Reading Books

Ever since I was a child, writing in my journal or blogging on a website was my outlet where I could vigorously outpour and stash my thoughts and emotions away from the public's eye; however, when it came to essays, writing suddenly became an unwelcomed foreigner. As if capable of magical powers, essays and research papers had the ability to enchant a binding spell on me like a constrictor wrapping around its prey.

I've always been intimidated by the thought of an essay, whether it be short or long. Even if I had great ideas and thoughts about a topic, the process of extracting those thoughts from my mind onto paper was always difficult. My biggest difficulty while writing a paper is especially apparent when I have to write about a topic that I am either not interested in or confused about. I find myself trying to elaborate my sentences with unnecessary and repetitive information because I can't think of anything else to write about.

Though I am aware of my weaknesses in my writing abilities, I do at times enjoy writing because of the sense of freedom I experience during the process. Being able to express oneself through words not only allows one to reexamine one's thoughts but also to discover new perspectives that he or she was blind to before. This is what writing has always done for me - opening new doors that I was previously oblivious to.

My hope for this class is that I will be able to mold my thoughts and ideas into coherent and effective sentences that will allow for a smooth comprehension by the readers. I want to learn to write clearly and in a professional manner that will help me differentiate between unnecessary complex details and pure creativity.

In contrast to my childhood relationship with writing, I was not an enthusiastic reader. Some kids expressed their imagination through literature while my active use of imagination incorporated a heavier social aspect of games, television, and playing "house". However recently, I've begun to appreciate books for fulfilling my questions of curiosity for a wide range of topics. Especially this summer, I began extremely interested in our nation's health care system but I did not know how to go around in order to quench my thirst for my knowledge's depravity. As I began reading a book on the topic, I was so intrigued by how much information could be provided by a simple stack of bound pages. Ever since, I've come to appreciate reading and how much it allows our human mind to extend beyond what we initially thought were our boundaries.

I am very excited for this course in means of not only to development my writing abilities but also to submerge myself into a new sea of literature and reading topics. I hope that through this class I will be able to learn how to increase my writing creativity while making sure it stays coherent and understandable.