Written Communication Jan 2024

A Taxonomy of Life Writing: Exploring the Functions of Meaningful Self-Sponsored Writing in Everyday Life

Heather Lindenman Elon University ; Dana Lynn Driscoll Indiana University of Pennsylvania ; Andrea Efthymiou ; Matthew Pavesich Johns Hopkins University ; Jennifer Reid Marquette University

Abstract

This essay takes as its focus the everyday writing that people compose: the self-sponsored, nonobligatory texts that people write mainly outside of work and school. Through analysis of 713 survey responses and 27 interviews with accompanying writing samples, this study provides a panoramic view of the functions of self-sponsored writing and rhetorical activity for U.S. adults, ages 18 to 65+ years, from a range of geographic, cultural, and professional backgrounds. The Taxonomy of Life Writing presented in this essay demonstrates the range of ways that writing functions in people’s daily lives. It includes 19 key functions of life writing, organized into six metafunctions: Creativity and Expression, Identity and Relationships, Organization and Coordination, Preservation and Memory, Reflection and Emotion, and Teaching and Learning. Based on our findings, we affirm the important and diverse functions that life writing serves and propose expanding the threshold concepts of writing to include greater focus on nonobligatory, self-sponsored writing activity.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2024-01-01
DOI
10.1177/07410883231207106
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Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism teacher development threshold concepts
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Cited by in this index (1)

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