Thinking about my writing history, I would describe it as an old roller coaster: bumpy, chaotic, up and down. My thoughts can be all over the map, and I would consider myself a mental jumper. My mind is constantly running, and I want to portray on paper all that I am thinking in my mind. This is exactly the point where I struggle. By wanting to say everything in my writing, in the big scheme of my piece, I tend to say nothing at all. When I put my thoughts on paper, although it can be quite a mess, with a little bit of time and effort I can work up to a masterpiece.
My strength as a writer is that I can often make something out of nothing. I usually have a thought on everything I write about, and this enables me to compose some written response. A related strength as a writer is that I can pick apart interesting facts or ideas to express from a creative vantage point. I would not consider my vocabulary a dominate strength, but I would not pin point it as one of my weaknesses either. My final strength as a writer is that I am disciplined when I write. I do not mean disciplined in the sense of formula writing, but that I persevere in the process. When I spit my ideas out on paper I will keep molding my writing until I am satisfied with it. Thus, I would also say that I have good editing skills. If one were to look at my paper from when I first began to when I when I hit the final save button, thoughts that were once disjointed come together in a reasonable flow.
Inspiration comes to me in a variety of ways, whether it’s a book, movie quote, or commercial. The movie Contact directed by Robert Zemeckis is the biggest inspiration for me to write. The movie introduced me to a different way of looking at the world which provoked me to think on a different level. Having the thought that just there’s something bigger than me and you just blew my mind. This is the trailer for Contact: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2509177369/. My other inspiration actually comes as a surprise to me. I absolutely love country music but the song Paradise by Lil Wayne I find to be extremely inspiring. The lyrics he writes about are about how the world we live in isn’t paradise. You could have all the fame and money in the world but in the end it doesn’t really give any substance to your life. This is the actual song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ca5rSg1fu8 and these are the lyrics http://www.metrolyrics.com/paradice-lyrics-lil-wayne.html.
My goal for this class is to break my personal stereotype I set on myself. Everyone says one can have an English brain or a Mathematical brain, a right-brain or left-brain. I tend to be a little of both. Mathematics is my strength, yet I have the creativity of an English brain. I am planning to become an engineer so a goal I need to achieve is to "get to the point" in my writing. My creative side is a strength and has helped me in my analytical studies. However, that strength in research is also a weakness. It is crucial to understand how to communicate effectively what I am thinking into words for others to read and comprehend. If my thoughts only stay in my brain, I am no use to anyone. Whether it is a lab report, research essay, data results, etc., it is important for the reader to grasp the specific concept being conveyed. So to make such improvements on my writing I plan to make a conscious effort to structure my thoughts in a clear concise order where the reader of my writing does not get lost in the fluff. That is a weakness for my intended major: I think mathematically, but I write like a creative English paper. Hopefully this English class can help me sort out how to write within a specific context.
I think you have just the right goal for this course: to free yourself from the limitations you've set upon yourself and realize what other potential lies in waiting beneath the surface. It's so easy after 12 years of elementary, middle, and high school to find our niche and get cozy in it. We are the "jock," "the brain," "the artsy type," -- when really, we have the potential to be all these things at once. To be a walking contradiction is good! It's just not always easy. But who wants it easy?
ReplyDeleteI think you sum up a lot of what Lamott is trying to get across in Bird by Bird when you write: "When I put my thoughts on paper, although it can be quite a mess, with a little bit of time and effort I can work up to a masterpiece."
From a mess to masterpiece: that's writing!