore. It was my best friend that dragged me into it and I just... started reading?

The first fandom I wrote for was PJO. I have always loved Greek mythology so I just decided to... go for it. I never finished that fic, though (probably for the best as the ideas were awesome but the execution - not so much)

Day 2 - What fandoms have you written in?

- Name the fandoms you’ve written in, how much you’ve written in those fandoms, and if you still write in them.

That one isn’t so hard as I haven’t written in a lot of fandoms. Here are the ones that I have written in (in order of joining):

Once Upon a Time - 41 fanfics (I do have one collection that I need to finish in this fandom and tons of ideas but while I haven’t officially left the fandom and abandoned the fics, I am not really active there anymore. Which is a damn shame considering how many things I had planned for it. I don’t really feel the inspiration currently, though, but I haven’t given up on it completely.)

Fairy Tail - 8 fanfics (I mostly join any of the annual weeks for different ships in this fandom. I do have some ideas but I haven’t found the motivation for them yet. Even if a few of them were really cool and I loved them a lot.)

Winx Club - 86 fanfics (This one is my most active fandom currently. I do still write in it and I hope that will hold true for the foreseeable future as well.)

Lucifer - 1 fanfic (that was more of an experiment and I don’t really plan on writing more there)

Day 3 - Favorite characters?

- For each of the fandoms you have written in, what were/are your favorite characters to write? Why were these characters your favorite? (Can be main, side, established, or original!)

Um, okay. Let’s see.

Once Upon a Time - Regina Mills was my favorite character to write because I was mostly interested in her and I could see a lot of similarities between us. I wanted to explore more of her and her relationships with the other characters.

Fairy Tail - I don’t think I really had a favorite character to write here. They were all sort of... hard to get? And I haven’t written nearly enough of anyone to be able to pick a favorite.

Winx Club - I want to say Griffin but I think I might love writing Valtor just a tad bit more. At least at the moment. Maybe it is that he is more emotional and impulsive and I can get behind that and know how to write it? I also related a lot with some things about him and other times it is simply fun to write him when he is being an asshole. But there’s also a lot of emotional stuff to explore there. I don’t really know. I just love writing him.

Lucifer - Uhh... I only really wrote two characters from there and from them Chloe Decker was certainly the one that was easier so I chose to write my only fic from her PoV. I love the characters on the show but I don’t think I get them enough to write them that well yet so I am not pushing to do it.

Day 4 - Muse/special character?

- Do you have a ‘muse’ character(s), that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn’t about them? Who are they, and why did that character(s) became your muse? Are they a canon character or an OC?

Did I mention Valtor? Man, talk about trying to write something that he doesn’t sneak in. The few fics that I was actually focusing on other characters didn’t suffer from this but a fic that has Griffin inevitably brings out the need to at least mention Valtor in it as well. I have had to actively restrain myself from bringing him in a couple of times when I really wanted to write about anything else other than their relationship. I guess that is my muse. XD Not one of them separately but the two of them together. I am having all the feelings about them. Let’s leave it off here because I will get too many feelings otherwise.

Day 5 - Envisioning characters?

- Do you have techniques you use to help you visualise a character, such as picrews, faceclaims, moodboards, or fanart? Have you commissioned or created art to go with your fics, or provided references (picrews, faceclaims etc) for readers or yourself?

I am the worst at envisioning characters. I think it might be because I am trying to get in the mindset of the character so if I am in their head, I can’t see their appearance. (Maybe I should try writing with a mirror nearby. XD) I do make aesthetics but their purpose isn’t that much to help me envision the characters. I mostly avoid the envisioning part by focusing on emotional things and if I absolutely have to write descriptions, I try to keep it minimalistic. I have done sort of a picrew thing for my original characters but not for any fandom I’m in. A friend of mine made an illustration for one of my fics but it was after I wrote it and she actually used what I had managed to envision already to paint the thing. Envisioning characters is not my strength and I don’t even know how I function as a writer despite that.

Day 6 - Gender Preference?

- When you write, do you have a gender preference for your protagonist and/or the rest of the cast? Is it the same or different from your own gender? Do you feel your own gender is well represented, and how do you go about accurately portraying genders different from your own?

I couldn’t care less for the protagonist’s gender. I write the story from the PoV that is best for it. I try to focus on the personality of the character rather than on any other characteristics.

Day 7 - Fic affecting your view of a character?

- Have you ever had a fic you’ve written change your opinion of a character? Or has a fic you’ve read changed your opinion on a character?

Probably only... every fic I’ve ever written? I mean, as you write, your vision on the characters develops and, essentially, changes. There have certainly been fics that have made me reflect more or in a different way on an aspect of a character and have led me to change my view of that character in a way. It is kind of the point of being in a fandom and reading other people’s fics, I’d say.

Day 8 - OCs

- Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they’re not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.

I only write OCs when the story demands it as it demands positions that the existing characters can’t fill for whatever reason. Or when the person has existed in canon but was never introduced on screen (as in someone’s parents that we never saw). I am not a fan of OCs because I go to fanfiction for the characters I already know and love. If I wanted completely new characters that I am unfamiliar with, I would turn to original fiction. I was fascinated with the characters I saw on the screen/in the book and I want to know more about them and the relationships between them. I am not interested in what OCs can be made in that world.

Day 9 - Favorite pairings and your comfort zone

- What are your favorite pairings to write in your fandoms? Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn’t write, or a pairing you didn’t like, and found you could?

I’m just gonna talk about Winx Club because it is my only truly active fandom.

Griffin x Valtor is my OTP. I love them to death and have so many ideas about them.

Now as for pairing that I like but can’t write, I don’t think I have ever encountered such. In this fandom at least. (Maybe in Lucifer Deckerstar is a bit too hard to nail.)

Pairing that I don’t like but can (kinda) write must be Icy x Valtor which I did write on request and that particular concept was actually very fun to work with. I wouldn’t say it has “converted“ me or something, however.

Generally, I stick to what I like. I might try my hand at writing a pairing that I am curious about but I don’t like to waste my time on ships I don’t like.

Day 10 - Writer's block and procrastination

- Have you ever experienced writer's block or an impeded ability to write? How do you tackle a loss of motivation or executive function, and/or how does procrastination hinder (or help) you?

I don’t really think I’ve had writer’s block once I started writing consistently and not once every two months. I have had certain ideas that needed more time to get ready for being written but I never really stopped writing. I have had days when I was too mentally exhausted to write but the solution to that was to just step away for a while and let my brain rest. The problem wasn’t truly in the writing so with some time to recharge my batteries, I was back on track.

I mostly force myself through loss of motivation telling myself that I have too many awesome ideas that I will never be able to write if I don’t just get to it. And I always work on what I am feeling like tackling right now. Even if it isn’t necessarily what I would’ve wanted to work on.

Executive dysfunction can be a bitch. It is hard to get past it and I don’t think I really know how I do it.

Procrastination is probably the hill I will die on because I am too nervous to get to the next one. I don’t really have a tried-and-true solution for it as I am usually aware that I am procrastinating and yet, I can’t stop doing it and make myself be productive. Usually what gets me to drop it and start working is the itch to write and the feeling that I will literally explode if I don’t write. So I think it is that the desire to just write something whatever that may be defeats the fear that it will suck and I finally manage to get to it. I am just too excited about my projects sometimes. XD

#30 days of fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #my writing #personal #about me #winx club #ouat

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thanhvietanhdavidvo · 7 years

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Theory of Writing: Final

Hi Dr. Kt,

Since we usually do a reflection in the form of a letter, I’ve decided to use it again on this one. First of all, thank you for making this class as amazing as it was. Although there were times I was struggling and frustrated with the assignments, I think they taught me a lot about myself and my character. Again, I thank you for that. Anyway, let’s do our final reflection for this class.

So, I have chosen my four topics that I would be focusing on presenting in this reflection, and here they are:

1. Predict the future – based on readings, discussions, projects, and so on, what might the future look like for literacy practices?

2. Based on the NCTE definition, please define 21st century literacies. You should revise your position statement that we’ve worked on a few times based on how you understand 21st century literacies. Please make sure to ground your definition in at least 2 theorists, 1 of which must come from this class.

3. Define your theory of writing.

4. How might your theory of writing transfer to other writing situations both inside the classroom and outside the classroom?

Let’s begin:

I. What is the future for literacy going to look like?

I predict in the future, writing and reading will remain similar to today. We will still have physical books to read. The only main difference is that we will use new technology more. For instance, we will use e-books more often (or something equivalent), and we will use digital pens or keyboards to do writing. In a more distant future, I can imagine a case where technology will record people’s lines, meaning there might be a possibility where writing will go extinct; however, I’m not committed to that future, and therefore, I’m not going to talk about it. I think writing will remain, probably in different form compared to our generation.

In my post, “Reading is Inevitably Changing!,” I wrote (in the perspective of a Vietnamese elder): “When I was young, I used to be able to read all day without any struggle; however, my grandchildren seem to be incapable of doing so.” I believe our reading ability is currently becoming worse, but I think this is because we haven’t perfectly adapted to our situation yet. Hundreds of years ago, when humans first learned how to read, they were slow readers; however, through time people’s reading skills improved, till the point where our grandparents were/are. Computers and new technological devices have been around with us for less than a century. I think in the future, probably not in this century, people’s reading skill will become better again. Then, they will “be able to read all day without struggle.”

In “Orality and Literacy,” Ong mentions how Plato view writing as a harmful tool, one that messes with our brain and memory, and thus keeping our society from prosper. By now, we know that he was more incorrect than correct. Practice makes perfect. By relying on writing to keep our records, we practice memorizing less than people in Plato’s time; therefore, our memory is not as good as them. This Plato got right. However, he was wrong to believe writing would affect our society in a non-beneficial way. Writing has let us do our jobs (i.e. how many jobs are there that do not require writing?), store information for long-term use, communicate (e.g. King’s telepathy). Plato’s part in Ong’s book is an example of how history of literacy has shaped. Literacy did not stop spreading, nor did it become a bad thing; literacy has helped human civilization prosper, benefiting us in many aspects of life (i.e. jobs and pleasure). No matter how unpredictable the future is, unless humans go into extinct, literacy in the form of writing and reading will not be easy to get rid of.

II. Definition of 21st literacy practice

So how can we define literacy in general? The NCTE’s definition of 21st literacy practice (found on http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition) can be summarize as that a literate person needs to be proficient in using new technology, to make cross-cultural connections and share information across global to solve problems, to analyze information, texts and give critques on them, and to take responsibilties for doing so. Based on this definition, I believe a good definition of 21st literacy is that a literacy person should be able to handle tasks connecting to communication issues, which includes analyzing and critiquing other people’s writing in a proper and accurate manner, communicating efficiently across cultures to either solve a problem or satisfy a need, and taking some kind of responsibility in handling the task.

In my “Literacy Statement #1,” one part of my definition of 21st literacy was: “Communicating at present through oral, and preserving and protecting (i.e. memories and history) through writing.” This I believe can be improved by saying that communication does not need to be grounded in oral alone, but also in writing. In fact, like King said in his “On Writing,” through the use of writing, “we’re not even in the same year together, let alone the same room… except we are together. We’re close. We’re having a meeting of the minds.” Writing is a great way to communicate through time. Oral is another great method of communication, especially when speaking in front of others since oral creates an inspiring environment when one knows how to speak persuasively. Literacy is about communicating effectively, about knowing and understanding the audience.

In my first project, I talked about how “literacy saves lives everyday.” One of my examples was that mothers who are more educated are better at raising their children since they are more knowledgeable on health care system, compared to mothers who are illiterate. Like in my definition above on 21st century literacy, a literate person is more likely to solve everyday problems through communicating with, e.g., doctors or medical personnel who can give them what they need.

In TEDxManchester “Creative writing, why bother,” late-20th, begining 21st century creative writing specialist Anthony Lishak says that writing is “to speak through your pen” and “to put your voice onto paper.” A literate person needs to be able to communicate indirectly through papers in a concise and accurate description, effectively expressing their beliefs, thoughts and opinions. Literacy is a form of expression, a part of communication; being able to communicate well does not mean only to provide accurate information and data, it is also to successfully give the audience a (new) perspective, and to give them the speaker’s or writer’s own personal opinion on those information and data.

Literacy is also about power, in which one has to take a responsibility for it. In Lindquist’s “Literacy,” she asks about “whether the first responsibility of a writing teacher ‘should be to help students accumulate the things they need to gain entrance into cultures of power and access, or whether teachers should encourage these students to learn to exert some control over those cultures in the first place.’” We need to take some kind of responsibility, and in this case, it is the writing teachers who need to take responsibility when making the decision that affects the future of their students. In the past, a literate person is only found among rich and high social status families; however, in the 21st century, this is no longer the case. Education is about creating literate people, and in developed countries in this century, most people are now literate.

III. My Theory of Writing

Having said that, when talking about education and literacy, an interesting topic arises which is the “Theory of Writing.” When I first heard the term “Theory of Writing,” I got confused since even though I knew the meaning of each word within that term, I could not link them together to get a sense of what that term meant. That said, you must have heard the word “theory” in your science classes, e.g., Newton’s theory of Gravity, Einstein's theory of Relativity, and so on. But what exactly is a theory? In general, I say a theory is a well-tested and have-been-proven to be correct explanation of a phenomenon. A Theory of Writing, therefore, could function as a way to explain what or how one could write, and thus why one should write. My Theory of Writing is divided into three ideas, which are presented below:

For starter, what or how can one write? To say that one can write anything that he or she desires to write is a naive statement, a statement that does not tell us much. Personally, I think one can only write what he or she is taught to write. By taught, I mean in either taught by someone else or self-taught through books and observation, or both. A person can only write a poem if he or she knows what a poem is, i.e., what makes a poem a poem and not something else. This is important since one cannot write, e.g., a law book without the knowledge of what the format or the structure of a law book is. Same with a lab report in a science class, one cannot write a lab report without knowing the instructions on how to write them. I implied this in “My (seuss) Theory of Writing” when I wrote: “My planning is the creation, for doing things needs duration. Even if you have a perfect mentation, you ain’t gonna produce a masterpiece without a good preparation.” Preparation is basically the part where I ask myself: What am I writing? If so, what is my plan? “Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance” (quote by Stephen Keague). It is about reconstructing the image/goal beforehand, and we do it in our writing all the time (e.g. writing a draft, writing out ideas, making a mind map). The first part of my Theory of Writing is therefore: Before writing something, one needs to know how to write it.

So, why do we write? In my post “My Theory of Writing = “Why do We Write?” (WWW),” I gave a quite simple explanation and that was we write because we can. We, those who are capable to write, are blessed with having the ability to communicate through writing, compared to those who cannot do so due to illness or disease. Therefore, it is quite wasteful and disrespectful not to utilize such an important skill, especially since it helps one uses it as a memory tool (i.e. write it down to remember it) and/or as a general efficient communication device (i.e. emails and letters). The second part of my Theory of Writing is that: The particular reason why one writes is often different for each of us, except the fact that for those of us who are capable of writing, what should motivate us to write is simply because we can.

The last part of my Theory of Writing is that: One should write for content, but in a way that fits for the chosen readers. One of the facts which Brandt mentions in her book “The Rise of Writing” is that good writers think before they write. They think about the audience, the ones who is going to read their writings. This part of my Theory of Writing emphasizes on the importance of those who is going to read your work. Writing is a powerful tool for influencing others, one that can change people’s opinions; therefore, a writer must consider who her audience is. For instance, if her audience are children, the author needs to consider which words to use in accordance to social standard. A writer should think about the word choice, the content, and the aim of her writing in a way that “fits for the chosen readers.”

IV. Application of my Theory of Writing

If one wish to, my Theory of Writing can be considered as an universal Theory of Writing. I personally find the theory fits in many cases both at school and in life. Below are the three parts in my theory of writing:

(T1) Before writing something, one needs to know how to write it.

(T2) The particular reason why one writes is often different for each of us, except the fact that for those of us who are capable of writing, what should motivate us to write is simply because we can.

(T3) One should write for content, but in a way that fits for the chosen readers.

Within a classroom such as literature or history class (where writing is required a lot), one usually applies T1, T2, and T3 most of the time in his or her writing. (T1) When we write lab reports in science classes such as in physics class, we have steps to follow, e.g., introduction, hypothesis, methods, data, and then conclusion. (T2) Students in physics class write for the purpose of showing what they have done and got from the experiment, and these students should be fully capable of writing it (using the instructions given before hand). (T3) It is obvious the content is about what they have done and the results they have acquired, and that the chosen reader will be their physics professor or TA.

One of the first questions asked in this WRIT class was whether there is a job that does not require writing; the answer we could all agree on is that there is but not a lot. Most jobs require some type of writing. Even if those jobs are not specialized in writing, the individual who performs the job is required to be able to write in some ways. Especially in the 21st century, people from any social status should be given a chance to learn how to write (and read). T1, T2, and T3 can be applied in jobs outside of classroom. For instance, a secretary’s job requires a lot of writing. (T1) Before he could start being the secretary, he needs to learn how to do the job properly, including how to write in an acceptable way so that his boss does not fire him. (T2) The reasons for him to become a secretary varies, but no one can deny that all secretaries can and need to be able to write. (T3) Again, the content of his writing serves his boss, and his audience is no one but his boss or whom his boss refers to.

In addition, I did not mention this above, but preparation also implies revision. One needs to be able to know how to revise his/her paper if he or she wants to produce a well written paper. In Sommers’ “Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers,” we have learned how students should revise their paper. Taken from T3, one not only write for content but also revise by looking at the content, and not just grammar and equivalent. In any type of writing, one should never consider revising a waste of time, since one cannot improve their writing without revising (a form grounded by T1). In “My (Seuss) Theory of Writing,” I wrote: “Rethink about what you have done, be cautious, be simple, don’t have things undone. Have fun, but don’t get stunned. Since your audience might be everyone.” Revising is not only for the writer to put/take information in/out, it is also to successfully give the audience a good presentation of what one wants to give.

I believe this is the end of my reflection. This is basically a summary of what I have learned through this WRIT class. Thank you for reading my reflection. I wish you a wonderful year ahead.

Best,

Thanh Viet Anh Vo (David Vo)

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