The Writing of Music

Written by Jacalyn Grohovena | March 19, 2012 | No Comments

Let me begin by saying I love Miley Cyrus’ music. “What does that have to do with writing? Isn’t this article supposed to be about writing?” you may ask. Well, someone has to write her songs. I’m not absolutely positive just yet about what career I want to pursue in the future and if it will consist heavily or lightly of writing-based tasks, but right now, something writing-related that really interests me is music-related writing.

In music lyrics, people can express a message sometimes better than they could using any other writing medium. Writing a song is also an appealing way to reach people or express a message to people because while some people love reading, some also don’t, but almost everyone enjoys music in some form or another. When I hear a song I love, I do acknowledge the singer as a great deliverer of a message, but I also have a great appreciation for the songwriter, too. For instance, Faith Hill has a CD called Fireflies. On it are three songs written by Lori McKenna. She appeared on Oprah because Faith Hill was going to be on to talk about Fireflies and she wanted to bring Lori with. Lori was nationally recognized for the songwriting she did and it was a beautiful thing because a great songwriter is a great artist and, unfortunately, songwriters don’t get enough acknowledgement and credit as they should.

I particularly love Miley Cyrus’ music not just because of her amazing talent but because her songs have messages that are easy for me to relate to. She sings a lot of songs that are written with a girl my age in mind. What makes me love her even more as an artist is the fact that she co-writes many of her songs. Her songs are so great – it just goes to show what a true talent she is. She is a real triple-threat being able to write a variety of songs ranging from fun and flirty to inspirational and relatable.

A friend of mine who writes songs doesn’t share her songs with anyone, but she has shared with me that when she writes, she tries to write in a way so that a variety of people can relate to her messages. She thinks that if the message of her songs cannot reach a multitude of people, her songs will not be successful. She hopes to be a real songwriter one day, but for now is just keeping her talent to herself. I cannot speak about the nature of her songs because, as I said, she never shares her songs with anyone; but if she has a great talent, I hope she puts herself out there because great songwriters are essential in the music business.

Songs can move people in ways poetry cannot, and songs that make it big reach more people than poetry typically does. And it is important today to keep songwriting alive and to keep it new and original, which will be harder and harder to do as time goes on because that just means more and more songs are out there. So while there are many forms and mediums of writing, the writing of songs is something that has always intrigued me.

Thesis Besis

Written by Kelsey Kotwasinski | December 12, 2011 | No Comments

 Kelsey, Peer Writing Consultant

Do you ever get to that point in the semester, whether it be in high school or college, where all of your classes seem to be talking about the same thing? I always take interest in this point of the semester because it gives me a sense of ease. My classes are always polar opposites in subject, yet somehow can combine to teach the same thing.

Since writing classes are almost always required, I decided to take one this semester, along with my two science courses, and two fine arts courses. How can science courses and writing courses be talking about the same thing you ask? I actually asked myself the same question. It took quite a bit of time on my mind. The subject in my writing class was proper format for papers, while we were talking about cells in my science course. The two actually sounded a lot alike.

The same process goes along whether preforming an experiment or writing a paper. In science there are lists of steps that need to be taken when going about any experiment. First you need to ask a question. This is the same in writing a paper. For example, what are you writing about? What purpose are you trying to serve in writing this paper? The second step is to do background research. Not to sound like a broken record, but writing takes some of this too, no matter what you are writing about. Even if the subject is your past vacation to Florida, you still need to research in your mind the memories you want to write about. Needless to say science is directly related to writing.

To sum up the last steps of the scientific method, one needs to construct a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, analyze your data to draw a conclusion, and communicate your results. This is almost exactly the steps one needs to take in writing a paper. I think that once I realized my classes were so closely similar, I felt somewhat a sense of control. If I stayed in this state of mind, this seven or so step state of mind, there is no way that I could get off track.

Now I have this little “cheat sheet” I created for myself, I like to share it with any of my classmates or clients who are struggling. When anyone is having trouble coming up with a clear and concise thesis statement, I try to explain how these steps can be taken to find the perfect combination of words.

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Kelsey Kotwasinski has been a Peer Writing Consultant at the MVCC Writing Center since Spring 2011. Come visit the Center to talk writing with her.

Come. Collaborate.

Written by Laura Stewart | December 6, 2011 | No Comments

Helen Keller once stated: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” To work jointly with others in an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature is the definition of collaboration. This idea of collaboration has stuck with me and has transpired in my sessions with clients in the Speaking and Writing Center. People often come into the Speaking and Writing Center looking exasperated and express feeling lost or stuck or just “hating this paper”. I found that just sitting and talking openly about the assignment leads to an explosion-an exchange of ideas, opinions, and perspectives that help that student grab a hold of their paper. Collaboration really encourages and empowers the student by promoting excellence and active learning. And according to a psychological theory, “learning leads development.” A major reason I promote collaboration is because I have realized that that is what best helps me in my own writings. I believe everyone needs feedback-the more, the better. What’s great about working with the idea of a collaborative environment is that it fosters a positive relationship with the client and helps them find their confidence. So, in the end, what is the best medicine for a struggling writer? In my opinion…a dose of conversation.

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Laura Stewart has been a Peer Writing Consultant at the MVCC Writing Center since Spring 2011. Come visit the Center to talk writing with her.