Discursive Writing Notes

Discursive Writing

• In discursive writing, the goal is to create a character the audience is emotionally invested in.

• The focus is on the character's actions and thoughts and how they pave the way for a broader discussion about humanity rather than their inner life.

Active vs. Passive Voice

• Active Voice:

  • Effective for conveying a character's emotional state.

  • Creates an immediate, visceral reaction and emotional connection.

  • Helps the audience care about the topic.

  • Example: Describing Lee's immediate, instinctual response to a text from her sister's phone, her collapsing in a bathroom stall, and her heart racing.

• Passive Voice:

  • Used more sparingly.

  • Highlights the greater theme or topic.

  • Creates a sense of distance.

  • Suggests something the character has no control over.

  • Examples:

    • "The words are preserved, frozen like a photograph."

    • "The promise of possibility is harsher than any certainty."

Personal Essays

• Active Voice:

  • Creates emotional identification with the subject.

• Passive Voice:

  • Highlights the theme or topic.

Writing Task

• The aim is to identify students whose writing style aligns with discursive rather than imaginative writing.

• It is a mix between a private experience and a public essay that looks at different perspectives on a topic.

• Write about a personal experience.

  • This makes the anecdotes feel more natural.

  • There should be some level of knowledge on the topic.

  • Example: A personal essay on a real loss.

Assignment

• Choose a personal experience and a connected anecdote.

• Write a personal essay or story exploring a broad human topic or issue.

• Integrate the personal experience into a public discussion.

• Use a mix of formal and informal language.

• Explore more than one side of the issue.

• The writer integrated personal experience in technology and grief, presenting technology as a healing metaphysical bridge, while also acknowledging the ethical and moral questions related to AI.