My first memory of writing is from kindergarten. My entire class was sitting in a circle with chalk boards and wet sponges. The teacher, Ms. Coco (such a kindergarten teacher’s name) would write an uppercase letter on the board and we would copy it, taking up the entire chalkboard. Next came putting letters together to make words. Then sentences. As soon as grammar came into the mix, I was a pro.
I was obsessed with the idea of dialogue and making up interactions between two non-existent people. I would sit on my kitchen floor next to the heater with a legal pad of paper and make up stories centered around conversations. I had different characters that combined different members of my family. I let my imagination run wild. I was always a creative child when it came to art and school, so once I discovered this new way to create I was obsessed with it.
As I got older, I started veering away from writing as a form of storytelling and creativity. Now the majority of writing that I choose to consume in my everyday life is reporting based. Writing surrounds people. Writing can be instructional, original, deep, personal, funny, informative. It is everywhere. Which is why I decided to apply for the writing minor. If writing is something that will surround be in all realms of life, I want to be good at it.
Storytelling and creating was a habit of mine as a kid, but as I got older I stopped making time in my life for creativity. Instead of sitting on the computer making fake magazine covers, I would sit and instant message with friends. The more social I became, the less time I had for imagination. A sad but true realization I’m having. I pride myself on my excellent “people skills.” I think that I am personable and can find common ground with almost anybody. I prioritize social events in my life. This means that I must sacrifice me time. Rather than sit and think, I occupy my time with conversation.
This puts reading and writing low on my list. They became a chore. They were no longer fun. They became assigned. Instead of doing it for my own pleasure, a teacher judged it. They quizzed me on knowledge that I consumed from reading. I had to read actively and remember characters. I had to log how often I read. A teacher graded my writing style. I didn’t like that. Then came textbook reading, which was even worse. And paper writing which took any ounce of creativity out. Formulaic five paragraph essays were not fun.
Since then I have stopped being creative. I no longer explore the unknown world. I solely explore the opposite. Real life. The majority of my reading is done on various news websites. I read headlines and detailed accounts of current events. I also like to branch out to opinion pieces which are based off of these real life facts.
My interest in politics and current events and writing ultimately stems from my experience as a United States Senate Page. This is a program that takes 30 students from all around the country and grants them the opportunity to live and work in Washington DC. I woke up at 5:30 AM every morning, was in class at 6:15 AM and spent the rest of the day working in the Capitol building. I distributed amendments, documents, memos, set up and cleaned the Senate chamber and sat on the rostrum listening to the Senators speak.
It was impossible to not become completely invested in politics. It consumed our entire lives. I followed bills and politicians every move. After the long work day ended, I would come home and read journalists’ accounts of what I got to see first hand. I found it so interesting- seeing what the journalists decided what to and what not to report. I loved reading their descriptions of Senators and their analyses of the events. I got to form my own opinion on it, and not rely on theirs. I read MSNBC and Fox and Huffington Post and noticed all the bias that exist in our world.
After this experience, I want(ed) to be a political journalist. I wanted to be the best reporter. I want to write to be read. I want to pass along crucial information that normal people my age would not know. I wanted to make it seem like they were there. I wanted to give people the same experience that I had. I began composing long detailed e-mails to my very political family. I would tell them all of the cool conversations I eavesdropped on and who I saw in the dining room and what type of water each Senator preferred. I knew that in order to retain all of the information I had to write it down, so I turned these diary-entry like things into e-mails so I could share the experience with my family.
I guess one could say that Page School resurrected my interest in writing. This interest was different than my child interest. Instead of making things up, I wanted to share my observations and descriptions and opinions on relevant events. I think it is so important, and sadly, rare, for people to be politically informed and I view writing as my solution to this.
Soon after my love for writing re-emerged, my love for reading followed. I believe this is important to the story because reading and writing compliment each other. I realized that all the politicians whose actions I was following so closely had background stories of themselves. I would stalk their wikipedia pages and website biographies. I wanted to know what led them down these paths. Why did John McCain chair the Armed Services Committee? I read his autobiography and now it is clear why the armed forces play such a big role in his life. I read about all of the stories these people have and how it steered them to the public sector and to make change (or at least try).
After a few political books, it becomes clear how much boilerplate is in them. Very rarely will you actually discover something new. They usually are writing just to make money and gain fame and support. Chelsea Handler did not have these same intentions. Her memoirs are hilarious and tell it like it is. Same with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham and so on. I immersed myself in these memoirs. I laughed SO hard. I didn’t know you could laugh that hard from a book.
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So why do i write? I write to pass along information. I write to inform people about decisions being made relevant to their lives. I write because I love to read. I write to be smarter. I write to communicate with family and articulate my goals and opinions.