Following the theme of identity, in my non-fiction piece, I explore what it
means to be a woman in the world of the creative arts. An industry where
gender equality is assumed from the nature of work and demands.
I began the non-fiction writing process by researching my chosen stimulus
author, Caitlin Moran. As I was already interested in her as a journalist,
author and activist, I had existing knowledge of her intensely feminist
viewpoint and how she underscores her writing with this. I also approach
the piece in an obviously feminist tone, clearly shown by the title, ‘A
Patriarchal Performance.’ Throughout the piece I relate my feminist
opinions to auto-biographical events and situations, giving the reader a
distinct storyline to how I came to this socio-political opinion, much like in
both of Moran’s novels, ‘How to be a Woman’ and ‘How to Build a Girl.’
Interestingly, Moran intertwines her background as a journalist with her
informal tone and expression in her novels, to create an intimate, direct
narrative for the audience. I also include a strong auto-biographical
narrative to accompany the journalistic generic conventions I use. By using
conventions such as statistics and reliable references, the audience will be
exposed to the reality of the points I make in my writing, ‘2% of actors are
able to make a living’ – a shocking discovery for those in theatre and out,
alike.
However, I have been certain to keep my writing firmly in a colloquial,
spoken mode, using stance adverbials as discourse markers, to portray
clear opinion and to connect informally to the reader. Often, I presume a
previous knowledge when using these, ‘perhaps our favourite non-ingenue,
Carrie Hope Fletcher’, assuming the theatrical audience would know who
she is. I related my writing to performance, as imagining speaking to a live
audience or breaking the fourth wall helped me transition my writing into
the spoken mode. Furthermore, I use idioms such as, ‘good cop, bad cop’ to
relate to the audience and, again, assuming their understanding of widely
recognised linguistics. I also create a relationship with the reader by using
plural pronouns, ‘our’, to refer to myself and them. One of the most
effective times I use this technique is when I re-reference a previous
moment in the text, ‘my musical theatre inspiration, Carrie Hope Fletcher’,
allowing the audience to remember, strengthening the response. Perhaps
most importantly, the colloquialisms show the purpose of this text by
exploring a niche socio-political issue by creating a relationship with the
reader.
means to be a woman in the world of the creative arts. An industry where
gender equality is assumed from the nature of work and demands.
I began the non-fiction writing process by researching my chosen stimulus
author, Caitlin Moran. As I was already interested in her as a journalist,
author and activist, I had existing knowledge of her intensely feminist
viewpoint and how she underscores her writing with this. I also approach
the piece in an obviously feminist tone, clearly shown by the title, ‘A
Patriarchal Performance.’ Throughout the piece I relate my feminist
opinions to auto-biographical events and situations, giving the reader a
distinct storyline to how I came to this socio-political opinion, much like in
both of Moran’s novels, ‘How to be a Woman’ and ‘How to Build a Girl.’
Interestingly, Moran intertwines her background as a journalist with her
informal tone and expression in her novels, to create an intimate, direct
narrative for the audience. I also include a strong auto-biographical
narrative to accompany the journalistic generic conventions I use. By using
conventions such as statistics and reliable references, the audience will be
exposed to the reality of the points I make in my writing, ‘2% of actors are
able to make a living’ – a shocking discovery for those in theatre and out,
alike.
However, I have been certain to keep my writing firmly in a colloquial,
spoken mode, using stance adverbials as discourse markers, to portray
clear opinion and to connect informally to the reader. Often, I presume a
previous knowledge when using these, ‘perhaps our favourite non-ingenue,
Carrie Hope Fletcher’, assuming the theatrical audience would know who
she is. I related my writing to performance, as imagining speaking to a live
audience or breaking the fourth wall helped me transition my writing into
the spoken mode. Furthermore, I use idioms such as, ‘good cop, bad cop’ to
relate to the audience and, again, assuming their understanding of widely
recognised linguistics. I also create a relationship with the reader by using
plural pronouns, ‘our’, to refer to myself and them. One of the most
effective times I use this technique is when I re-reference a previous
moment in the text, ‘my musical theatre inspiration, Carrie Hope Fletcher’,
allowing the audience to remember, strengthening the response. Perhaps
most importantly, the colloquialisms show the purpose of this text by
exploring a niche socio-political issue by creating a relationship with the
reader.
