Writing Reflection I
My therapist is a lovely person who sent me this, I don’t know when the picture was taken.
Having to post my writing every day is proving to be an interesting endeavor. It successfully forces me to confront my insecurities regarding my writing style, general knowledge, and evident lack of grammar skills and sentence structure. Grammar and sentence structure are the most challenging aspects of practicing writing. Practicing proper grammar and sentence structure is crucial for keeping the content organized and digestible for the reader. However, it does come at the cost of feeling somewhat disingenuous. I strive to write the way I speak, but I am not entirely satisfied with my current writing and speaking abilities. Given the complementary relationship between oration and writing, it seems logical to hone both skills. This process has fostered a newfound appreciation for individuals who consistently practice their craft for years. There is also a time constraint associated with my goals, compelling me to consider reducing the time spent on editing to meet deadlines.
I'm beginning to harbor contempt for the idea of standards because, naturally, I feel like I'm not meeting them. It's akin to disliking healthy foods because they lack deliciousness; in other words, it's just difficult. However, after listing reasons why grammar seems pointless in my head, I break the delusional thought pattern and realize that writing standards exist as elegant and useful guidelines for conveying tone. Then, I think to myself, "Grammar is pretty cool."
After reading several books discussing writing style, I find myself attached to certain concepts while mindlessly skimming through others. I attempt to justify this by letting my brain consume what it desires, yet there's a nagging worry that skimming is rooted in laziness. One common point emphasized in these books is the importance of cutting unnecessary elements from one's work. To achieve this, I must first understand what is considered excess. Therefore, I preemptively forgive myself for any superfluous information in my upcoming writing; otherwise, I might go insane or end up not posting anything. Figuring out the wrong things involves showing my work and facing criticism, which is uncomfortable but preferable to doing nothing.
I've also started worrying about the stances I take in my blogs. My biggest fear is coming off as pretentious because, if readers think I'm full of myself, I'd prefer them to stop reading. While I don't believe my stances are excessively strong, I'm uncertain how people will respond. Most of what I write stems from a sentiment of honesty and directness. If I'm passionate, it's usually rooted in firsthand experience. I hope readers can discern my passionate tone through my shift to active and more present-tense word choices.
People should review core concepts learned throughout life multiple times a year. I read my book on writing style almost daily to reinforce these concepts. Sometimes, I need to review something two hundred times for it to click on the two hundred and first attempt. There's a quote attributed to Albert Einstein insisting he wasn't smarter than anyone; he just stuck with his problems a little longer. This thought process brings me peace, although I worry it might be a way to rationalize budding stupidity. Despite my preference for positivity in writing, I'll be honest: I believe anyone can become brilliant, healthy, or achieve their goals with a bit of peace of mind. It's just a matter of investing time in something you care about. Even if I lack innate writing talent, spending hours on it won't hinder my progress or general mastery of the art form.
For some reason, I've always had this strange feeling that writing will lead me to where I belong. I'm always searching for something, though I'm not certain what it is. It feels like love for people and passion, but there's an underlying truth I'm trying to discover within the disciplines I've committed to. The human experience offers so much to learn, with an incredible amount of mystery. While others talk about getting anxious, I find myself excited, even when faced with overwhelming financial, medical, or social aspects of life. I'm grateful to have been born in this period, surrounded by interesting and beautiful people. I love getting to know each one on a deeper level, whether the experiences are good or bad.