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        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
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        • Developing Health and Scientific Literacy
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
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        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
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        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
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Make A Difference Through Writing

10/23/2022

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When it comes to the craft of writing, it is typically viewed in a black-and-white manner. Simply to be just words on a page or on a digital screen. However, in reality, words can end wars, save lives and provide a brighter sense of clarity then sunlight in some instances. Writing can and has changed the world in so many ways, and its impact shouldn't be dimmed. So here are some ways you can use your own writing to make a difference and an impact.

Diverse Points of View- 

One-way writing has been used to make a difference in the world by acting as a platform for diverse points of view. Writing has no limitations when it comes to age, race, gender identity, and social class. Through writing, everyone can share their opinions and their own stories that wouldn't be heard otherwise. These stories being shared allow people all over the world to hear stories about different situations and hardships that many can see themselves in. Stories like these show others they aren't alone and that there is a light at the end of a tunnel that may seem eternally dark.

This is exhibited in “Crying In H Mart” written by Michelle Zauner, where Zauner shares the experience of growing up in a traditional Korean American family. She drives the story as she describes family values and emotions surrounding the passing of her mother with the constant metaphor of Korean dishes and the Korean supermarket she spent many days in with her mother called H Mart. Through her memoir, Zauner allows readers who are also experiencing grief to find solitude while also bringing the Korean American experience to light which commonly goes underrepresented in the media.

Bringing Attention to Social Causes-


Through writing, you can also bring awareness to different social causes that are constantly clouded by stigma. For example, some topics that fall under this are mental illness, LGBTQ+ experiences, and sexual assault. Through writing, many can be shown that their mental illness and emotions are valid and this can give people the courage to reach out for help. In regard to LGBTQ+ experiences, different forms of writing have shared experiences and stories of trauma that members of the community have experienced. These hard conversations need to be had and allow readers to sit in the shoes of another. Shifting over to sexual assault, which is another hard topic to discuss and a triggering one for many, these hard conversations allow readers to bring these issues to the surface in an effort to stop the cycle and hold perpetrators accountable for their horrid actions. 

This is exhibited in “Know My Name” written by Chanel Miller, who shares her experience and the aftermath of being sexually assaulted in January 2015 by Brock Turner, who was then an athlete at Stanford University. At the time Miller chose to keep her identity undisclosed commonly known as “Emily Doe” by the media and the court. However, in her memoir, she brings her experience to the page granting herself a sense of healing after a harrowing ordeal, while also amplifying the voices of other sexual assault victims who have been silenced and blamed by the media.

Valuing The Truth- 

One of the greatest ways writing can be used to make an impact is through truthfulness. Although writing can be used to bring fictional and fantastical stories to the page, it can also provide clarity. It allows readers to engage in the chilling truths, this is seen in both news writing and the nonfiction genre. Whether it's through the truth about a crime or someone's life story in a memoir the truth is one of the most precious things that can be constructed through writing, because when everything else is lost all that remains is the truth.

The truth is exhibited in “1,001 Voices on Climate Change: Everyday Stories of Flood, Fire, Drought, and Displacement From Around the World” written by Devi Lockwood. Throughout her book Lockwood gives voice to the voiceless as she shares the stories of different people who have been impacted by the major effects of climate change. Lockwood values the truth and that is mirrored in how she brings these raw stories of pain many have experienced to the page.


Escapism-

More or less the world can be dark, filled with sadness, death, and utter disappointment. These themes are exhibited in many different forms of writing, however, there are lighter themes that allow readers to escape from the darkness of their everyday lives. Whether it's a story of two falling in love, ethereal poetry, or a comedic tale of someone's mischief during youth these stories help to ground a reader and allow them to find beauty in the ugliness that resides in the world through a different form of art. Here are some of the best books to use as an escape from reality for a little while. 

Nonetheless, writing is one of the most powerful tools in this life. What once began as a feather with ink, has now morphed into a key to changing the present world and the days to come. Writing allows those struggling to fill a void, the voices of activists to be amplified, and societal standards to be erased and revised. Such a powerful tool must be used with grace and the uttermost sensitivity, and its strength must not be diminished.

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asiya robinson

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  • Home
  • Programs
    • Creative Writing Minor
    • WA Major
    • Minors >
      • Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • New Media Minor
      • Technical & Professional Writing Minor
      • Writing Arts Minor
    • Certificates of Undergraduate Study >
      • CUGS in Creative Writing
      • CUGS in Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • CUGS in Technical and Professional Writing
      • CUGS in Writing Studies for Educators
      • CUGS in Professional Communication
      • CUGS in Writing for the Environment
    • 4+1 (B.A.+M.A.) Program
    • Degree in 3
    • Graduate Programs
  • Advising
  • WA Major
    • Writing Arts Journey
    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
        • Social and Behavioral Sciences
        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • Communication Theory
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Situating Writing
        • Writing With Technologies
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
    • Elements of Language >
      • American English Grammar
      • Editing for Publication
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
      • Linguistics
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Semantics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screenwriting II: Writing the Feature
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Teaching the Writer's Workshop >
          • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
            • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
            • Editing the Literary Journal
            • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
            • Fiction to Film
            • Introduction to New Media
            • Media Law
            • Online Journalism I
            • Participatory Media
            • The Publishing Industry
            • Publication Layout & Design
            • Photojournalism
            • Professions in Writing Arts
            • Rhetorical Theory
            • Self Publishing
            • Writing for Popular Culture
            • Writing for the Workplace
            • Internship
            • Research Practicum
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Genre Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Developing Health and Scientific Literacy
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing to Bear Witness
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
    • WA Learning Community >
      • Publishers
  • Internships
    • Internal Internships
    • External Internships
  • Careers
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Resources >
      • Best Practices in Online Learning
      • Syllabus Requirements
      • HyFlex/Remote Learning
      • Canvas Support >
        • Writing Comedy
      • Accessibility in Online Courses
      • Racial Equity Online
      • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
      • Building an Online Classroom Community
    • Acknowledgements
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Spring 2022 >
        • Writing Diverse Characters
      • Fall 2021
      • Spring 2021
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
        • Writing Comedy
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
          • Archive
    • The Bulletin Board
    • RU Writing? Podcast
  • Creative Writing
    • CW Faculty Publications
    • CW Course Offerings
  • Writing Center
  • Alumni
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
  • Awards
    • 2022 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
    • Singularity Press
  • Events
  • ECCCA
    • RU Deptartment of Writing Arts - Home
    • News & Announcements
    • Rowan University - Home
    • Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts at Rowan University - Home
    • Student Groups
  • About Us
    • Our Vision and Mission
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Our Call to Action