I have a love-hate relationship with writing, which sounds weird, I guess. I think most people have a pretty simple viewpoint when it comes to writing: they either like it or they don’t. They’re good at it or they’re not. It’s pretty cut and dry for them.

When I was growing up, the division between those who loved writing and those who didn’t created a “type.” The lovers participated in plays, poetry club, newspaper, etc. while also having amazing musical and artistic abilities. The haters were the robotics kids, science Olympiads and mathletes, who were the same people who would have preferred to spend their free time doing math homework instead of English.

Of course, there were some people who didn’t fit this pattern, but I was usually around people who perfectly matched the “writer” and “non-writer” stereotypes. I was even friends with the people who would laugh and say, “Engineers don’t need to know how to write.”

As someone who struggled with analyzing books, remembering literary details and writing essays, I was completely accepting of the “non-writer” stereotype. I’m going to be an engineer; as long as I can make calculations and execute physical solutions to a problem, then the only writing I should have to do would be along the lines of reports and explanations.

It was non-ideal but understandable in my mind if I didn’t get an A on an essay because I wasn’t a writer. I assumed all thesis statements would never quite be right, and topic sentences could always relate back to the thesis statement better than they did. Writing just never really clicked for me.

However, I learned that I overgeneralized writing as only being the writing that occurs in an English class. I forgot that writing can happen for fun without the pressure of a grade. I didn’t know that writers like Gertrude Stein didn’t follow rules when it came to their work. I didn’t think about the freedom that goes with writing.

I never even considered how creative writing can be of any genre, can be thought out or written on a whim, can be anything the author wants it to be. I didn’t think about how people use writing as a way to communicate their opinions and emotions. I didn’t give it a chance.

I think my viewpoint mostly changed after I took a journalism class in high school. Journalism is kind of like a lab report; you have certain points that you have to get across to the reader in a short amount of time while trying to maintain their interest. The difference between the two is that journalism can be creatively written whereas a lab report has to be more formal.

Once I started writing opinion articles, I learned that I could express myself while keeping my ideas brief. Even though I have writer’s block frequently, it causes me to reflect on my opinions or parts of my week that I hadn’t thought much about otherwise. It forces me to be more aware of what I say, and it challenges me to convey my ideas to others.

I enjoy the way this type of writing makes me think. I love the challenge but hate the struggle. However, once in a while, I write an article that I’m so proud of that it makes me forget about all of the times writing frustrated me. It makes me passionate about this hobby.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, give writing a chance. You may be a “bad” writer or “not creative,” but maybe you haven’t found the right type of writing. There’s journalism, poetry, playwriting, storytelling, etc. All options that aren’t as prevalent during our educations as analytical writing is, so writing is definitely a hobby that is worth delving into if you’re currently a “non-writer.”