I have always loved writing. I started writing stories when I was five and I was hooked. I often find it hard to believe that for so many people writing isn’t fun or easy. Everyone has their own thing that they are good at, but I truly believe that the experience of taking a writing class in college is one that could benefit everyone.

This semester I am taking the class “Writing for the Media” which is a writing intensive elective in the Media and Communications major. In this class, you get the opportunity to learn to write for all different types of media including radio, television, newspapers, and blogs. You are provided a place to find your own voice and understand which genre comes more naturally to you. (Clearly I enjoy blogging since I’m writing this right now, but I also learned that I enjoy writing newspaper articles which I never thought would be my thing).

Anyways, beyond that, you also get to write in a Writer’s Notebook on a weekly basis purely for your own benefit. (Obviously we are graded on it as well, but it really is for you to work on your writing and understanding of the readings for the class which I find extremely helpful). I took this as an opportunity to work on my creative writing on a more regular basis because I have found that during school I rarely have time to do this even though I love it so much. I spend most of my time writing papers and articles, but not so much time writing things that are just for fun. So I took the articles we had to read for class and applied their ideas to my creative writing, showcasing examples of my work in the notebook.

This notebook gave me a place to forget that I was always writing for an audience and be more raw and real with what I was saying. Once I did this, I found this feeling spreading into more of my work for the class and other classes. When we had to write quickly in class in order to hand in assignments by the end of the period, I didn’t find myself holding back, but rather allowing myself to spill out onto the page and make every assignment have a little bit of myself shining through.

Writing is something that is truly about who you are as a person and to me there is nothing that can show your true colors like a piece of writing about yourself. This class was one that has helped me become a stronger writer and look at writing in a different way. Whether it is this class or another writing class your college offers, I recommend taking advantage of the chance to increase your skill in this area. There is no career where you can go through life and never have to write anything. You may never need to write a short story or poem again, but there isn’t another kind of class that will teach you to find your voice on the page like a creative writing class will.