"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in a human situation."
- Graham Greene
Writing has been a form of therapy in my life for quite some time. Writing transports me to another universe where my thoughts have created the reality. I treat my writing time as a form of meditation, escaping everyday trials by reflecting and achieving mental clarity.
Much like everyone else, my writing journey began with learning how to write letters and three-letter words. As I got older and improved my writing and spelling skills, I found a love for using those skills to write things I had dreamt of. I would write about fantastical worlds with mythical creatures and castles. After reading works of fiction with similar storylines, I felt inspired to expatiate on the story and characters. When I was eleven years old, I wrote my first short story, printed it out, and had it bound into a hardcover book. Since then, I have written several short stories. I am currently working on writing my first screenplay. This has been a fascinating journey for me as it is different from anything I have ever written. Not only is the format different, but the character development, setting details, and use of dialogue is as well. In addition to writing the screenplay, I have created vision boards for each character and setting; this also provides me with an outlet for my creativity. Writing a screenplay is a challenge, but I find it so rewarding.
Learning about writing has been, by far, my favorite topic to study. My first writing ‘course’ involved reading novels, poems, and short stories, taking notes of how authors created interesting stories and complex characters. When I was younger, some of my favorite authors were Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), Jane Austen, and James Dashner. A Series of Unfortunate Events quickly became my favorite book series. The stories are dark and mysterious, with a humorous narration. I found Daniel Handler’s writing style fascinating; it was unlike anything I had ever read. Jane Austen is one of the most influential authors ever to live. Her novels are beautiful and intriguing, with characters you want to love and understand. While I found a love for her stories, I felt more intrigued when learning about her life. She was an incredible advocate and trailblazer for women in the 19th century. James Dashner wrote another favorite book series of mine, The Maze Runner series. The story was unlike anything I had ever read; it was so creative and innovative that I had a hard time putting the books down. I then began reading books and watching videos about writing. A few of the books that I read were On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Bird by Bird, and Zen in the Art of Writing. To further my knowledge, I used my mom’s Master Class account and watched courses by writers like James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, R.L. Stine, and many others. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to learn more and expand my writing knowledge.
I am looking forward to expanding my abilities with the knowledge I will gain in this class. I have studied creative writing independently, and I am now ready to study rhetorical writing and critical thinking in this course. I hope to not only acquire invaluable knowledge but gain experience by writing every day.
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