My Writing Journey

Who is Me, and Where Did He Go?

-Finding my forgotten voice in writing-

As a kid, I absolutely loved to write short stories. If I wasn't reading, I was writing stories for my Grandma, my brother, or my classmates or just for myself. I took my imaginative inspiration from the books I'd read.

To quote from Grandma Created a Monster, my first essay in EN100:

"It was Scholastic and the support of my Grandmother that introduced me to the books that stuck with me for the rest of my life. Books like “The Lemonade Trick”, “The Mouse and the Motorcycle”, “The Cricket in Times Square”, “Ramona”, “James and the Giant Peach” and so many others opened up my imagination to a world that was limited only by my imagination and open to explore. These books taught me that reading was way better than television because my mind could vividly recreate the images from the story and bring them to life in a way that no picture tube could ever reproduce. I could almost smell the salty-sweet mix of the sea spray-laced air and flavor of a fresh-cut giant peach, as James navigated the open seas and met the strange and wonderful creatures that shared his biodegradable vessel. I could smell the popcorn, hotdogs, nachos, and exhaust fumes experienced by a small cricket hidden in his tiny patch of turf in Times Square. I could imagine the point of view of a mouse and roar of a tiny engine as he raced through his miniature world on his miniature motorcycle. These simulations of the senses were what I wanted my audience to see, hear, smell and feel. These books sparked my imagination and made me hungry to read more. I wanted to read everything I could because each book was a new adventure and learning experience. Reading was my sustenance for my imagination and my mind. I was always on the hunt for new brain-food as a child..."

I entered EN100 with some leftovers of imaginative muscle memory from that time. Over the years, the imaginative creativity I'd discovered sat in the corner of some forgotten shed, in some forgotten wood, in the world that makes up the landscape of my mind.

This class, from the very first essay sent me into some of the less-traveled trails of the wood. That first essay helped me to remember where I began as a fan of written stories. It got me onto the path of finding where I left off in developing a creative writing style.

The observation essay pushed me to use descriptive detail in ways I hadn't since I was a kid. At first it was very daunting, but once I found some old familiar landmarks, I got a sense of direction and started moving ahead. I got a bit scratched up finding my way through the thicket, as re-learning the imaginative methods of "show don't tell" can force you to break a few learned habits.

The third essay on ad analysis pushes even harder, forcing us to draw all the detail out of an external subject and relate that information to an audience in our own words, while keeping the original message intact.

While my path is far from complete, I am finding the tools along the way, which will help me to become the writer I'd like to be.

“Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else's dreams?”

~Tim Burton

And I'll end this post with a video which could not have been made without lyrical and production creativity.
Enjoy!   :0