When author Laurie Halse Anderson was interviewed about her riveting book Speak, she was asked whether or not she would write a sequel. Her response has always been the same: I will not speak of the rest of Melinda's story until Melinda is ready to share that story with me. Though cliche, I feel the same way as Ms. Anderson; it's impossible to write a story without first hearing or experiencing at least a part of that story for yourself.
When the poetry assignment was given, I was more than a bit relieved. "No more Orlando" I thought, "this will be easy". It was only when I sat down at a blank screen for the 5th time when I realized that this assignment was far from it. When assignments are vague, I tend to feel flustered and unable to think of anything I deem creative. Yet when assignments are very clear and concrete, I struggle to color within the lines, always wanting to see if I can add just a little color to the white space surrounding what most would deem the "artwork". The poetry assignment fell in the vague category for me as far as instructions, yet I found my struggle not with finding a topic to write about, but with writing about the topic itself.
When I write, I try to not put words on a page--I try to let a story that's been eating away at me spill out and flourish onto a blank canvas. Yet as I sat down at my computer time after time, I found myself unable to let the story out. Finally, on my 6th attempt, I allowed myself to completely relax and just let my mind and fingers say what my heart and soul had been unable to.
Writing for me is personal, and when you only have a few stanzas to sell yourself and your story to the reader, it can often feel intimidating. Here I am, a 16 year old student, divulging my innermost feelings and thoughts, and all I can do is just pray that my thoughts won't be graded or thought upon too harshly. So here they are, more words on a page. Maybe they mean something, maybe they don't. If I've learned one thing, it's that a writer can do no greater thing than to leave themselves vulnerable on piece of paper expecting no one and everyone to understand.
Toby, I feel that this same thing happens to me. When I am not writing, I will think of great ideas and then when I sit down to begin they all seem to disappear. I will have a topic picked out but it would be hard to find where to begin or even what to discuss. You mention that you "let a story that's been eating away at me spill out." I usually do the same thing. When I think of something I can start typing for hours as long as no one breaks my train of thought. Its always been difficult for me to just think of something on a broad topic instantly. Also, I agree that it would be hard to write a story on something with out experiencing it but i believe it can be done, it just won't be as good as some one that had experienced it. Lastly, I find writing not only as something personal but as a way to voice my ideas. I feel I think more clearly as I write. it helps me formulate and organize my ideas.
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