Decisions, Decisions (Wechsler in Performing Without a Stage pp.105, published in 1954)

When it comes to writing, I think the old line about perspiration and inspiration is more than something cute that can be smiled at and dismissed. As someone who usually writes in something close to a trance state, I know that writing feels mystical, mysterious, inspired. But then so does playing tennis, and in very much the same way. When I’m writing, I’m often not making conscious decisions about which word to use, how to construct a sentence, how to best put forward an idea or image. I’m often not thinking about the idea or image at all; it just pops up out of nowhere, very much like a passing shot hit on the run. Yes, at some level I have decided that this was the best strategy, but if I’m going to consistently succeed in actually making the shot, I’m going to have to go with my instincts.

Where exactly is this nowhere that things pop out of? Is it inspiration or perspiration that causes them to pop out? Is it the subconscious, the unconscious, or some other dimension, other lives, whatever you might believe in? Is there something mystical about the process, becoming a vessel for another’s voice, getting in touch with the universe?

Me, I think that things mostly pop out of experience, and when we write, no experience is more important than our previous writing and reading experiences, although life experiences matter a bit as well. Instinct, feel, intuition, having a good ear are nice ways of summing up a complex, hidden decision-making process based on the accumulation of experience and the understanding of that experience. Just as without the experience of hitting hundreds or thousands of topspin shots we are incapable of putting just the right amount of topspin on a tennis ball so that it drops in just short of the baseline, without writing and reading hundreds and thousands of sentences we cannot express our thoughts or feelings in a way that 105 works (one thing writing has over tennis is that reading is—or can be—a more participatory process than watching a tennis match; so we can more easily accumulate literary experience). This decision making process is so mysterious not because it’s a mystical event, but because we do it best and most efficiently when we relax and let our past experience rather than our current thoughts and designs run the show. Ditto in tennis.

Field of discourse yang mendominasi dari teks di atas adalah domain experience. Kita dapat melihat experience participant sebagai seorang penulis, experience participant dalam menggunakan strategi dalam menulis , experience participant dalam menilai proses menulis dan experience participant dalam menghasilkan sebuah tulisan.

Beberapa contoh kalimat yang menunjukan domain experience antara lain :

When it comes to writing I know that writing feels mystical, mysterious, inspired. When I’m writing, I’m often not making conscious decisions about which word to use,

how to construct a sentence, how to best put forward an idea or image. I’m going to have to go with my instincts

, but because we do it best and most efficiently when we relax and let our past experience rather than our current thoughts and designs run the show

Dalam contoh-contoh kalimat di atas , kita dapat melihat beberapa experience participant dalam menulis.participan merasa menulis merupakan hal yang mistik . participant menggunakan insting nya dalam menulis karena participant merasa proses tersebut membuatnya lebih relax . participant menggunakan pengalaman-pengalamannya dalam menulis dan membaca menjadi salah satu acuannya dalam menulis tulisan baru.

Teks decision merupakan type teks immaterial karena proses dalam teks ini menceritakan suatu proses yang di dalamnya tidak tercantum bentuk material seperti benda tetapi proses dalam teks ini menceritakan tentang kegiatan menulis.

TENOR

Pembicara atau actor dalam teks di atas adalah penulis itu sendiri. Penulis menggunakan kata orang pertama yaitu I . beberapa contoh kalimat yang dapat menjawab pertanyaan Who is speaking? Antara lain :

I think the old line , I know that writing feels mystical I think that things mostly pop out of experience

Interaksi yang terjadi antar interaktan dalam teks tersebut terjadi secara langsung. Interaktan pertama adalah penulis dan interaktan ke dua adalah pembaca. Penulis menggunakan kata ganti pertama yaitu I dan pembaca sebagai YOU . participant utama yaitu penulis menggambarkan dirinya sendiri dengan cara menulis beberapa kalimat seperti di bawah ini ;

Me , I think that things mostly pop out of experience, and when we write, no experience is more important than our previous writing and reading experiences, although life experiences matter a bit as well

participant mmenggunakan kata ME lalu I sebagai ungkapan yang menegaskan bahwa participant menggunakan pengalam sebelumnya sebgaia salah satu bahan rujukan ketika dia menulis tulisan baru.

Mode

Teks decision adalah teks monologue, artinya dalam teks ini tidak terdapat dialogue antar interaktan. Teks di atas bersifat interactive dalam artian teks tersebut menarik pembaca untuk melakukan strategi menulis yang di lakukan interaktan utama yaitu penulis.

Menurut saya teks decision termasuk kedalam spoken language. Dalam spoken language , banyak makna yang ditentukan oleh konteks. Sama hal nya dengan teks decision, pembaca dapat menarik kesimpulan atau konteks yang di konstruksikan oleh penulis.

Setelah saya analisis dari beberapa kalimat yang saya temui, saya menyimpulkan bahwa teks decision termasuk pada genre teks description. Teks ini menerapkan relational proses yaitu proses yang di gunakan untuk mengidentifikasi sesuatu hal. Contoh kalimat yang mengandung proses relational antara lain :

I know that writing feels mystical, mysterious, inspired Instinct, feel, intuition, having a good ear are nice ways of summing up a complex,

hidden decision-making process based on the accumulation of experience and the understanding of that experience

that reading is—or can be—a more participatory process than watching a tennis match; so we can more easily accumulate literary experience

it’s a mystical event

beberapa contoh tersebut termasuk pada relational proses. Contoh nya teks pertama mendeskripsikan bahwa menulis terasa mistis, misterius dan menginspirasi.

Penggunaan tenses yang mendominasi pada teks decision adalah present tense , hal tersebut dapat mendukung pendapat sebelumnya bahwa teks ini adalah teks deskripsi. Beberapa kalimat yang menunjukan penggunaan present tense antara lain :

When it comes to writing I think the old line As someone who usually writes in something close to a trance state , I know that writing feels mystical, mysterious, inspired I’m often not making conscious decisions about which word to use I think that things mostly pop out of experience