A New Addition to the Family

As some of you may know, my major at university is in Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications. Writing and language are equally as important to me as health is, and it is for this reason that I have decided to begin a rhetoric blog alongside Living Healthy in the Real World. Consider this the launch party for my new blog: Living Rhetorically in the Real World!

Living Rhetorically in the Real World will be mostly kept separate from this blog except when I am writing about issues over there that are relevant to issues that we discuss here (ie. health).

Although it may (and likely will) evolve as the blog progresses, I am currently planning on posting twice weekly at Living Rhetorically in the Real World, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because I post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays here at Living Healthy, I figured it would be best to write on alternate days for each blog.

Rhetoric, as the study of how we communicate, convey meaning, and identify with shared symbols, is as vastly inclusive as the diverse topic that the vague term “health” is. It’s for that reason that I’ll be covering a very wide range of subjects and information and Living Rhetorically. The material that we’ll be discussing at Living Rhetorically in the Real World will fall under the following categories:

– Lifestyle Editing: a play on Life Lessons, this category will be a similar examination of how editing, the academic, and rhetoric can apply to real-world situations and scenarios, drawing upon experience for examples.

– The Practical Guide: straight-to-the-point, practical explanations and advice for how to use grammar, sentence structure, and other writing devices and editorial techniques. I’ll go into detail regarding the uses of these devices and how they can be effectively applied to different kinds of documents.

– In the Media: this blog would not be complete without reference to where you can find more information about writing and communication! I’ll share articles I’ve found, let you know if there’s anything new and exciting going on with current editorial affairs, and review relevant books (such as dictionaries and style guides).

– Analyzing Everyday Rhetoric: much like the Interpretations of Marketing Strategies articles that are posted here, these pieces will examine rhetoric that we encounter on a daily basis and how, for example, the techniques that we discuss are employed by the producers of our society, as well as the effect that it has upon us, the consumer.

I have so much to learn about rhetoric and editing so I hope that you (at least occasionally) join me on my journey at Living Rhetorically in the Real World! And not to worry, it won’t have any impact on my writing here at Living Healthy in the Real World- I’m still posting three times weekly on all the usual topics.

If you have any advice, questions, or ideas for what issues you would like me to address (on either blog), don’t hesitate to drop me a comment or send me an email. I’m open to suggestions and would love to get your feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Still don’t really “get” what rhetoric is? I explain it all on my What is Rhetoric? page.