A2. My Developement as an English student

My favorite subject has always been English. I love it above all other subjects because it give me my freedom of expression. It encourages you to think, and to try and understand what others have written. The pen and paper is my outlet for my mind. I can only fully express my inner soul through the words on a page. My earlier English courses required a lot of reading, studying grammar and sentence structure. But none of that intrigued me the way that writing did. The worst for me is writing reports about what we read. I hated having to sight what I wrote, having to write straight forward and bland, having rules on how to say certain things. I am a free writer, as in I like to write about whatever I want and, I like it to be said the same way I would say it in person. I like when a paper has voice. Arguing is one of my forte’s. I do it much better in writing than in person because I can’t always get my point across the way I want it to unless I have time to think about all the points I am making.
When I am passionate about something, it shows. My senior year I remember sitting in my Honors English class and my teacher saying to the class that we would all be writing an essay on how you honor America’s Veterans and turning it in to the VFW for a statewide contest. The winner would get 500 dollars and the chance to read it a special Lunch thrown by Veterans. Myself, having a C in the class and being known as the silly girl who loves to talk, didn’t seem like a likely candidate to win. But having heard what the paper was about, and knowing how patriotic I am, I turned to my friend around me and said, “I am going to win that contest.” My friends laughed, but I knew I would because when I have the chance to write about something I feel strongly about, I know that I have talent. A few months later I got the call that informed me that I had won first place in the state.
You see, the writing process for me is a bit unconventional. I like to write it all at once but sometimes I do take a break and then come back later if I get stuck. I plan ahead but it’s all in my mind. I usually spend hours on the first paragraph because for me it is the opening to your paper, the first impression for your professor, and the basic map of what I am about to write. From then on, everything else comes relatively easy, I just write. I make sure I fully discuss and relate everything to that opening paragraph and then close the paper with a simple well explained paragraph to make sure the paper is all tied together. No maps no rough drafts just writing. I know it’s not the way we were taught when we were younger but it has worked very well for me so far.
I am not at all technologically advanced. I mean of course I have a facebook and E-mail, which I rarely ever check, but if something goes wrong with my computer, I am totally helpless. I do text but I hate doing it. I am a talkative person and texting just isn’t enough for me. This class I hope will help me use all that technology has to offer me as a writer. When we were assigned to create a blog, I was amazed at how cool it was to be able to post to the world your feelings! I am definitely going to start my own blog after this class is over.
What I am excited most about this class is that it cuts out all the crap that I hated from High school English and emphasizes the personal side of writing. I can’t wait to write more and to start my blog. I hope that this class develops me as a writer and makes me able to voice myself stronger through the things that I write.