As a tour guide at Millsaps, I talk a lot about what makes our school different than other places and what cool things we have to offer. One of the things I previously didn’t think very much about was the Writing Center, but this semester I am a Mellon Writing Fellow for Heritage and I am also, of course, writing for the Odyssey. Talking about writing so much makes me wonder why some people write well and others struggle. I have been thinking lately about why my writing is the way that it is and I have a few things that are kind of interesting.
As a kid, I spent a lot of time in and around schools because both of my parents are teachers. I learned from an early age that education is important and I was naturally pretty good at school. I excelled at math right from the beginning, but I didn’t have the same talent for spelling or writing. My mom is an English teacher for sixth through eighth students that qualify for the gifted program. She would always help my brothers and me with our writing assignments. As I got a little older I remember she stopped helping me and I was upset about that. She still helped my brother write his essays but she would only look at mine when I was done and needed to edit. I was frustrated that I didn’t get the same help. It wasn’t until much later that I realized she was helping us with what we needed. I didn’t need her to sit with me and write out every sentence with me. She knew that and acted accordingly, even though I didn’t understand it.
By the time I got to high school, I knew that my writing was good. I knew how to write what the teachers wanted and I would get good grades because of it. I could write a five paragraph essay like nobody’s business. My development stopped there though. When it came to writing longer papers, I didn’t know where to begin. In my AP European History class, we practiced writing five paragraph essays at least once a week, and that made it very difficult for me to transition to writing longer, more detailed papers. At one point, I started to realize that writing is about telling a story. I started to develop a voice in my writing and I began to be able to differentiate when my writing sounded good and when it really needed work.
When I got to Millsaps, I was very afraid that my writing wasn’t good enough. People talked about writing 2000 word papers all the time and that terrified me because the most I was used to doing was around 500 words. My first assignment was in Heritage and I don’t even remember what it was about but I know I edited my first draft at least six times. I went to the writing center and I sent it to my mom for edits at least twice. When I got the grade back, I remember being so upset. In high school I got A’s on all of my writing but at Millsaps, I got a low B! I tried not to be too heart-broken and went to see the professor about why she scored it the way she did. I felt so much better about my writing after I met with her because she explained what she was looking for and when I needed to change. My final draft was better but still not the grade I wanted. By the final draft of my second paper, I made a perfect score.
Even now, I still send most of my papers to my mom for edits just because it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. By writing more and more often I have gotten so much better and more confident in my ability to say what I want to say and stay mostly on topic. Although I feel good about my own writing, I was nervous to help others with theirs so last week I helped a student with their paper as a writing fellow for the first time. I think it went well and I hope the student was able to learn from working with me as I learned from her. I know that as I continue writing for school and for the odyssey, as well as working with the students in my Heritage class, my writing will continue to improve. The most important thing for me at this point is to practice and expose myself to different writing styles. I know I still make errors and there may be some in this article, but because I have been working my whole life toward becoming a better writer, I feel confident enough in myself that I am no longer afraid to put what I have to say out into the world for others to read.
