My first writing influence came at an early age. By the time I was three, I could spell my name out loud and read it on all of my Christmas gifts. I remember wanting to be able to write my name and learn the alphabet at a young age, some time before starting pre school...so my mom taught me. I wanted to write everyone’s name! I loved to write! I would write letters to uncles on missions, an aunt who was enlisted in the Navy, and to young cousins that I never got to see. Writing was a positive thing back then. I was young and careless. My writing was for pure enjoyment. My mom encouraged me to write and was so proud of me.
I remember wanting to be an author in Elementary School. Elementary School is great for young writers. No one really criticizes you; the teachers’ focus is on teaching you spelling and proper grammar, and no matter what you write everyone thinks you are cute. We were little kids with big dreams and clever imaginations.
I would say the first negative influence on me as a writer would be my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Dingman. He seemed to put a damper on my spirits and made me feel rather afraid of putting my earnest thoughts in my writing. I swear he was never a child, the way he pushed us out of our imaginary worlds, forcing us into the “Real” world, a place where we had to begin to think like adults rather that children. This affected me because I have such a great love for fantasy and had never felt accepted in the real world – as a writer that is. No one ever seems to understand me. I feel like I think so differently from the rest of the world. As I aged, I began to enjoy writing less and less. Writing became too serious and became more of a chore than anything else. It all had to be backed up by facts and research, trying to prove points and being criticized when the teacher didn’t agree with your opinions or told you your reasons weren’t good enough. I was afraid to write what I really felt, not wanting to be judged for my lack of powerful writing skills.
By the eighth grade I developed a passion for poetry and music. This was how I chose to enjoy writing. I wasn’t extremely poetic myself, but my dad and granddad were lovely poets who made me want to continue to write. I’m not amazing at writing poetry, but I love to memorize it. I love the really deep stuff, but I also enjoy the simple, silly poems that serve no purpose other than to entertain. I love the ones that get stuck in your head and make you giggle every time you remember part of it. My favorites include “Ladies and Gentle Beans,” author unknown, and “Five Gallon Buckets,” by Sherrie Stoll. Any of my close friends could recall a time when I recited one of them.
The third type of writing I love is what I like to call “free writing.” What I do is take a notebook and pen with me to public places and write down everything that I think and hear. It amazes me how much my brain takes in and what words I remember in a conversation that I’m not completely focused on. “Free writing” can teach you about yourself. The things you write are never a complete sentence or idea, but it is always surprising to see what you get out of the mess. You find certain messages that reoccur throughout the page. Things you didn’t even realize you were paying such close attention to. It always interests me to see where my mind is actually focused.
When I write, I am most comfortable on the floor. I also like to sit in a chair with my feet hanging over one of the arms. I have to be comfortable and relaxed to write well and I do better when there is music or some kind of noise in the background. I struggle with silence. Music sets a mood and other commotions paint a picture and create a comfortable atmosphere for me to write in. I like to eat or chew gum while I write. I have found that I focus better when I have to multitask. I prefer writing late at night. I am the most awake in the hours that follow midnight. I love listening to the sound of crickets and coyotes through my open window in the early hours. I prefer writing in ink. I like to scribble out my mistakes because when I do I can see that I am making changes and improving my writing as I go. I am the kind of person who gets ideas early on, then waits to write the paper the night before it is due. I write it in my head as I go because I don’t like to rewrite anything or make several copies before writing the final draft. Even when I write a rough draft I always go straight from memory while rewriting my final...so I guess my reasoning behind all of this is that I don’t like to waste my time writing something down when I know I am going to change it anyway.
I don’t write in a journal regularly. My personal writing goes as far as what I have previously mentioned. I love to write letters to my best friend Olivia though. That is our way of journaling. We regularly write letters back and forth between each other, mostly telling of our lives, but sometimes we emerge ourselves in philosophical debates, which has become a favorite pass time between us. I have learned to like writing for an audience. I put more thought into my writing when I write for others and the feedback from friends and teachers is always so helpful.
The things I feel that poor writers don’t know is how to enjoy their own writing. If a writer doesn’t enjoy their own writing, then they tend to become lax and bored with their writing. If writers can learn to enjoy their writing and feel good about what they have written, then they will write better and it will be more enjoyable for the reader. The things that I think will help writers are also things that I feel I need to work on. To become a better writer I need to feel like what I am writing about serves a purpose, whether it is to make someone see my way of thinking or just to entertain the reader. I need to work on catching and keeping the reader’s attention and to make them agree with what I have written. If I can learn to do these things then I believe I can become a better writer.
All these influences in my life have made me a better writer. They have changed my thoughts and feelings about writing. What I learned from these experiences has enlightened me as a writer. As I am making progress towards the light, my hope is that one day I will reach the sun and be able to hold it up for the rest of the world to behold.
