As I shared with my students last week, writing was a struggle for me at first. English was my second language, and it's taken a lot of practice to write as easily as I do now. For example, take this:
As I progressed through elementary school, I guess I got a little better:
Or did I?
In middle school, I started hitting my stride and really utilizing those paragraphs:
As I entered high school, my progress was evident. I had no problem churning out several pages at a time, and typing also became second nature! This is a report I did on child labor in China:
However, it wasn't until college that I had one of my proudest moments as a writer and student. We had to write a ten page paper on one of Shakespeare's difficult texts, and I put my heart and soul into writing about Othello (which is a fantastic play, by the way!). I remember annotating the text like crazy and spending countless hours at Happy Donuts on El Camino Real, trying to come up with something original:
It paid off because at the end of the class, the professor, who I swore didn't even know my name prior to this assignment, stopped me as I entered the room.
"You're Julia, right?" he asked.
"Yes..." I said timidly.
"You did a great job on your paper. I remember yours was very well written."
My heart soared as I heard these words, and I gobbled up the words he wrote on the last page of my 10 page analysis.
"You're Julia, right?" he asked.
"Yes..." I said timidly.
"You did a great job on your paper. I remember yours was very well written."
My heart soared as I heard these words, and I gobbled up the words he wrote on the last page of my 10 page analysis.
" Julia - as noted on every page, your essay is outstanding. This is a challenging prompt to take on; it demands strongly acute close reading skills to write a paper of this quality, congratulations! Your hard work paid off. Your support is thorough and convincing, even insightful. It was a pleasure to have you as a student. If you are still around next year I hope to see you in English 11 Honors. If you need a letter, contact me." - Prof D |
As a teacher now, it's wonderful being able to impart to my students that great, descriptive or analytical writing just doesn't happen. It's a muscle that needs to be flexed in order to develop, and it may take putting aside the TV, tablet, etc. to focus on the experience you want to describe. In order to write descriptively, find a quiet place and zone out. Close your eyes and zoom in on the memory again:
Absorb yourself in the moment. Write down all the little details that come to mind and I guarantee, you've got the beginnings of a great narrative!
Good luck on future writings!
-Miss T.
- Who was there?
- What was she or he wearing?
- How exactly did you feel? (Example: Did your heart thump as you awaited the decision? Did it pound as you squeezed your eyes shut, praying that you won first place in the competition?)
- What words did you hear? Write them down just as you heard them. (Example: "Do your chores NOW!" my mother screamed.)
Absorb yourself in the moment. Write down all the little details that come to mind and I guarantee, you've got the beginnings of a great narrative!
Good luck on future writings!
-Miss T.