Role of the Writer

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Introduction:

Your role or responsibility as the writer involves you and the reader.

First your responsibilities to yourself:

1. You want to express yourself well so that you communicate effectively.
2. You want to make your plan or organisation of your writing clear.
3. You want to communicate in a strong clear purposeful way which clearly indicates your point of view

Then your responsibilities to your reader:

1. To express yourself clearly and effectively so that your reader can easily and quickly understand everything you have written
2. To lead your reader on a clear path through your writing.
3. To give your reader a clear idea of what you have understood, what your point of view is and what you have gained from doing this piece of work, according to the tasks.

As you can see, you are very important in all this. Writing in a reasonably formal style may seem impersonal but your point of view needs to come through clearly, in most instances. This does not mean using "I" a lot. What it does mean is feeling that you are expressing yourself and finding your own style. Initially it is usually easier to begin by mastering standard formats and conventions of formal academic style, as explained in other sections. But your aim is to gradually understand yourself and your subject better so that you feel

1. able to communicate effectively in standard formal academic language
2. able to use the language of your discipline or subject of study effectively
3. able to develop your own style of expression or communication within the academic context

Think of this as a developmental process which takes place throughout the period of your course at London South Bank University.

Read more about this:

In "Writing at University" by  Phyllis Crème and Mary Lea (1997, Open University Press, Buckingham). Look particularly at chapter 7 pages 98-113 "Writing your knowledge in an academic way".

The book is in the Perry Library, reference number: 808.042

Your voice and the use of "I":

Finding your voice – novice or expert?
Students face the problem of deciding, "Who am I writing for?" Your audience, in most cases is the tutor, who, it can be assumed, has full knowledge of the field.  Your purpose as a student then is not to instruct the reader, but to show you have researched and understood the issues.

Using "I"
Personal experience and observation are very important, and should inform your studies, but in an academic essay, it is necessary to refer to theoretical and/or research evidence in order to support your claims.  Your own informal experience is not sufficiently objective for this.  This does not mean it is unimportant, but most tutors are not impressed by the use of "I" in essays.  You will probably be expected to say "this was done", not,  "I did this".

• So how do I state my position or point of view?
  
• What about in introductions and conclusions?
  
• Look at the extracts from undergraduate essays

Comparing Spoken and Written Language
Spoken More informal & colloquial Hesitation and pauses are usual Sentences may be incomplete or simple More personal: Using I, we, etc. Includes extensive repetition and redundancy	Written More formal use of language Should be continuous &  coherent Sentences expected to be complete and often complex More impersonal, using nouns as subjects, e.g. it, there, etc. No repetition or redundancy expected
Comparing Personal and Academic Writing
Personal Emotional Intuitive Active voice "I find that" Anecdotal Data from one source Subjective Tangents may be important	Academic Logical Uses reasoning Passive voice "it was found that" Uses evidence Data from a range of sources Objective Keeps to a logical sequence

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