WP4: Learning How to Write…for the Second Time
From elementary school to junior high to high school alike, I was taught how to write in a cookie cutter template that stifled creativity, transparency, raw honesty, and truth. Instead of teaching students how to approach writing with courage and honesty, schools taught students how to regurgitate quotes from other papers and (indirectly taught) us how to utilize the Thesaurus to get around plagiarism. From this template, I was able to produce fairly good academic papers with decent grammar and, in turn, meet all of the other criteria needed to produce an A. But these academic papers and other writing assignments all lacked what makes good writing good: a voice. Through WRIT 150, I discovered my voice and the role writing has played in teaching me how to be the most honest, authentic version of myself.
In the spirit of full disclosure, it was a difficult transition for me to adjust to the expectations of this particular course of WRIT 150 because of the honesty and the rawness that it required in order to excel. Instead of summarizing the eloquently written ideas of others, I was forced to dissect my own and explain these complex ideas in simple, digestible terms. I was encouraged to write how I felt with my deepest and my most honest feelings, but also contribute my ideas to a larger discussion. I was inspired to write without hesitation and without filtering my thoughts to fit the expectations or norms of society. My ideas, regardless of what they were, were invited with open arms and without judgment. They were met with support and at times of peer review, with constructive criticism. This was new and it was terrifying. As I have said, I was good at restating the ideas of others. Not my own.
The six writing posts and the four writing projects (this project included) could only be completed and at its best version if I reflected, analyzed, dissected, explored, and wrote on my identity, my experiences, and my contribution to a greater discussion. As I struggled to write with purpose in order to answer the “How?” and the “Why?”, I realized how much of a voice I lacked in projects where I had to write about myself. Writing about myself and what makes me me sounds pretty easy, simple, and straightforward, but in all honesty, it was by far the hardest set of writing assignments I have had to write.
In the first set of my writing posts, I was still sticking to my cookie cutter writing template, which meant that I lacked purpose in my writing. I was still filtering my ideas as they came to me, thus cutting out a lot of honesty from my work. But as the semester went on, I realized that my voice came out stronger when I sat and wrote with the “who cares?” mindset. After all, filtering out my voice is only holding me back from writing with intent and purpose. I also concluded that my beliefs hold some value and some truth, even if the only person who values or believes them is me. After coming to this conclusion, I was able to write about larger societal concepts that I was truly passionate about in a manner that was personal, but also contained style and purpose.
In particular, my last and final writing post “Hollywood’s Outdated Traditionalist Views” was when I felt that I was at my most honest and when my voice was the strongest. I was able to write about the frustration that I had in how my identity as a female and as an Asian American was deemed as inferior in Hollywood. Here I was, sharing a raw moment I had with myself with the course, but also for everyone else in the world to see, as it was being published on a public forum. It was this moment of growth in my writing that I wish I had discovered sooner in the course.
As we end the course, I find myself filled with immense and immeasurable gratitude for this opportunity to write about my identity, as developed through my life experiences, with the purpose of sharing these ideas in an attempt to contribute to an audience and a group larger than the handful of students that I saw on Zoom. No amount of academic papers and assignments could have shown me how fulfilling it could be to write with honesty. And no amount of academic papers and assignments could have shown me that my deepest personal beliefs do matter and are capable of being influential. My experiences are unique to me, but can also be shared with a larger audience that may either gain a deeper insight into the life of a female Asian American or may also share my same opinions. The limitless opportunities to explore more about ourselves through a creative lens is unparalleled to the principles, themes, and purpose of other writing or English courses.
As I enter subsequent semesters and walk through this journey called life, I am confident that I will approach these experiences with the idea of being my most honest version of myself, for both me and for others. I hope that I have the confidence and future opportunities to share my honesty with my classmates, peers, and others in the world. I have come to an understanding that my voice and my potential contributions to larger discussion is important, valuable, and unique. I now know that I should let these ideas, beliefs, and thoughts flow with the ease that they come to me, instead of filtering them out of fear that they will not align with the popular beliefs of society. I should allow my creativity, transparency, raw honesty, and truth to be present and to be known, as it has been stifled for far too long.
