Never knowing where to write has always been an obstacle of mine. I would move from my desk, to my bed, to the dining room table, to the couch, unable to find a comfortable environment to sit and focus. Eventually, I’d settle down somewhere and just follow the guidelines given by my high school instructor:
- Start with a powerful opening sentence
- Write a thesis
- Develop at least three body paragraphs with evidence and analysis
- Make a counter argument
- Sum it up with a conclusion
Writing always seemed to follow the same structure. The question or prompt and the sources were always assigned. There was never much thought put into the writing. It was like following a procedure for a science lab. Then I got thrown into college, where writing suddenly got a lot harder.
Professors will allocate a prompt, but now I choose the specific topic to answer it. I have to find my own sources, develop my own questions, find my own structure. The procedure I had gotten used to over the years was now thrown out the window.
The Source Based Essay became my biggest nightmare. I sat for hours on end staring at a blank document, not knowing where to start. I just keep asking myself, “What am I writing about? What sources am I supposed to use? Am I supposed to have three body paragraphs or four?” The answer to all these questions was “It’s up to you.” Here I am again trying to find a place to sit, thinking that maybe it’s just the environment that’s giving me a mental block. I’m stuck and frustrated. I’ve tried working in a library, in a café, in a lounge, nothing seems to work. After some time, I threw all my stuff onto the floor, my colored pens, computer, my blank sheets of paper, and all my references. I had just wasted around five hours deciding if immigration would’ve been the best topic to write about for the entire semester. The deadline was less than six hours away. I grabbed a blank sheet of paper, a bunch of my colored pens, and my computer and just got to work. Writing down every piece of inspiration that comes to mind, once I had one idea, eight more followed. I was brainstorming, a task my high school teacher would talk about, yet I never felt I had to do. A half hour later, my blank sheet of paper was now filled with words and phrases in different colors going in every direction.
From there, the rest of the writing process seemed to flow. The paper I thought I was never going to get done, I banged out in two hours and change. I thought to myself, “I got this whole writing thing down now.” Next thing I knew, I was right back at square one with the Inquiry-Based Research Essay.
I went through the same brainstorming process, threw all I had onto the floor and just started writing all that popped into my head. The main challenge I encountered this time was, “What specific question am I attempting to answer with this research paper?” Most of the questions I had were either too broad or too specific. I grabbed another colored pen and just started eliminating all the ideas I felt wouldn’t work for the paper. This assignment was meant to be much longer, and I had no idea how to lay out all this information. I remembered, from way back when, this concept of creating an outline for the paper. Normally, the outline followed the same structure all the high school assignments were written but I figured I’d give it a shot. Little did I know, that writing the outline would spark a match, and the wildfire would soon follow. I clearly laid out each section of the research I had discovered, including as many sources and details as possible. Anyone would have been able to write the paper just from the outline I had formed.
I gathered my outline, pens, and computer, and sat at my desk. I had my cup of herbal tea and my fluffy blanket. Now that I knew how to write the paper, it was time to get it done. “I shouldn’t have any more problems”, or so I thought. The beginning of the paper had flown right onto the document with no complications, until I hit the fourth section, “Sparked Reactions”. I knew what I wanted to write about, what the section was supposed to talk about, but I couldn’t figure out how to write it, how to make the sections connect. Here I am again staring at my computer trying to think of any idea. I was getting ideas for every other section of the paper, except this one. “Screw it.” I jumped over to the next section, realizing that there’s no reason to write in a certain order, I can just go where my ideas take me. Before I knew it, I was writing my closing sentences and the paper was done.
I had hit every possible roadblock during the writing process I thought possible through these two writing assignments. The next assignment, “Composition of Two Genres” should be a breeze and then I realized how much it relied on using rhetorical terms. The entire assignment revolved around creating my own audience and choosing which genres would do the best job of reaching them. Of course, I knew what audience, purpose, genre, and all that was, and I wrote a whole paper analyzing them, but how do I create my own? I’m stuck, again.
This was a problem I couldn’t necessarily solve on my own. I decided to consult whoever I knew was familiar with the current situation of DACA, since that was the topic of my two genres. DACA is currently in the Supreme Court, as they try to determine whether the rescind of the program by President Trump’s Executive Action is legal. My cousin had once told to me to get involved in the DACA campaign, considering I am a Dreamer. Then it hit me, a campaign video and speech. Not only am I contributing to a cause that directly affects me, but I am also able to speak in the first person, giving the audience the perspective of a Dreamer. Considering most Dreamers are afraid to speak up due to their status, I found this assignment to be a great opportunity to show a voice often left unheard. I wanted this assignment to be amazing so I went around asking friends, peers, and family for their opinion. “Let the Dreamers Dream” became one of my best assignments. I was so proud of what I had completed, a feeling I never really felt when it came to any of my writing.
Throughout this whole semester, I had been forming my own process for writing, and I had no idea until I was told to write about my “Theory of Writing”. At first, I sat there wondering what that even means. “Theory of writing?” I thought, “I just write what I’m told to write.” I took a step back and realized that was completely wrong. Everything I do to complete my assignments is unique to my personal process:
- Brainstorm (with my colored pens on the floor, of course)
- Narrow down all my ideas
- Form an outline
- Start writing
- Revise and edit
Writing is the expression of one’s thoughts and feelings, a skill that one can always further develop and improve. Knowing how to write doesn’t necessarily make one a good writer per say. I never believed I was a good writer, or could ever be one. I followed the same writing process everyone else followed, and yet the paper never sounded great. Yes the assignment was completed and all the questions were answered but it just that, questions answered. There was no individuality to it. All the writing I had done during this class, all the assignments I completed, all the hours spent on the floor, changed the way I wrote anything. I finally learned how to express my own voice and get my message across. Someone could now read my paper and say that it sounded like me. I was able to compare an assignment done for Intro to Jazz back in September to the last assignment I submitted in December and say that the last assignment was me where the first one wasn’t necessarily how I wanted to sound. My writing was personal. My writing exemplified my nature, my beliefs, my feelings. I’ve grown as a writer and will only continue to do so. The sky is the limit to how far my skills can expand, and the same goes to anyone who would like to embrace their inner voice.
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