Student Writing
January 27, 2010 • Alyssa Murray, Reporter
Filed under Feature
Throughout the many years of formal education, students are required to read numerous classics, study renowned poets, and write countless essays. Yet,what about their own ideas and emotions? Personal writing lets individuals express themselves through the intimate power of the pen.
Keeping a journal of daily experiences, a notebook filled with lyrics or poetry, or an online blog are all powerful ways of communicating hard to handle emotions and thoughts. Purging any kind of emotion from the one’s body and mind can be done through writing.
“Every emotion makes me want to write,” senior Kayla Overbey said. “When I’m sad, I will write a little bit about someone with a better life. If I’m happy, it makes me want to relive whatever moment put me in that mood,” Overbey said. “Anger, heartache, elation…every human emotion makes for awesome inspiration.”
Letter writing is used in trauma therapy as medium to communicate by. In the therapy, letters of anger, happiness, infatuation, or grief are written to let the victim observe their emotions to heal.
Journaling is another great way to document one’s life and relieve stress. Short stories and poems naturally represent a point in time of the writer’s life.
“I started writing off and on during elementary school and by the sixth grade my goal was to write a poem every night or about two to three times a week,” junior Whitney Gerstner said. “In the ninth grade, I found a website and immediately started writing again as I still do from time to time.”
Online sites like Xanga, Livejournal, and Blogspot are great ways to have others read and critic one’s writing. Though the writers on online sites are mainly mediocre, it’s a great place to start and observe.All over the internet are exercises that save the distressed writer from the dark times of a writer’s block.
The website www.languageisavirus.com is a terrific place to rediscover a long lost muse with writing prompts, various articles, and eccentric photographs.
“Writing doesn’t stress me out that much,” senior Megan Adams said.“I enjoy the challenge of timed writing whether I would be writing essays or short stories.”
What form and how often one writes is completely up to that individual. Whether they want to tediously craft a poem or just jot down their thoughts directly to release emotional tension, the purpose of writing is up the creator. There is an immense feeling of freedom found in creative writing. Non-academic writing encourages self-education, exploration, and deeper interests in literature and culture.
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