An Ode to College Writing Class

Today, I'd like to tell you about a person who helped me become a better writer, my College Writing teacher, Ms. C.

When I was a high school senior, my school offered either AP English or College Writing for college-bound students. (I believe there was also a class called Senior English, but it was for slackers.) I chose College Writing mainly because I didn't really care to read and analyze a bunch of long, confusing books. This turned out to be my favorite class I took in high school in no small part due to the great teacher, Ms. C. Her love of the written word was obvious, and she passed this passion on to us - or at least to those students like me who were eager little sponges.

We did daily writing journal exercises in that class. She would give us a prompt, and then we'd spend 10-15 minutes writing about it. Once a week or so, we'd trade journals with another student and provide each other feedback. It was great! This was before the days of blogs, so I really didn't have much of an audience for my entertaining prose otherwise :)

I remember that after we turned in our first essays, Ms. C selected a few of the best ones to read aloud to the class. Mine was one of those she picked! I was so proud and felt like a legitimate writer. In fact, I still recall the topic, "The Time I Tried Out for Teen Jeopardy." (Spoiler alert: I didn't make the cut, but at least I got a good story out of it.)

Before taking this class, no one had ever specifically taught me how to write before. By focusing on writing as a discipline and art form in and of itself, it's like a light bulb went on in my head. I realized writing isn't just about using proper grammar, punctuation, and paragraph structure. It's about saying exactly what you want to say in the style that is most appropriate to communicate your message.

A few of the things I remember learning, to be a good writer:

• Vary the beginnings of your sentences, so the reader doesn't get bored (as in, don't always start with "I" or whatever)
• Edit ruthlessly
• Don't use big words just for the sake of using them; chose the word that best conveys what you mean
• Tie it all together. For example, in a research paper, you want a solid introduction and conclusion that clearly state your thesis. In a more creative format, you'll still want to keep a unifying theme running through the piece.

Posting on my blog now feels like a writing journal that the world can read. I hope you enjoy it!

File under: NaBloPoMo Day 12