A “theory” is a system of explanation, a thinking style that helps explain things in the world. As writers learn, work, and evolve, many of us find it helpful to develop a “theory of writing”: a description of what we consider writing to be and how our personal writing practices have worked in the past, present work, and could work in the future.

Writing in college is a daunting thing, in my opinion, especially for people like me who had to learn English as an optional language. Being able to express your thought in multiple languages is a beautiful thing. However, sometimes, in your head, you mix them all up and tell people what you feel or want to tell. Verbally it is easy to express those feelings. However, writing is different. A significant thing in writing is to become a writer who satisfies their audience. Building good writing skill takes practice and great effort. Written communication helps you to convey feelings and ideas, as well as comprehend and be understood. Students in high school may develop this talent, which will help them excel in college-level writing. I did not have that much writing experience in Bangladesh.

This class taught me how to properly communicate with people via your writing.  Before this, I used to put words that would come to my head on paper. However, what I learned about the way one should write in this class, changed my way of writing. The difference between regular writing and college-level academic writing is vast. The subject matter, genre, proper use of punctuation, and following the rule yet not being a slave to the structure are essential parts of writing. Writing should also have conciseness, clarity, proper grammar, and potent reasoning while being able to connect with the audience. Like the reading we had from Mark Danner’s “Words in a Time of War” or Yong’s “How the Pandemic Defeated America.” Personally, I really like to connect with people with words, not with writing but by talking. I never enjoyed writing or reading, it was something that I had to do, so I did it.

While doing the things that I had to do, I came across this writing from Ted Chiang, “Story of your life.” while reading it, I did not like the choices of the main protagonist as she uses her newfound knowledge. After I was done with it, I realized that this story highlights the issue between free will and determinism. The portrayal could not have been more absorbing and meaningful. The story’s brilliance and compassion shine clearly. It has a plethora of material that will fascinate both the visionary and the scholar. I hated how much I liked the reading. This got me thinking about when I wrote my papers and had them for peer review; I felt ashamed even to submit them. Here is someone who wrote something that got me a hater of reading to get hooked, and I can’t even show it to a fellow student. I looked up the writer and realized that this did not happen in one day. For someone to be a writer, s/he need to practice and ask for people’s opinion and help. Which I, to be honest, am grateful for.

With my current writing or drafts, I cannot confidently say that I got much better than the day I started, but I now have a whole different way of looking at writing or reading and the world itself. I will say that whatever I have learned in this class significantly impacted my comprehension of the world. And with all that being said I would like to finish this with a line from “Story of Your Life”
“Despite knowing the journey and where it leads, I embrace it and welcome every moment.”