My History with the Pen (and Keyboard)

I have had an interest in expressing myself through my writing for many years, most likely beginning from the age of ten or 13, but I only pursued it seriously in strides during my Freshman or Sophomore year at Merrol Hyde Magnet School.

In retrospect, I find that most of the motivations for my writing were purely a product of self-interest. From an early age, I've always clung fiercely to the selfish desire to belong, either to a person or a group. And so, perhaps in an effort to somehow understand my audience, I made my own thoughts, my own imagination, more open to those around me, in the hopes that it would make those around me more open or more readable in what they were thinking, what they wanted. It didn't work, but the experiences of writing were still enjoyable. It was a form of release to let my thoughts fall onto paper or screen.

Over the last few years, especially in my Creative Writing class during my Junior year of high school, my writing became a bit more...refined. I gave those assignments more thought than simply creating emotionally-charged outbursts full of feeling but lacking focus. In my opinion, though, my personal writing still has the feeling that it had several years ago, the very impulsive musings of a very impulsive individual, and I still have a long way to go before I can create professional, focused, and hopefully entertaining works and do so with consistency.

In summary, my writing certainly has a purpose; it always has, and it always will have such. However, I doubt that this purpose will stay the same forever. Times change, and media is no different. My audience will continue to change in stature, wisdom, and opinion, and I will change alongside them.

(Not half bad for a start to the year, in my opinion. More to come. Stay tuned.)