What we write and how we write are really dependent on our purpose for writing?

What we write and how we write are really dependent on our purpose for writing.

The purpose for writing serves as a guide as to what you are going to write about and why. It is important to know why you are writing. Before we start writing the first question we should ask ourselves is “Why am I writing?” Your purpose may be to complete an assignment or to get good grades in an assignment. When we think of the purpose for writing we might say that writing is to communicate to a particular audience. I believe that understanding your purpose for writing makes one’s writing more interesting and increases the quality of their writing. But let us face it, do teachers always emphasize on the purpose for writing in the Secondary classroom. From my own experiences as a student I believe that clearly there was a focus on the genres of writing rather than on the purpose. Thus, students knew the elements of an argumentative, expository and narrative essay but the purpose for writing was never really emphasized. My purpose for writing was to meet the demands of the teacher and to get excellent grades. Writing was definitely teacher centered rather than student centered. The teacher always selected the topics for writing and most times students lacked interest in the topic. As teachers we must realize that if we give students the impression that the purpose for writing is to get a grade that will not be enough to motivate them to write. Teachers often wonder why students have such a negative attitude towards writing this may be one of the reasons. In order for teachers to encourage students that their purpose for writing is to communicate to an audience teachers can devise strategies such as publishing students’ best work in a newsletter, online publication or putting their best collection in the library.

Therefore, I agree with the statement that “what we write and how we write are really dependent on our purpose for writing. If students believe that they are writing to be assessed, which is one of the beliefs we have cause them to adopt, then this will be their purpose for writing. Likewise, if students are given opportunities to free write they may enjoy this privilege and this will also reflect in their writing. Thus teachers should use a wide range of writing techniques to make the writing process an enjoyable experience for students’ while emphasizing their purpose for writing.