WP4: Finding My Voice

At the start of this semester, I thought I was going to be thrown into a course full of standard English essays and projects. I didn’t think I would be given the opportunity to truly express myself. No one could’ve prepared me for what this class has taught me.

From elementary school until now, I was always taught to write and use my voice in a specific way. I wasn’t allowed the freedom to express myself. There was always this “standard” way of writing that we must follow. This course has changed the way I write. It helped me grow a strong voice in my essays. I am able to view writing completely differently from what I originally thought of it. I used to think essays were dull. It always felt trapped and boring to me. They confined me to this box of trying to have an “acceptable voice and ideas.” I was unable to really connect to anything and didn’t have the opportunity to put my actual perspective in it.

At the beginning of Writ 150, I was afraid of writing what I truly feel and think. I was scared that “I was wrong” or that “people wouldn’t like it.” I wasn’t actually using my own voice. I thought that my perspective wasn’t relevant. I struggled to put my ideas into the text. I was not used to using personal pronouns, like “I” or “Us” in these essays. I didn’t try to connect myself to the text. I was so used to always writing in this certain standard and formality to get a good grade, but this class focused on our own development. We were pushed to be ourselves, away from our comfort zones. Professor Dissinger wanted us to write for ourselves and allow us to create connections in our own work. I struggled with this at first. Then over time, that changed.

With every essay and writing assignment, I grew more comfortable using my own voice. It wasn’t easy. I had to slowly adjust to writing the same way I talk and not using the “standard” way of writing. WP1 was different to me. It was not like any project I had before. There was no prompt, which shocked me. Professor Dissinger told us that we, ourselves, the students, can come up and create our own prompt. No one has ever told me that before. Every essay that’s been assigned prior to this class always had this prompt. We always had something to follow.

I realized I was finally able to use my own voice, but this project and way of writing was something I was not used to. WP1 was an experiment for me. I had the opportunity to choose my own topic that interested me in aesthetics. It was a foot in the door for me to what this class was showing me. It sparked my interest, but I was also hesitant since I was new to this. It was something out of my comfort zone.

After WP1, it started to click for me. The more I wrote, the more I enjoyed doing it. My writing was being brought to life. I was able to easily create personal connections and relate my viewpoints to readings, music, and art. I even learned how to speak about different beats and form my own meaning of them. Most of all, my confidence in writing started to change.

In WP2, I was able to explore and create my own source. I was able to write with my own perspective in connection to what I found out. I was surprised how smoothly it came to me. Writing was enjoyable. I was using my own voice to speak about topics that hold a connection to me. I was using my own perspective to further a conversation about a certain topic.

Then there was WP3. After everything I’ve done and learned in class, it led up to this point. My own voice had naturally become one with my writing. I was able to take the lead and have a deeper dive into the conversation I focused on. I could really contribute to the discussion. I felt like my voice was being heard. .

With every step of the journey in Writ 150, it taught me something. Writing has become my own. My ideas, my thoughts, and especially my words. They now fill the pages of my essays. There is no longer this feeling of disconnect among my work. My voice is being shown. It finally has the opportunity to shine among my words. I found my voice in Writ 150.