Exploring DIY Composition in Writing

Oct 16, 2024

Making the Scene: The Rhetoric of DIY Composition

Introduction

  • Focus on Do It Yourself (DIY) approaches in teaching writing.
  • DIY composition refers to a cultural rhetoric fostering creative and critical making, promoting an ethos of 'making do', and circulating within networks called "scenes".
  • DIY is not just a hobby; it involves a distinctive attitude towards non-standardized creation.

Defining DIY Composition

  • Distinction between DIY and traditional craft or making.
  • DIY is about cultural rhetoric, challenging readymade norms, and involving implicit politics.
  • DIY differs from simple crafting or making due to its political and transformative aspirations.

Why DIY?

  • DIY, craft, and making describe self-provisioning activities, distinct from industrial production.
  • DIY emphasizes community, tradition, politics, and necessity over efficiency.
  • Unlike craft or making, DIY embraces imperfection and is inherently political, promoting working with available resources.

Historical Context of DIY

  • DIY's history is intertwined with craft and making.
  • Historical examples include early advice manuals, pamphlets, and almanacs.
  • Emphasizes the Arts & Crafts Movement and its political aspects.
  • Punk culture and zines popularized DIY ethos in music and self-publication.

DIY in Rhetoric & Writing

  • DIY viewed as an alternative to corporate consumer culture.
  • Emphasis on amateur, non-professional approaches.
  • Scholars like Geoffrey Sirc have explored DIY in composition as a challenge to traditional pedagogy.

Toward a Theory of DIY Composition

  • DIY as a cultural rhetoric fostering creative making and critical engagement.
  • Importance of making do, utilizing available resources creatively.
  • DIY circulates within "scenes" that combine public spaces and communities.

DIY as a Cultural Rhetoric

  • Interaction between culture and rhetoric shapes DIY practices.
  • Emphasizes collective practices within specific communities.

DIY Makes Do

  • Ethos of making do permeates DIY, emphasizing creativity with limited resources.
  • Encourages experimentation and adaptation.
  • Sacrifices scale efficiency for individuality and risk in production.

DIY Emerges in Scenes

  • Scenes as interconnected networks of spaces and communities.
  • Scenes foster community and identity, often challenging mainstream norms.

Pedagogical Scenes of DIY Composition

  • DIY classrooms encourage postpedagogical encounters and inspired adhoccery.
  • Emphasis on play, experimentation, and learning from failure.
  • DIY extends beyond classrooms to makerspaces and community-based projects.

Conclusion

  • DIY composition offers a prompt for future possibilities in writing and pedagogy.
  • Encourages exploration of new methods and scenes for DIY-driven writing.
  • Highlights DIY's potential to rethink academic practices through creative play and imagination.