Writing is My Passion

Nothing gives me greater joy than writing for pleasure, and I’m eternally grateful that my career path hasn’t ruined my relationship with the written typed word. For a long time, I dreamed of pursuing a Creative Writing degree, but realized that my career options would be extraordinarily limited if I pigeon-holed myself. Instead, I concentrated in Game Design & Development, which nudged me in the direction of web and design — and allowed me to continue writing as a hobby.

Despite sounding vain, I consider myself an above average writer. I’ve been writing for pleasure almost my entire life (hence why I wanted to pursue Creative Writing), and I’ve been told on countless occasions that I have a “knack” or “gift” for writing. I actively write for pleasure in my spare time, and I’ve used it as a coping mechanism in the past. Writing has always come naturally to me, and it’s a hobby and skill I continue to nurture.

Writing is My Avocation

Since 2009, my creativity and love of writing have yielded over 44 characters (and counting!) for a personal project. As such, it’s important that each character is unique and identifiable — criteria that visuals alone cannot satisfy. Characters need backstory, personalities, habits. The stories they’re involved in are a written journey through which these necessities are established, and are then exercised, challenged, and developed.

Any “good” story has a protagonist who undergoes personal growth. We as humans — the protagonists of our own stories — are no different. Every writing experience for me is a chance to grow, to improve; even when I’m writing and rewriting my own pieces. These pieces span 77 to 334 pages (they’re unfinished, mind you), so I do a ton of writing, reading, and re-writing/revising. Again: every writing experience is an opportunity for growth, and every read-through holds the potential for revision.

You write your own story. ✨ pic.twitter.com/a47HtECoCQ

— Mob Psycho 100 (@MobPsychoOne) October 26, 2021

Some inspiration from Reigen Arataka, the Man Himself™, on being the protagonist of your own life.

Writing is Something I Strive to Get Better At

I’ve noticed, as of late, that I have a tendency towards the verbose. It’s something I’ve struggled with forever, as I’ve always been the student who writes too much. I have an awful habit of overexplaining and overembellishing — a stylistic choice I need to re-evaluate. Additionally, em dashes are this girl’s best friend. I use them less in my character writing, but my academic and personal writing are riddled with them. Perhaps it’s not a stylistic choice, but an egotistical one, as I rarely see them used. In reading my own works and the works of others, I’m hoping to rely less on em dashes and to utilize other punctuation marks more. I’m also hoping to improve my revisionary skills, which should help alleviate length issues.

My writing process often involves jotting down snippets, points, and ideas, which are then fleshed out in a manner akin to word vomit. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. My 15-page white paper for Foundations in Graduate Studies was the result of a somewhat disjointed, multi-page Google doc outline worked (and reworked) into a cohesive piece. I’d be damned if I didn’t tell you how many times I scrapped entire sections due to having gone off the rails on rants and tangents.

Ultimately, in building and honing my writing and revisionary skills, I hope that I don’t end up sacrificing style for succinctness.