quinn47
Aug 22, 2011
Undergraduate / "Writing and Me" Common App draft personal essay [2]
When I write, the world stops for me. I always have something to say on paper and when I want to say it, my brain will block out any other nuisances so I can concentrate on what matters in that moment. The best way to describe the relationship I have with writing is summed up in one word, though not simply: passion.
Writing has been a timeless part of me: I can flip through scrapbooks to see short stories and essays that I've written and cherished. Seventh grade comes, and Alex and Jack enter, what I consider to be the true beginning of writing as my outlet in life. They aren't friends in the literal sense, but friends dreamed up by my imagination while laying in bed, thinking about the epic adventures I could have if I didn't exist in reality. I had several ideas for novels during this bedtime ritual, but Alex and Jack are the only one that have stuck with me through the years. I jot down plot ideas on my papers at school; I use them to jump out of reality and into fantasy; and most importantly, I use my dedication to them as a testament of how much I can accomplish if I put my mind and effort into it.
My development as a writer goes hand and hand with my development as a person. Starting with Alex and Jack, the plots and themes took form as a superficial beginning. I imagined fight scenes and jumping out of airplanes to satisfy my need for adventure and to grow as a thirteen year old girl. When I now think plot, I wonder about audience and what they're going to feel and understand about my ideas. I have developed a strong belief that writing can have an intense impact on the world; words have saved lives, started wars, settled minds, and began philosophies. In the end, it doesn't matter if I'm a bestselling author. I care that in some way, my words will change somebody for the better. Words and ideas have had an incredible impact on helping me through the hard times in my life; they've taken and returned me, always with the reassuring idea of hope and a renewed determination to take on life and live it to it's fullest. My dream is to use words to encourage and inspire others to follow their dreams and fight for their own chances at life.
I connect to the world through my writing. Whether it be a blog post, a research paper, or Alex and Jack, writing is always a path to discover who I really am. I may not have any idea where I'm going with a piece of writing before I start, but I always gain insight to myself or my philosophy of life by the end. It's cathartic as it allows me explore the depths of my mind without going in circles; it gives me a beginning, a middle, and an end as both an individual person and a part of society. The world opens at my finger tips, and finding the answer could only be a couple of words away. My most important decisions are made through writing about the issue, and my successes have been started by a word, paragraph, or page of prose. Writing has given me the voice that I needed to find myself in this large and unwieldy world.
Writing may stop the world for me. However, in a way, it also opens up my eyes to a wealth of possibilities and concepts. There's always a question to be answered, always a word to be written that can get me closer to understanding, pushing me that much closer to my desire to be someone who has made her mark on life.
Grammar check or ways to make the transitions better? Also, possibilities on how to make more concise? I've been editing and revising,but it's always good to have some extra pairs of eyes to take a look. (: Thanks!
When I write, the world stops for me. I always have something to say on paper and when I want to say it, my brain will block out any other nuisances so I can concentrate on what matters in that moment. The best way to describe the relationship I have with writing is summed up in one word, though not simply: passion.
Writing has been a timeless part of me: I can flip through scrapbooks to see short stories and essays that I've written and cherished. Seventh grade comes, and Alex and Jack enter, what I consider to be the true beginning of writing as my outlet in life. They aren't friends in the literal sense, but friends dreamed up by my imagination while laying in bed, thinking about the epic adventures I could have if I didn't exist in reality. I had several ideas for novels during this bedtime ritual, but Alex and Jack are the only one that have stuck with me through the years. I jot down plot ideas on my papers at school; I use them to jump out of reality and into fantasy; and most importantly, I use my dedication to them as a testament of how much I can accomplish if I put my mind and effort into it.
My development as a writer goes hand and hand with my development as a person. Starting with Alex and Jack, the plots and themes took form as a superficial beginning. I imagined fight scenes and jumping out of airplanes to satisfy my need for adventure and to grow as a thirteen year old girl. When I now think plot, I wonder about audience and what they're going to feel and understand about my ideas. I have developed a strong belief that writing can have an intense impact on the world; words have saved lives, started wars, settled minds, and began philosophies. In the end, it doesn't matter if I'm a bestselling author. I care that in some way, my words will change somebody for the better. Words and ideas have had an incredible impact on helping me through the hard times in my life; they've taken and returned me, always with the reassuring idea of hope and a renewed determination to take on life and live it to it's fullest. My dream is to use words to encourage and inspire others to follow their dreams and fight for their own chances at life.
I connect to the world through my writing. Whether it be a blog post, a research paper, or Alex and Jack, writing is always a path to discover who I really am. I may not have any idea where I'm going with a piece of writing before I start, but I always gain insight to myself or my philosophy of life by the end. It's cathartic as it allows me explore the depths of my mind without going in circles; it gives me a beginning, a middle, and an end as both an individual person and a part of society. The world opens at my finger tips, and finding the answer could only be a couple of words away. My most important decisions are made through writing about the issue, and my successes have been started by a word, paragraph, or page of prose. Writing has given me the voice that I needed to find myself in this large and unwieldy world.
Writing may stop the world for me. However, in a way, it also opens up my eyes to a wealth of possibilities and concepts. There's always a question to be answered, always a word to be written that can get me closer to understanding, pushing me that much closer to my desire to be someone who has made her mark on life.
Grammar check or ways to make the transitions better? Also, possibilities on how to make more concise? I've been editing and revising,but it's always good to have some extra pairs of eyes to take a look. (: Thanks!