WP4: My Writing, My Voice
Writing has always been challenging for me. It is challenging to formulate all of my ideas and exemplify them in a cohesive, impactful piece of writing. For this reason, I dreaded complex writing assignments. However, I am a big talker. I like telling stories, negotiating, advising; really just talking. This semester, I got to write like I talk. I also got to write about things I am passionate about and grow as a writer in that way, but also realize things about myself as a person, a student, and an intellectual. I got to tell my story and feel like it was actually my voice in my writing.
Usually, most writing classes strictly involve reading books and other pieces of literature and writing about it. In my opinion, while these types of assignments are important and helpful, they are impersonal and do not necessarily represent who we are as writers. It represents how well we can read something and summarize and analyze it; or how well we can finesse reading it from Sparknotes. While we did read and dive deeper into pieces of academic writing, that was not all we did. Plus, we were able to take these readings and apply them to our own personal knowledge-seeking journey, writing journey, and intellectual journey. I found that so much more meaningful and I appreciate that.
Coming in and writing my WP1, I was essentially clueless about how to go about it, how to convey my ideas, and write with a purpose. I was still finding my flow. The turning point for me was the first post that I had truly felt proud of and confident in: my WAP post.
In my WAP post, I wrote about a song that was very controversial and not considered “academic” at all. Quite honestly, I was scared to write about it because it felt so wrong in the academic setting. After all, that’s how I was trained to think. I was trained not to think too far outside the box or stray away from the “normal” writing norm. But since I was given this creative freedom, I used it. I was able to use a piece of media that may not have seemed appropriate, and I started a conversation and exploration about empowering women’s sexuality- something I am passionate about. My post also sparked responses and served as inspiration for other posts looking at WAP from different lenses, such as this post by Tess Botts below.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like my writing had meaning, impact, and influence.
After writing my other posts and testing more waters in my writing, I was excited for WP2. I couldn’t wait to see what I could come up with. This did not feel like a dreadful assignment or a chore by any means; it felt like a choice. I actually wanted to build my archive and write about it. The possibilities were endless, and I could make it however I wanted, share whatever story of mine I wanted, and have whatever impact I wanted. I loved being able to have a true voice in my writing. I used songs, videos, pictures, as well as narrative writing to show how rap, my Uncle Paris, and Tik Tok have influenced my journey as an intellectual and compared it to a butterfly jumping from flower to flower. For me, that was as creative, vulnerable, and personal as it gets. I incorporated stories of my struggles, childhood, and perseverance through it all to get to where I am today. All of these things have played huge roles in who I am today as a person and a student, and it meant a lot to me to be able to share it through writing and other forms of media.
My WP2 was also pivotal in my journey this semester as an intellectual and a writer, as I was thorough in my analysis and WHY of it all. I exemplified why each part of my archive was included, and the roles that they played in my intellectual identity, but also why it was important for the reader to understand the perspectives that I was presenting. I was proud of how deep I was able to dive in my analysis; and this took my writing to a new level and set me up well for WP3.
WP3. The BIG writing project. Going in, WP3 was quite intimidating. It was “more academic”, and because of that, initially I felt like I might be limited in my voice in my writing, because I had to incorporate academic sources, books, etc. But that was not the case at all. Instead, I used these sources to build upon my writing and personal narrative and to unpack the ideas presented on claiming my education and as Freire would say, “storing the deposits entrusted in me”. Once I started writing, analyzing, storytelling, and unpacking, the words came naturally. It was something I cared about writing about. It didn’t feel pointless, like a lot of academic writing I have done in the past. It felt purposeful and inspirational.
All in all, from writing my projects, to my posts and being able to write about my favorite songs and artists, and showing who I am, my perspective on writing completely changed. It made me realize that I didn’t not like writing, I just didn’t like writing without a purpose. I didn’t like the busy work type of writing that I had been doing for years. It never allowed me to find my voice and find myself as a writer. It never allowed me to be, well, me in my writing. Writing this semester has helped me find that voice I have been searching for, and I have developed an appreciation for writing. I will definitely keep writing Medium posts, and going forward, I will look at my writing assignments in a different light. I will look at them as opportunities to grow as an intellectual, and embrace the creativity and possibilities that come with them. Lastly, writing this semester has opened more doors for me to further my impact and leave a larger footprint on the world in a way I never thought before. It has allowed for me to be heard. And that is the greatest gift of all.
Works Cited
Perry, Aliyah. “‘WAP’: Empowering Women’s Sexuality.” Medium, Medium, 10 Sept. 2020, aliyahrperry.medium.com/wap-empowering-womens-sexuality-f3458ecf0c86.
Botts, Tess. “The Other Side of the WAP.” Medium, Medium, 6 Oct. 2020, tebotts.medium.com/the-other-side-of-the-wap-ef1dc22e53b8.
Perry, Aliyah. “WP2: Like A Butterfly.” Medium, Writing 150 Fall 2020, 12 Oct. 2020, medium.com/writing-150-fall-2020/wp2-like-a-butterfly-fdc65d93f125.
Perry, Aliyah. “WP3: She Who Doesn’t Settle.” Medium, Writing 150 Fall 2020, 14 Nov. 2020, medium.com/writing-150-fall-2020/wp3-she-who-doesnt-settle-b7ecf0404d8e.
