How I See Myself as a

Writer
By Gerald Bettega
Who is a Writer?
• The Google definition of a writer is: “a person who has written a
particular text”
• This could define almost anyone as a writer, but that does not mean a
person will see themselves as a writer.
• I believe that I would see myself as a writer if I found enjoyment in
writing and wrote often
What is a Literacy Sponsor?
• Deborah Brandt, in “Sponsors of Literacy,” says that “Sponsors, as we
ordinarily think of them, are powerful figures who bankroll events or
smooth the way for initiates,” (Brandt, 1998, p. 167)
• Literacy sponsors are people who give beginners information and
supplies to practice their writing and bring them to a higher level of
literacy knowledge
Pressure to Write
• The pressure to write can affect many people in a positive or negative
way.
• In “Sponsors of Literacy,” Deborah Brandt says “But the ideological
pressure of sponsors affects many private aspects of writing processes
as well as public aspects of finished texts,” (Brandt, 1998, p. 183)
My Writing Pressure
Before the 2nd grade, I had enjoyed writing my own stories, which was
great for when my teacher had us do free writing in class. This teacher
would also allow us to read out our stories to the class, but I never did
because I was always too nervous to do so.
One day this teacher asks for my paper to see how I was doing in my
writing, so I give it to her, and she starts reading it out to the class, which
obviously scared and embarrassed me. As a young child, I didn’t see that
she was most likely trying to help me be more open to others. I thought
that she was trying to embarrass me in front of the class, and due to that
I stopped writing as much because I was worried that it might happen
again.
Learning to Write Essays
After a few years of not writing too much, my 5th grade teacher
introduced us to writing persuasive and argumentative essays.
He helped us to learn how to plan an essay using the BMME method, as
well as how to cite sources for a text.
This did allow me to know how to write better essays, even if I didn’t
enjoy writing. Without my 5th grade teacher showing us this, I do t think
that I would have been able to get as far as I have in school.
Conclusion
• Even with all the writing that I have done, I would not call myself a
writer
• I believe that a writer is someone who writes frequently and enjoys
what they write, and I don’t think I would consider sending text
messages as a form of writing.
• I believe that being able to read and write is also a good skill to have as
it would be very helpful for a multitude of jobs.
• Reading is good for being able to understand some instructions.
• Writing is good for being able to write a report of what happened at
work.
Sources Used
• Deborah Brandt’s writing, “Sponsors of Literacy”:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/358929?
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EzZTMiXX0#metadata_info_tab_contents
• Images from:
writingcooperative.com
lithub.com
mlopezb1.weebly.com
xploretefl.com
rcni.com
webmd.com
toppr.com