Summer—

there couldn't be a better time to start writing. I know what you're thinking, summer is supposed to be the time that we college kids get away from all things academia-like and stress-inducing. It's supposed to consist of long beach days (which yes, I adore), sleeping in (which yes, I do) and relaxing (which yes, I do a lot). But it's also the best time to write.

How? And more importantly, why? Why write during the only opportunity you have not to write? Because I guarantee that you will write your greatest.

Writing during the school year is a different experience from writing during the summer. In the midst of writing papers and reading textbook chapters on, let's face it, things you mostly don't care much about, your writing tends to become something you dread doing. It's forced writing that is strained by deadlines and is done at three a.m. jacked-up on five cups of coffee, it's writing that gives you a headache because all that matters is the final grade, it's writing that, in the long run, doesn't matter and gets lost in your computer files from years past.

But writing when you don't have other responsibilities is a whole other experience. There's no deadlines, no stress and most importantly, no rules. While I think setting constrictions for your own creative writing is a great technique for thinking outside the box, it's not for everyone. Allowing yourself to break away from guidelines and word counts can be a liberating experience and the boost your writing needs to become great.

I find that my best writing comes when I allow myself to relax as I type and only have one thing on my mind - the writing. When you don't have any outside forces, writing can come naturally with an open mind.

So I challenge you to write this summer, not academically, but creatively. I find that so many people don't realize that there are different kinds of writing besides essay writing, whether it be fiction, poetry, prose, or just streams of unconscious thoughts.

Go outside and see what you have to write about. Create a character while at the beach. That's where I find most of my inspiration - the trail leading up to the Fire Island lighthouse is the inspiration for my first novel I'm embarking on.

Write, but don't force yourself to write. Write from whatever comes from inside, write what makes you feel excited and happy because you never know what it might turn into.