Going into this course, I felt as if I had truly begun to understand my identity as a writer. I have experienced and grown and learned so much in the past year and a half, as both a person and a writer — this shift in confidence has made the biggest of differences in my life. Before the AP English course I was a part of earlier this year, I didn’t genuinely trust in my abilities as a writer, and I repeatedly compared myself to those around me. Throughout that course, I discovered my attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and true abilities as a writer and reader. My journey to discovering my identity began in that course, and only continued through Creative Writing this semester.
Now, I can say that I have truly worked towards solidifying my identity as a writer. I have found a comfortable space in my poetry and short story writing, and have created pieces that reflect my personal beliefs, ideals, and dreams. My identity as a writer, as I have heard from others, is reminiscent of early authors and poets – my largest poetry inspiration, e. e. cummings, has played a large part in the development of my writing and my identity. I like to think I have found a niche of writing that I am comfortable and confident in, and I hope to solidify even further in the future.
In regards to my specific development as a writer, I have found particular styles that I have become confident in this past year. I tend to explore worlds that are, on the surface, mundane and typical, but my usage of character, emotions, and details will (hopefully) elevate these worlds. I pay very close attention to detail, and my intention is to have every single word be exactly where it needs to be and mean exactly what I want it to mean. In regards to poetry, and inspired by e.e. cummings, I tend to write in lowercase letters, with little punctuation and juxtaposed concepts that are both simple and complex in nature. I often, as well, write in haiku form, simply because I love the structure and cleanliness this style of poetry brings. In my short story writing, I also like to use 2nd person perspective – I’m not sure what entirely inspired this, but I adore the sense of detachment, yet intimate perspective, that this style portrays. I lean towards concepts that could be considered simple and explore them with clean, precise diction choices to elevate my writing.
In terms of advice, I would tell any people that struggle to develop ideas or struggle to develop a voice that the most important thing is – as cliche as it sounds – to write and read as often as you can. By exposing yourself to as many worlds and characters and perspectives as possible, you can only grow and develop your own counterparts to these elements. Write and write until you have even one piece that you are completely proud of – take note of what you did well and things you could work on, and build from there.
My future goals regarding writing are simply to maintain constancy in my writing, and the biggest writing-related dream I have is to, possibly, publish a piece of mine. I have found success this year with my playwriting, and I would love to continue that sucess with further play, poetry, and fiction writing.
claire b.