My Writing
Fresh
off the press of freshman year, I feel there is no better time to talk about
the kind of writer I have become after the first year of high school is
over. I would say my writing style is
pretty natural. I tend to write the way
I talk. Due to this, I have developed a
disliking for structure. Free verse
poetry is my passion, but I also really enjoy writing personal narratives
because I love to tell stories. If I am
being honest, my writing process is a bit like a like a messy room, that is to
say, messy. When ideas form in my head,
they are immediately thrown down on paper, like splatters of paint. Ideas are all over the place, yet somehow
become tied together. Needless to say, I
have struggled with organization. After
that, I tend to skip the prewriting part and head straight to the first
draft. I absolutely love first drafts
because they are a compilation of the ideas and a first attempt at connecting
them. When the first draft is complete,
I have someone revise it, usually a peer or my dad, who is an amazing
writer. After editing and revising, the
second draft is underway. If more
revision is needed, I may do a third and final draft. My writing is like water; clear, naturally
flowing, powerful, and at times, without structure or guidance.
Writing
has always been special to me. When I
was younger, I was definitely a drama queen and I loved writing far-fetched
stories and poems about the everyday struggles of an eight-year-old. I love looking back on old journal entries
and remembering how simple life used to be.
My friends and I used to write creative stories during recess in fifth
grade. I would say writing comes pretty
easily to me, especially when I get to write about things that I am passionate
about. During freshman year, my writing
improved a lot because my English teacher had really consistent and helpful
methods of editing and revision. The
only negative experience with writing that I can recall would be in Pre-AP
World History this past year. We had to
write essays very frequently, always on topics that were given to us, such as
comparing two events or religions. The
problem is that I am not good at organizing my thoughts, which made this kind
of writing difficult. I really need to
learn how to organize an outline myself and not rely on a n outline structure
that someone else has made for me to use.
Like water, my writing will gladly fit the container it is poured into,
but has a hard time making its own.
As
far as strengths and weaknesses in writing, the one thing I would say is that I
have never truly gotten good, constructive criticism. Peers and teachers have told me that my
writing is “good to go” and have never really pushed me. That is definitely something that I
need. I would consider my weaknesses to
be organization, use of commas (which I tend to use everywhere), and use of
punctuation in poetry. My poetry
consists of commas, periods, or nothing at all. Some strengths would include use of
figurative language, clarity, and sentence structure. Use of figurative language or even just an
interesting voice and overall tone
really make the writing more interesting.
My
goals for this year include developing greater organization in my writing
process. That includes not skipping the
prewriting process. The only way to do
that is to force myself to get organized, to take the time to develop a
structured outline, not simply spilling out my ideas on a piece of paper. I also struggle with creative stories when
trying to develop a creative, comprehensive storyline. Again, lack of organization most likely plays
a role in this weakness. Another goal
would be learning how to not use commas excessively. I use them everywhere, anytime I feel there
should be a pause. In order to put a
pause on the commas, I will have to practice through more writing and perhaps
more reading. My final goal is to just
become more creative with my writing.
Similar to water, I want writing to be constantly flowing, always going
somewhere new. I feel like becoming a
better writer starts with becoming a better reader, so that will definitely be
an element in improving my writing this year.
Over
the course of tenth grade English, I hope to write pieces that I am proud of
and that truly reflect who I am as a writer.
This year, I hope to write outside of my comfort zone. That may include more expository essays and
challenging poetry. I would love to
write for my school’s newspaper or yearbook.
I may take a journalism or poetry class in college. It is my understanding that college includes
a lot of writing no matter the class. Pursuing
writing for me would include becoming an English teacher myself. Personally, I have always learned so much
more that simply how to write a paper in English class. English is truly a journey of self-discovery,
a lesson on who you are as not only a writer, but also as a person.
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