Academic Writing Sample by Mark Frantz on Scribd (2020)
This piece is an updated and summarized article version of my 27-page undergraduate thesis. It is in the process of being published with First Person Scholar (FPS), but this is the most current/polished version so far.
It is intended for an academic audience, and thus my writing as a whole shows my capacity for corroborating research and making a centered claim about literature, rhetorical ethics, and choice-based video games. However, any individual part of this article will certainly express my writing capabilities.
Optimistic Nihilism Zine by Mark Frantz on Scribd (2017)
My zine attempts to offer a new perspective on life to people who have sunken into an existential crisis which is something I struggle with occasionally. As the editorial in the zine lays out, a negative mood can easily come from a nihilistic viewpoint. If nothing matters, then why should I care? However, it is easy to forget that true purpose does not come from external forces. Nothing can tell you what the meaning of your life is—except you. This zine first lays out the basics on existential nihilist perspectives and then moves on to explain why that’s a good thing— freedom from responsibility and an opportunity to prioritize.
This piece has some shocking language in it, but that is because it is intended for a young and carefree audience. The shocking/crassness of language and style are meant to engage the Punk Era aesthetic of shock and negation. In their time, Punks would wear swastikas or pierce themselves in the cheek with safety pins to grab the attention of those deemed “normal” within mainstream ideology—most of those who wore the swastika did not, in fact, subscribe to antiSemitic ideology. Similarly, I use bold, contrasting, and sometimes ugly colors to make the zine pop. Another basis of Punk ideology is to negate mainstream ideology—to go against everything that American/British culture believes in to make audiences challenge their own beliefs. The best example being that many Punk bands, like The Sex Pistols, preached anarchy as ideal for society; these bands did not seriously believe this, but instead were trying to make people question what they believe the role of government to be more critically. Thus, I use this rhetorical practice to challenge the idea that believing nothing in the world has meaning is a bad thing.
This product is intended to be a twelve-page booklet. The order of the pages, from left to right, is: 12, 1, 2, 11, 10, 3, 4, 9, 8, 5, 6, & 7.
Memo Sample by Mark Frantz on Scribd (2019)
This sample is a memo that informs readers about the day-to-day tasks and requirements of the Ohio State University Press Acquisitions Editor position. This memo was part of a larger group project completed in a Cultures of Professional Writing course; leading three team members, I wrote interview questions for Tara Cyphers, Acquisitions Editor at OSUP, and scheduled and conducted the interview. I wrote the first half of the memo and edited the rest to make sure our voice was consistent throughout. This piece showcases my ability to distill information, write concisely, and use appropriate formatting for the memo genre.