24 An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing

This chapter introduces multimodal composing and offers five strategies for creating a multimodal text. The essay begins with a brief review of key terms associated with multimodal composing and provides definitions and examples of the five modes of communication. The first section of the essay also introduces students to the New London Group and offers three reasons why students should consider multimodal composing an important skill—one that should be learned in a writing class. The second half of the essay offers three pre-drafting and two drafting strategies for multimodal composing. Pre-drafting strategies include urging students to consider their rhetorical situation, analyze other multimodal texts, research textual content, gather visual and aural materials, and evaluate tools needed for creating their text (Writing Spaces).

Read Melanie Gagich’s “An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing.”

Keywords from this chapter in Writing Spaces

multimodal, multimodality, new media, Creative Commons, modes

Author Bio

Melanie Gagich earned her PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in August 2020. Her dissertation, “Exploring FYW Students’ Emotional Responses Towards Multimodal Composing and Online Audience,” earned a pass with distinction. And she has written two articles exploring multimodal composing and digital literacy. She is also a co-author of the open access textbook, A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing. (CSU Ohio faculty Profile)