CRyder Design

Where it All Started

After my first semester of studying graphic design and communications in college, I began to realize that there were many different styles of writing that were utilized in my desired field of User Experience and User Interface design. As a student who was fresh out of high school, academic writing was the only type of writing that I knew to be acceptable in education. As I completed assigned weekly readings throughout the semester, I recognized that good writing was important so that the reader could easily follow along and grasp the subject at hand. Most of the assigned readings were web articles and blog posts due to the constantly changing and developing field of communications, but some were harder to read than others. Because I was not yet familiar with a lot of the terminology used within the posts, I often had to stop mid-sentence and google a word or phrase that was not explained by the author. As a reader this was frustrating, so I set a goal for myself to always explain every topic, idea, word, or phrase in its entirety so any reader could comprehend what I was writing about.

It was apparent to me that I could potentially be required to write body copy at my future job, so I had to develop my skills while I was still in school. I have never had a job doing copywriting, or any sort of writing in interactive media, so I wanted to get a grasp of the best practices through my weekly blog posts. I wrote about my work, my process, as well as different topics and concepts relating to technology or the field of communications. My skills are slowly but surely improving.

My Relationship with Writing

I have a sort of love-hate relationship with writing. Sometimes I love to write when it is a topic that I can truly connect with and apply my own personal perspective. But sometimes I hate writing when it is a topic that I don’t know much about, and I have a strict deadline to meet. The words do not always flow from my head, out of my fingers and, onto the page effortlessly. Often, I find myself staring at a blinking cursor on a blank screen. The thoughts, “Where do I start?” “What am I trying to say?” “What word am I looking for?” and “How do I connect these ideas?” often roam my brain. Sometimes I just walk away, but I always come back and won’t leave until I have something on paper that I am happy with.

My Writing Process 

At first, I am a very messy writer. I like to get all my ideas out of my head and onto paper. I will brainstorm idea after idea and form sentence after sentence, then clean it up later. I take a lot of notes on paper, I highlight, I write in the margins, I underline and circle, anything you could think of, I do. I like to believe that I am a reliable writer who backs everything up with facts and evidence, while also being relatable for my audience. I think reading is one of the most important steps in the writing process, and I often reference other sources through hyperlinks in my blog. I try to write about things and experiences that my audience can relate to, while also giving them other resources to check out as well.

I do have somewhat of a writing process, but sometimes it changes depending on the type of writing I’m doing. My process, however, as I mentioned is messy. I typically begin with a general idea of what I will be writing about, and what kind of piece it will be. Then, if I do not already have readings provided for me, and even sometimes when I do, I conduct a bit of my own research searching for reliable sources on a similar subject. I typically print out the readings, pick a color pen and highlighter, and go to town. As I go through the reading, I will highlight sentences, words, or phrases that stand out to me and make note of them in the margins in relation to the topic.

Following all my research and reading, I will make note of how I want to organize my reading on paper. I typically follow the format of introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion. However, I note what ideas I want to focus on in each paragraph and section. Next, I get to writing, and while it may seem like an easy task after I have everything lined out in front of me, this is the most challenging step (referring to my love-hate relationship with writing). After I write, I step away from my desk for a while. When I come back, I read, reread, revise and rewrite, and repeat.

My Style

My writing style falls between creative, persuasive, and descriptive. I try to find an even mix of all three in the content that I create. I typically start as a descriptive writer, explaining the topic I will be writing about in full. Then I bounce back and forth between creative and persuasive. I like to get my point across in a relatable way, while also thinking creatively and outside of the box. Depending on the topic I am writing about, it may be one style more than another and vice versa.

Compared to the strictly academic writer that I once was, I believe that I am now a bit more well-versed in a few more styles than simply MLA and APA. I think I have become a more educated writer in my few short years in college however, I am by no means finished learning and developing. I hope to become clearer and more concise in my writing and get rid of unnecessary adjectives and wording. I would like to be a writer who writes for all audiences, not just one with a collective understanding of the topic. I would also like to generally improve my writing altogether and continue to grow and learn to be a better writer, who writes for readers.