Writing Case File

I started writing in kindergarten. My love for fantasy and chivalry were evident even then when I first started writing about vampires, ghosts, and princesses. I continued my young writing career in second grade with an adventure series with a friend. We wrote a whole series about a friendly dragon who only ate things that were already dead. This is when I really started to like writing. I enjoyed just being able to write about anything I wanted without having to worry about a due day, typos, or getting a bad grade.


Other than writing for school, I mostly just write in my journal. It is my most personal writing. I've noticed that I get off the subject a lot when I am writing in my journal. Although, I only write in it when I am depressed or really happy and excited. I'm never consistent in my journal. After reading through my entries, I noticed that they started getting more serious around 9th grade and have continued to just get more so. It was interesting to see that as I matured so did my writing style, and my ability to express my feelings through words.

I also occasionally write poetry. I only do this when I am desperate for a release of my emotions and writing in my journal just doesn't cover it. I like to try to make my poems deep and use allegories and such. I've also noticed that what I write is not always something I would like to read if someone else had written it. I applaud and respect those who can write in parables, and I wish I could do the same, I just hate reading it.

My mood seriously affects my writing style. Depending on how I am feeling, I could write a paper that inspires and uplifts or one that is morbid and leaves you wanting to cry. My writing is very inconsistent; it depends drastically on my feelings at that time. Because of this, I think writing is an art. It takes creativity and a sense of what is interesting to the chosen audience.

I'm really bad at just coming up with ideas to write about. My writing takes time and thought, especially if I want it to be good and meaningful. I'll write little bits at a time and read it aloud as I go. After I've written a whole paper, I will go back and fix things. I like to start a couple of days ahead because of past experiences with procrastination. It is never fun to have to stay up until who knows how late to finish a paper you never even bothered to start.

Occasionally I like to write for fun, but I never finish anything unless I am under the pressure of having it due as an assignment. I've started many stories, some meant to be long novels, others meant to be short stories. Either way, I never really have the motivation to do serious writing just for myself. My writing for myself is very personal though; I hate an audience. My writings on my own time, especially poetry, are private and meant for my ears alone.

I've never been an especially good writer in my opinion. In 9th grade our entire honor's class was required to enter one of our poems into a contest. I did get an honorable mention for my humorous poem about rhyming. Other than this though, I've never won anything or gotten special praise. Regardless of this, writing for me is an escape. It's a way to express myself without the the judgments or critiques of others. This is also why I don't like to share any of my personal writings.

I'd have to say the biggest influence in my writing, more than anything else, is my love for reading. It is probably one of my most favorite things to do. Yep, when it comes to reading, I am a nerd to the extremes. Most of my ideas in writing evolved from bits and pieces of things that at one point I had read. When I read, I seriously get into it; it's kind of like a drug. I can't sleep or think about anything else until I have finished a book. Then when I am done, I feel sad that its over and just crave more. This is many times worse when I read a sad book; that's why I hate sad books. My mood can be affected for weeks after reading a book. I also hate true stories; they just make me sad and angry. I'll never understand why people read these things. If I am going to spend hours reading for pleasure I don't want to walk away feeling bad or wondering if my life is meaningful or something. If you can't already tell, I am an extremely picky reader. Sometimes I will allow a true story if it is not sad or if it doesn't make me want to rip my hair out. Books and writing have great power in my life, that is why I have to be careful what I read. Each book is a part of me after I read it. I don't want to put something dirty or sad inside of me forever.

I often wish writers could understand that no one cares about the insignificant little details that just make a story wordy. Stories don't need to go on and on forever to just get the point across. I think that was why I could never get into Jane Austin. It is even more irritating when writers leave loose ends or holes. It's things like that that keep you up at night wondering what could have happened. I also dislike reading characterless books and papers. I only like to write about things that are interesting to me. It hurts me to write dull things, but sometimes you just have to suck it up and write a boring paper.