I am a big talker. I love to talk to people, whether it be small talk abut the weather or deep talks about life and love, but the one thing I have trouble talking about are my feelings. They are so personal, and I have a hard time opening up to people. I know that this isn't a good thing, because everyone needs a chance to get things off their chest. For me, this is where writing comes into play. I write things all the time. I make lists, write down random phrases, song lyrics, articles, and I have an arsenal of poorly written, angsty teen poetry. Writing has kept me from going insane, and it has become my outlet. I realized that it was easy to pick up a pen and start writing whatever popped into my head.
Once I started writing I realized how many different things I could write. I entered competitions for short stories and poems, wrote a few "letters to the editor" for newspapers, and eventually started writing articles and op-eds. One of the best feelings is seeing my work published.
In the midst of all this writing I noticed two things. The first being an increase in my English grade. Believe it or not writing often makes writing papers easier. The second thing was a huge confidence boost. Seeing my work out there made me feel accomplished and I realized that I was able to do something awesome.
Now you may be thinking to yourself, "What do you write about? Don't you ever run out of things to write?" The answer is yes, I do run out of things to write sometimes. Writers block is a real thing, and it can be really hard to get out of a rut. That is why I write down all those random little phrases that I hear or think. Sometimes the best piece starts from a quote, or even just one single word. Whenever I have writers block I pull out my stack of notecard and papers and I read through them until inspiration strikes.
Writing has become such a major part of my life. I write when I am bored, when I am sad, and when I am excited about something. Writing is not about being perfect, it is about expressing myself however I want to that day. I have learned that it is okay to not have direction, and not everything has to be perfectly planned out. Writing has given me confidence and creativity. The next time you get bored, pick up a pen and start writing. You never know what great things can come from it.
"The secret of becoming a writer is to write, write and keep on writing." - Ken MacLead
