Over the past few months I have been taking a class called creative writing. I actually didn’t write that much, and I’m not entirely happy about that. I did happen to learn a lot about myself, and I think that has to be the one of the most important things about it. I am thankful that I took it because of that.
I think the most important thing that I have learned throughout this semester of creative writing would have to be the fact that you cannot censor yourself. I don’t mean that in the way of just writing whatever the heck you want, but that while writing, it’s important to keep your focus on just that. Writing. You can’t go through something, and constantly keep editing yourself. The whole point of a first draft is to get something down. Before this semester I could sit down at an assignment for hours trying to think of the best way to convey an idea. In the end I wouldn’t even finish it due to the fact that I could hardly even get through it. One thing that helped me realize this was the activities where we had to sit down for ten minutes and just write. It sounds horrible, but it made me realize that if I just start writing I can get a lot down, which is something that I wasn’t able to do before. I could write one heck of a paragraph, but in the end I needed a two page essay, and I think that’s the main reason that this was the most important thing that I have learned this semester.
I learned a lot about myself this semester. Mostly my flaws but I also figured out a lot of what I am good at. Unfortunately, I seem to be pretty good at writing about myself. No, I’m just kidding, but I really did enjoy writing the memoir and the personal essay, which I named this portfolio after! One big thing about myself that I learned recently, was how much I second guess myself, and incidentally how much that was affecting my work. As I said before I can’t get through a paper without editing, overthinking, and trying to improve it before it’s even finished. My grade in this class can speak for that if you don’t believe me. Too many nights, unable to form coherent sentences without being analyzed can lead to late work. I also have a problem with inspiration. I find it hard to write without being inspired. Which is wrong. I heard a quote one day, and this applies to me perfectly. It says that “Amateurs write when they are inspired. Yet professionals write when they aren’t.” I find inspiration to be like a neglectful mother – only embracing those whom she considers deserving of her care, and taking her good time between visits. Over the past few months, I’ve been learning to not be hindered by this. If I can take one thing away that would help me the most in my journey as a writer, it would be that I should just write. If I can do that, at least I’ll have content.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
– Søren Kierkegaard
Transform 