In class thursday, the discussion went on to resonate with me a lot more than I had anticipated. The overlaps that exist between ‘writing’ and other art forms are evident, and big enough to make one reconsider how exactly the medium ought to be defined.
A common denominator across most sub categories of writing I would say is the goal of some sort of catharsis. In song, poetry, fiction, even in non fiction, the author is working towards a connection between the self and the reader, one that conveys strong emotions. Being able to share these emotions through writing can be comforting and satisfying for the author. But what emotion is released from the writing of a recipe? An informational pamphlet? A page of notes from class? These gallery examples offered a valuable perspective from the other side of the spectrum. Surely they too count as writing?
Among the two of these classes, the highest intention is to communicate with another, to transfer information, whether that information be emotional or informational, to another human or to oneself (in the case of notes). The obtaining of information represents a recognition, from a state of ignorance to one of knowledge, and this may come about as cathartic.
Ong too describes writing under the breadth of communication, having to be interpretable by oneself or others. What sorts of symbols count as being interpretable by others however, I think is very broad and open for debate. As a student here under the minor in writing program, my aim is to use writing as an emotional vehicle, and I hope others will have no problem interpreting this!