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Writing Through the Thick and Thin
ERH 101, Section 1
Date Due: 3 July 2013
Date Sub.: 3 July 2013
Paper No. 1
Help Received: PeerResponse with Hunter
Starner and Andrew
Campo
Cody Bennett
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The role of writing in society is monumental. Writing is used throughout most
countries in the world and is significant culturally, historically, and in numerous other
ways. Popular uses of writing in society include recounting historical events, expressing
creative thought and emotion, and communicating. Since the first documentation of
events in writing there are many ways that it has become a necessity. Historical writing is
significant and necessary in society for learning purposes. If humans did not
acknowledge and recount mistakes in the past they would never learn from them. Writing
also allows the expression of creative thought and emotion. Best-selling novels such as
the Harry Potter series or the Lord of the Rings trilogy are examples of fictional literature
that captivate many readers. Creative writing is not restricted to novels but also poetry,
short stories, plays, and many others. Writing has been a very significant advancement in
the communication between humans. The development of the alphabet was one of the
first landmarks in writing, which set the stage for long distance communication. Instead
of having people remember messages for long periods of time they could now transcribe
their thoughts onto something and send messages. Early examples of this would be the
use of carrier pigeons, the installment of post offices, and even the invention of the
telegraph. Writing plays such a large role in society that it is hard to imagine a world
without it.
My writing never left me feeling proud or accomplished. I feel as if I lack
fundamental skills such as grammar or organizational skills when writing essays or other
assignments. I do not think that I am incapable of learning or progressing but have a
shortage of experience. Throughout my early education, as well in high school, I was
never fond of topics that were assigned to me. I believe this is what caused my lethargic
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attitude towards writing; I did not find the topic interesting, therefore I would not look
forward to the assignment. Though lacking enthusiasm about literature or writing I
understand its necessity in society. Verbal interaction alone is not enough to support an
ever-developing society with needs of global communication. Without writing the world
would lack culture and be a very dull, inefficient place.
From a cultural standpoint writing has been a huge part of a countries’ histories.
For example, the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of
Independence are all very significant documents that the people of the United States still
abide by today. Some significant texts that influence the lives of many culturally are the
Holy Bible, the Quran, and the Torah. Without these texts to refer back to many of the
world’s religions would lack a reputable basis. Religion can play a large role in the
culture of a country, and without the texts to rely on there would be no way to recount
significant aspects of the specific religion. Writing can be used for entertainment in many
cultures too. In today’s popular culture many people that read for pleasure often visit
local bookstores to pick up best-selling novels or magazines. Newspapers are a great
example of how writing has helped humans communicate more efficiently. They are also
a popular source of not only entertainment, but also current events and stories. The
invention of the Internet however has allowed the online, super-fast sharing of news and
entertainment, which has undermined the significance of the daily paper.
My personal experience with writing has been generated significantly by assigned
schoolwork. My earliest memories of writing I can recount are from my elementary
school days when I was in the process of learning my alphabet. From memorizing the
letters to spelling it did not come easily to me. The embarrassment of recalling how to
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spell simple three or four letter words plagued my first and second grade years. During
the fourth grade I can remember being assigned the most in depth, writing intensive
assignment I had ever been given in school. The project was to create a scrapbook of
notable locations in Virginia, whether they are historical or cultural. This project turned
out to be adventurous, but the documentation process of describing the locations was
quite stressful. I received an A on this project, which is what made it so notable in my
writing history. As an only child I received a lot of attention from my parents, but also
attention from my relatives. During the holidays I remember writing dozens of thank you
notes for gifts, which took what felt like days then. These cards would be written
personally to aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, and then read by my parents
before being mailed. The most memorable portions of the cards were trying to use proper
grammar and spelling, an aspect of writing I still struggle with to this day.
The works that impacted me the most from school are essentially the most
tedious and painstakingly long assignments from my English and History classes. For
example, the research papers that would be assigned in my introductory English class
frequently produced a less than enthusiastic morale from my friends and I. These essays
would include numerous hours of research, drafting, and revising. These tasks were
especially hard to accomplish as a freshman in their very first high school class. I
remember vividly the day that MLA format was introduced into my life. The teacher was
standing at the front of the class, A Writer’s Reference in hand, with a pdf document
projected onto the board. He would stand and go about explaining the document and all
of its fine details, and stress the upmost importance of proper citation. Learning to
construct work-cited pages in themselves I thought would be the death of me; the most
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tedious step in finalizing a research paper. As I made my way through my high school
career MLA format became easier to accommodate into my life.
A happy surprise that I encountered writing was in the midst of my senior year of
high school. Unlike the previous years of taking standard English classes I decided to
take a class about the art of short fiction. During my time spent in the class the teacher
allowed us to pursue creative writing and for our final essay, write our own short story. I
found creative writing to be much more enjoyable than historical papers, argumentative
essays, or research papers. The option to choose the topic of my choice was very
appealing to me, because I could motivate myself to be interested in the assignment. I
ended up thoroughly enjoying the semester long class and I believe it made me a more
confident, experienced writer.
I learned very quickly that I needed to further develop my strategies to ensure my
success in my high school writing career. The first tool that I was introduced to was the
free-writing exercise. The act of free-writing allowed me to eliminate most of the clutter
in my thoughts, and pick specific ideas that I thought would be helpful relating to the
topic at hand. The next step I learned to take was to outline my work before starting on
essays or long assignments. The outlining process is the most beneficial skill I learned
out of my literary high school experience. Outlining allowed me to clearly state and
organize my thoughts in a fluid transitional manor. When I sit down to type the first
rough draft of an assignment I always have a typed out copy of my outline to work from.
My rough drafts, though with the guidance from an outline, always seem to consist of
irrelevant statements and unorganized thoughts.
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I was taught to try and make my rough drafts long and cut pieces out that were
unnecessary or excessive; until recently I suffered from frequent writers block and was
over critical of my initial drafts, which inhibited me from writing all of my thoughts
down. A piece of literature that I had assigned to me titled Shitty First Drafts provided
insight on how to overcome my criticism and writers block. “The first draft is the child’s
draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no
one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.” (Lamott 302) This quote allowed
me to understand and justify writing sloppily for my first draft. The ability to not criticize
or restrict myself allowed me to form my work more clearly and concisely. The final
steps in my personal writing process were to have peers revise my work, as well as my
past teachers, and then continue to revise my drafts. Checking spelling and grammar was,
and is, a major portion of my revisions due to my messy grammar.
Looking forward to my future at not only VMI, but also hopefully a commission
into the U.S. Army, I predict a stressing importance on the ability to write well. I do not
think that many of my professors will assign creative writing essays, which is why I need
to enhance my ability to write formally and coherently. Being a civil engineering major
does not exclude me from producing important documents such as laboratory reports or
field studies. The ability to be an effective writer in an area of study where focusing on
writing is not the key goal is very beneficial. This will allow me to focus on the goals of
my major instead of worrying about the integrity of my writing skills. I believe the skills
that I lack the most when writing are organization, fluidity, and grammar.
Writing plays such a large role in society that it is hard to imagine a world without
it. Being able to communicate effectively, verbally or through writing, with others is a
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skill that must be acquired to be truly successful at anything in life. Aside from the
professional world, writing is used for entertainment, the sharing of knowledge, and to
recount historical events. Though I originally thought that writing was a burden, and did
not discover a liking for it until later in my high school years, I am excited to grow as a
writer in a college environment. From learning the alphabet in elementary school to
learning MLA format and the writing process in high school, I have learned to appreciate
the necessity of writing.
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Work Cited
Lamott, Anne. “Shitty First Drafts.” Writing About Writing: A College Reader. Eds.
Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 301304. Print.