Strohming1

Elizabeth Strohminger
Dr. Reiman
English 1101x
5.03.10

The Personalization of a Composition

In Lu and Horner’s essay, “Composing our Composing Processes,” the authors spend an

abundance of time touching on the subject of a writer’s environment. They claim that both the

immediate and long term environment surrounding the writer will greatly impact what and how

they write. It is important to keep this in mind when composing a new piece of work because

one’s environment will shape not only what he/she thinks but also how he/she verbally expresses

those thoughts.

A writer’s environment can make a surprising impact on the outcome of the work. Lu and

Horner agree. They say, “Where each writer writes or can write also matters: with or without

access to a library…a quite place to study…relatively long blocks of time without disruption,

and whether the writer is familiar with and comfortable using any of these resources.” (18). The

writing process is obviously important for the writer, and where that process takes place can be

vital to composing a piece of work. The writer must feel comfortable in that environment while

being able to focus on their work in order to complete it.

Lu and Horner first introduce the idea that writing does not take place in a vacuum when

they say “writing takes place…in very specific and frequently changing contexts,” (4). The

original intent of this line was to support the idea that writers “often have to revise their initial

plans for how to proceed,” but it also supports the idea that writers are a product of their

environment (4). Writers come from all different backgrounds; this alone would greatly impact

the way a person understands a certain topic or idea. Just like children will grow to have the
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same ideals as their parents, a writer will put forth the ideas that were introduced to him during

his lifetime.

Lu and Horner also emphasize the writer’s writing context. They create two different

categories- the “immediate language contexts” and the “broader language contexts” (15). The

broader language context consists of how the writer responds to areas of life outside of the

writing environment, such as social settings in the home, leisure time, and interactions with peers

(15). The immediate language context is the restraints or parameters on the writer during that

particular composition (16). Lu and Horner claim that these two contexts seem to conflict with

each other during the writing process. They constantly overlap, which makes it very difficult for

the writer to respond to a prompt in a meaningful way. Many times, the writer’s broader

language context will tell him/her to write a certain way while the parameters of the composition

ask for something entirely different. A good writer finds a balance between the two. It’s

important to know how to compromise between one’s background and the immediate task at

hand in order to create a piece that represents the individual.

How one writes is a direct product of the writer’s environment. This includes their

background and culture, personal experiences, where the writing takes place, and most

importantly, how these all interact with each other. Good writing isn’t simply putting words on

paper, but it also includes representing oneself in the composition. It is necessary for an audience

to read a paper and see valid arguments, but the paper becomes that much stronger when the

audience sees the writer’s environment in the work. They’ll have a personal response to the

composition, instead of remaining impersonal.