The exigence is the situation that occurred which made the writer react and write in the first place. It can get confused with the purpose because it both has to do with why the writer is writing, but the exigence is a specific issue that caused the writer to discuss the topic. For example, one of the assignments I did in class was about autism awareness. I discussed the importance of being knowledgeable about autism and how getting diagnosed can help an individual from childhood to adulthood. Furthermore, I discussed how more awareness will lead to acceptance so that autistic people can be fully welcomed in society. My exigence, or my reason for writing about that topic, is because I saw it happening to a family friend; how the neglection of getting diagnosed/support they need had a negative effect on their life. So, I decided to write about its importance in hopes of more people getting themselves/their children diagnosed. The exigence is typically where the writing begins because when picking a topic to write about, there must’ve been a reason for that decision.