The element of this chapter that immediately stuck out to me was how the author compared writing to the act of carpentry. No matter the length or objective quality of the writing you have, by striping the piece down to it’s most basic elements, you can adapt it to any style you choose. This was incredibly interesting to read, as I had never really considered it as an approach. I’d like to think that my own writing style is very similar to how I speak; very casual and free flowing. Due to this, I often find myself having to write in an unnatural tone when working on a paper or something meant to be observed in an official capacity. He goes into a lot of detail on how attempting to forge a style can be difficult, comparing it to a bald man wearing a toupee for the first time. When attempting to iron out a style, it can be very easy to use words that simply do not fit in an attempt to differentiate the style you are attempting to write in from your previous style.
What really got to me though was when the author brought mention to readers wanting to read works that seem genuine. This honestly really resonated with me a lot, as it made me rethink some of the writing that I have done in my academic career. Frankly, I have a lot of trouble writing when I am not passionate with the topic at hand. Unfortunately, this ends up happening to me quite often and it can feel as if I am writing almost on autopilot. While I never felt amazing during the actual writing process in these scenarios, this reading has made me realize how miserable it must have been for the actual readers to make it through them. This Chapter has really inspired me to attempt to spice up my writing from an academic perspective, for my own sake, as well as those reading it.
Andrew Kos: Interactive Media 