A Brief Autobiography of a Writer

 

            Where do I write? Certainly not at a desk, or at a stiff table. I write sitting on a couch, usually in my pajamas. There’s always room for improvement. Where am I in my growth as a writer? How many inches have I progressed?  Well, at this point, I am just fine if you tear apart my paper and call it garbage. I am now able to realize and admit in public if it is garbage. Writing is no longer my identity nor my security; it is merely something I enjoy. I want to grow as a writer. I want to better appreciate other writers—especially other writers who are also classmates. I would not use the word “afraid”—no, I am more so “apprehensive” about the idea of grading student writing. I need to learn how to perceive someone else’s writing level, and begin revision tutoring there. Some students feel nauseous about the idea of an essay assignment. I need to meet these students where they are, instead of leaping onto their papers and re-wording everything so that it sounds like something I would write. A fear specifically about writing I have is that I will not always say what I mean. Embellishment may seem necessary, but I prize genuineness more. I do not want to become so desperate for a sharply turned phrase that I make something up.

            Without question other authors have shaped my writing. I have noticed something: I begin to write like who I read. I always enjoyed books, but I did not begin to absorb them until I was a teenager. The first author I remember enjoying was Garrison Keillor. He wrote short stories about growing up in Minnesota, and I adored his combination of humor and deep reflection. He thought in poetic terms, but wrote in prose. I picked up his technique of using fragments to make an idea sharp and funny. My writing also drastically changed when I began to read George Orwell as a freshman in college. Orwell’s essay, “Politics and the English Language,” addresses the basics of what makes writing excellent. Orwell’s advice exposed vague, dull, overused expressions and imagery in my work, and encouraged me to start with fresh ingredients. He implores writers to visualize their thoughts and then choose the words that best match that picture. He also instructs writers to use as few words as possible. More recently my writing mimics the work of C.S Lewis. His writing is philosophical yet practical; he even manages an English accent on page. I can practically quote his book Mere Christianity. Donald Miller is another writer who has shaped my writing: I look to his writing and Lewis’ writing and I am encouraged to be vocal in my writing about my relationship with God.