Why Write

Writing is an important part of our society. You write to coworkers, you write to family, friends, and even people you don’t know. The question, though, is why do I write? Honestly, I don’t really know. Most of the times I can remember writing something was because of an assignment in school. I have never really sat down and wrote for my own pleasure. I have never really found happiness through writing. Despite my lack of desire to write, I still can recognize one important person in my life who has contributed to my writing: my mom.

My mom is a great influence in my life. Not only did she bring me into this world and cared for me, but when I was young she got me into reading, which, in turn, introduced me to writing. I never was as interested in writing as I was as reading but just from being exposed to it, I learned a little about it. Reading truly helps your writing. You can read without noticing grammar, tone of voice, punctuation, and some organization of writing. Even simple word usage or correct spelling is picked up by just reading. And reading is what has gotten me through my many writing assignments.

Throughout my education I have received numerous writing assignments from teachers that are designed to help my creative writing. I suppose in a way these assignments help you to think of ideas and how to express them on paper, but usually they also come with carefully set guidelines that you have to work with, which results in your creativity being stifled. Because of this, I’ve found that, when you’re given an assignment that is completely your own, you end up with complete writer’s block.

Shawn Kennedy, the graphics teacher at my high school, told a story about a boy who, when he first went to school, was really creative but the teacher always made the kids make the same things and follow the same patterns she laid out in class. Eventually he stopped being creative. When he moved to a different school, his new teacher wanted them to draw or sculpt or do something creative, and he had completely forgotten how. To me this is basically what has happened with my writing. I write essays, papers, and things like that, but sitting down and writing a short story would be nearly impossible for me with my complete writer’s block and lack of voice.

There is one writing assignment I had to do last year that really stands out to me. We had to write a speech and deliver it to our class posing as the valedictorian of the year. We were to pretend we were speaking in front of all the students and their parents at our graduation. We had to talk a little about what we had learned in high school, memories we had, what we planned to do in the future, and what we hoped for our fellow graduating seniors.

As I wrote, I thought of what I wanted to be when I grow up, if I ever grow up. As I contemplated this, I realized that I honestly did not know what I wanted to do. I felt like I didn’t have a direction in my life. As I look back now not much has changed. I can’t even remember what I said in that assignment, but I remember it making me think, which I guess is what counts.

Another problem with my writing I have found is that I seem to have a lack of voice. Looking back on all the writing assignments I have done my essays and stories there just is no voice. Voice is important in writing, it is what makes your essay stand out from above all others. Voice turns an essay into more than just words; it gives it personality. I know that I have never put my own emotion, my own feelings into my essays because I never really cared. Writing was just another thing I had to do to pass the class. Looking back now I’m embarrassed to admit it, because I have missed out on the opportunity to really improve my writing and develop a skill that I could use for the rest of my life.

Spelling and grammar are two forms of writing that I need to improve on. These are also things that will help me in my career and in the future in general. My whole life I haven’t been able to spell very well. It could be because of the fact that when I get started on my writing, I am so hyperactive about it that I press forward constantly, hardly taking the time to go back and read over what I have written. This also contributes to my grammar mistakes. This is a problem because spelling and grammar go hand in hand; they are both equally important for a good essay.

One thing I definitely have realized throughout the history of my writing is how important spell check is. Even more important is having a good friend who can read over it and offer advice and help to make it a better essay without laughing at you too much. This is another way writing helps me. It adds communication with other people to my daily life. It helps build communication skills and experiences with dealing with people.

Now that I have realized I should use opportunities to write as a way to improve my writing, I’ve also realized that writing is an important skill that everyone should be able to utilize. It is important to hone that skill and learn to use it as an effective tool in both in the workplace and the home because through writing you can also improve your communication skills.

This makes writing extremely important to everyone because communication is vital to surviving life and living in harmony with other people. I hope that I can truly learn to find my own voice and put it into my writing so I can more thoroughly express my feelings, improve communication, and work on my spelling and grammar.