My Adventures in Writing
Having written papers for different classes, I can say that no writing in my past stands out. From all of the topics, ranging from fictional pieces to reports, it all blends together. All writing is just writing. Some of my early memories of writing were back in preschool, trying to get the words to fit in between the blue lines; Making sure that the tops of the smaller letters such as “o’s” were touching the dotted blue line in the middle, and that the bottoms of my “g’s” were hugging the red line under the rest of the letters. It started off challenging, but as I worked on it, writing became second nature. I am not saying that I have good handwriting, but that I can make the letters look as they should. That is really the only instance of writing that actually had an impact on me. As I strove to get good at writing letters, and did not quit until I got it right. It reminds me of a quote I heard a long time ago: “Amateurs practice until they get it right, pros practice until they can’t get it wrong”.
My general opinion about writing is negative. Notes and short emails are fine, as I do not consider that writing. Writing is when you go at least a paragraph, and is almost always for school. That means poems, essays, and everything in between. I think of those writings as tedious and time consuming. In just about everything that I do, I try to get to the point. Writing with word or page limits, as in most school assignments, I feel I am just adding in random words, or rambling on about nothing, all to make that pesky, bothersome size limits. All of that has an impact on my writing process. Each genre of writing I engage in has a different process for completion, but they all start the same way. I write down a few words relating to the topic at hand. From there, I will write even more words, each shooting off of words previously written, like the chain reaction detonating a nuclear warhead. Those are my ideas, the building blocks of sentences, paragraphs, and the eventual writing piece as a whole.
After the planning step, I begin to get particular about the environment in which I am writing. Again, all genre specific. For fictional stories, I prefer solitude. I am not creative in the regard of fictional writing, therefore the less distractions the better. That means no ambient noise, nor can the room be a mess. I will however think of movies that I have seen or stories that I have read to draw upon for inspiration. I have noticed that here at VMI, the Wheat Room in Scott Shipp Hall suites this billet well. Few know where it is, and fewer venture in there.
Opinion papers are very different. I know that I make the best arguments when I am forced to defend them against others. Therefore, I write around other people, picking their brains as I grind through it. I can carefully craft my attacks and support my argument, as I know what the reader might ask and look for. As my argument is shaped by my peers, it becomes stronger and stronger. Noise does not bother me, the room does not bother me, only making weak arguments does.
Non-fiction is a bit different. While being alone is a must, and being in an orderly room is too a must, the noise requirements differ quite a bit. Rather than silence, I prefer to listen to music. Country or classic rock. I also spread out my items. The study rooms in Preston Library are my favorites. The whiteboards are great for putting down points to hit in the report, and the large desk allows me to spread out my text sources.
Though I do not like writing, l believe it to be one of the most important inventions in human history. It is communication; The spread of thoughts and ideas when audible communication simply will not cut it. Writing is how ideas are spread, records kept, and history recorded. There are too many things that need to be communicated for pictograms to be up to the task. It would be impractical to not write out road signs, manuals, and most other things that must be communicated. During the Dark Ages in Europe, nothing was happening. Society never changed until a German named Gutenberg invented the printing press, and the bible became available to everyone. People learned how to read, and new ideas were spread. Eventually Europe again became the center of the world. Following the printing press, new continents were discovered, industry was revived, and new inventions were made. All because ideas that people came up with were spread to one another. Even today, we still need to communicate with people across the world. Letters may not dominate communication, the internet does that now, but it is still black words on a white background. Menus at restaurants, contracts, and news articles are all written down. Our society would simply not function without writing. We would still be in the Dark Ages.
Here at VMI, I do not think my writing will involve intercontinental communication. As an Economics and Business major, I believe that most of my writing will be reports, research projects, and eventually a business plan. The most important thing that I think I should change about my writing is my whole attitude about it. Currently, I think of writing as a chore. I dread writing projects because I think of them a time consuming and tedious. I should think of it in a different way. Most subject I have to write about, I can research and then talk for hours about. If I start to think of writing as just talking onto a piece of paper, I would dislike it a little less. I believe that if I were to enjoy writing essays more, I would write better, clearer, and more descriptively. Improving in writing can only benefit me in the long run, not harm me.
By the time I am out of the Virginia Military Institute, I hope to commission in the National Guard, go to graduate school, and then become an active duty infantry officer. In my future, I will need to be good at writing, because I will have a lot of reports to both read and write. Be it for school, or the Army, I will need to write well in order to succeed. If I cannot write well, I will be in a lot of trouble.
To me, writing is a necessary evil. I do not enjoy it, but I understand it importance to both myself and the world. My goal is to improve in writing, because it will help me in the future, in terms of my time at VMI, graduate school, and the United States Army. How I address writing papers must change. I will make the necessary improvements in my writing to become a more successful writer. I just need to remember, “Amateurs practice until they get it right, pros practice until they can’t get it wrong”.