Writing
is complicated.It serves as many
different purposes.Some
people
use it as a way expressing their feelings.Others
write without
thinking
at all.I could go on and on about
writing itself, but I am going
to
discuss my personal relationship with writing.
"Our relationship" is hard to describe.Depending
on what I am writing
about,
it usually puts me in either a bad or good mood.The
one thing I
can't
get off my mind is writing in my diary.That's
my favorite thing to
write,
except for those gossip letters to my friends of course."Love"
letters
are always fun too.I never really
wrote in a diary until my
sophomore
year of high school.I was having
a hard time getting over my
"first
love" of eight months.So my best
friend suggested I write letters
to
him.She told me how she had designated
a notebook for letters to her
ex,
and it had helped.
I
went to the back of my notebook and create a diary.I
used up half of the notebook
on
my ex, got over him, and now it serves solely as my diary.Anytime
I'm
in
an extreme mood (very mad, sad, happy, confused, depressed, etc.) I go
to
my
diary and it almost always helps me.It
helps me to think more clearly
and
changes my mood. I may still be in a bad mood, but at least I'm thinking
rationally.
My diary is definitely my most important writing tool to me.
I
guess the next main writing place would have to be school.Most
of
the writing I do at school I don't agree with.Nine
times out of ten I
am
giving an assignment that I care nothing about, so I just write something
down
to get done and get a decent grade.I
didn't always have this bad
attitude
though.From kindergarten to seventh
grade, I was a straight a
student.I
remember in my fifth grade Social Studies class I competed with
S
A and S B to have the best grades and to be the teacher's pet. If anyone
of my fellow seniors read that last statement they will probably die laughing
because needless to say, those two girls beat me. They're fighting each
other for valedictorian while I got kicked out of Beta
because
my grades weren't good enough!
I've
learned a lot over the years, but it feels like I won't
remember
half of it.I hated school from day
one.I cried and cried to
stay
home with mama.Even when I started
getting used to it in second
grade,
I still went to the "Gray Lady" every week with a tummy ache.Next
I
called
mom crying until she picked me up.I've
always had friends, and it's
all
good to learn, but I'm an outdoors girl to a certain extent.I'd
rather
be
out in recess than cooped up in a classroom any day!I
have always hated
homework
with a passion!I remember being
younger sitting at the kitchen
table
supposed to be writing.All I could
do was stare out the door and
want
to go play so bad!
There's
only been one year of school I can say was lots of fun.
That
would be my 8th grade year; I made the most friends that year.Guys
finally
started paying attention to me.I
think the best part was being a
leader
at the school.I felt so much older
and more mature than the 7th
graders
because I was getting ready to go to high school.When
I did get in
high
school, several things changed.Me,
for one example.My writing style
changed
too.I've learned a lot about life.I
have to admit; the teacher
that
taught me the most was my last year English teacher, Mrs. Ware.I
didn't
like her though.It seems like she
tries to make students feel
inferior
to her.I did lots of writing in
her class.The only writing I
enjoyed
doing in that class was a journal entry about my car wreck.I
enjoyed
that simply because it was like writing in my diary.What
I want to
accomplish
the most from high school is to be as prepared as possible for
college.
I
have to say two big influences on my writing have been my
parents.My
dad is a team leader at Logan Aluminum where he works.He
is
also
the pastor of our church.He has
taught many people the important
things
in life.I have always looked up
to him, and found him to be an
interesting
person.I favor him in several ways,
so my mom says.My mom is
also
a great role model.It has been tough
on her being the preacher's
wife,
and a stay at home mom of 4 kids.Last
year she had 3 girls in high
school
and one in middle school...Surviving
that will truly be an
accomplishment.She
has taught me millions of important things I will and
do
use at my job already as a daycare worker.Mama
has always been an
extremely
fair, wise, Christian mom that everyone who meets her loves.They
have
helped me become the person I am today.
My
personality reflects on my writing a great deal.I
love to write
letters
to my friends.It's easiest because
there are no rules.I can be
completely
open and honest about my opinions.Research
papers are the
worst!I
feel like I can't be myself at all because there are so many rules
and
I have to write a great deal of useless information on a boring topic!
I
can write best at my desk in the basement.I
like to have nothing around
me.Quietness
is a must.If there are people in
the basement, I go to my
dad's
study and shut the door.
Reading
also plays a major role in my writing style.It
is one of
my
important hobbies that I enjoy.That
is, of course, if the reading
material
is a love story, mystery, magazine, or something pertaining to my
age
group.Like my diary, reading can
also set my mood.I have always felt
like
it has helped my thinking skills, especially at school, because it
broadens
my imagination, and I have learned a lot from reading.My
most
comfortable
spot for reading is on my bed.This
is not, however, a good
spot
for writing at all.
Many
people hate reading and writing.For
the most part, I love to
read.I
have always had a vivid imagination, and had fun doing so.As
a
child
I always had a baby doll with me, and I have several, embarrassing
memories
of imaginary friends.Since I've
grown older, there seems to be a
rule
that says its silly to show your imagination, except in a very few
distinct
ways.(For example:art,
certain writing pieces, and/or if you're
alone
where there is no one to make fun of you.)Reading
is my escape into
my
imagination.I spend 24/7 thinking
about anything and everything.My
mind
is rarely blank.When I read though,
I can concentrate on one subject,
usually,
and quit worrying for a little while.I
wish I could say writing
had
the same great affect on me.Yes,
in some writing topics I can
completely
be myself and use my imagination, but it seems like the majority
of
them are mindless pieces where I just wrote down something because I had
to.This
may or may not be a bad thing.It
seems negative, but it may just
be
because of who I am.Some people
just aren't born to be writers, a lot
of
people in fact.I include myself
in that category.
Sara Beth's paper has lots of potential. I can't wait to revise it with her as a "Letter to the Reviewer." I think that revision will tighten the piece up and give her writing more focus. Her details about her family gave me ideas about the type of personal narratives I can suggest for her to write later in the year.
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