I have spent a lot of my time in academia writing. I have also spent a lot of that time trying to fit the parameters of writing. There is this undeniable pressure when you are in high school to write one specific way and only that way. This creates a space that doesn’t allow room for differences. I was never once encouraged to write in my home language any of my four years in high school. I was given a rubric and told to follow it. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realised this wasn’t the only way to write. There is a stigma in academia that you are either born a good writer or not, this isn’t true.  

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Everyone is good at writing, you just have to learn how. That’s it. That’s my theory of writing. If you want other parts of writing to fall into place then you have to learn how to be a good writer. People nowadays are under the impression that if you aren't born good at something then you can’t do it. You can teach yourself to do just about anything if you put in the work. Think about playing a sport. You aren't automatically all-star level when you start, you have to learn the rules and the basics before you hit different levels. 

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While some writers are more naturally gifted in writing it doesn't mean others are bad. 

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There is not one single author or writer that does not go back and revise their writing, just as you would repeatedly attempt a new skill in hockey. While I hate the phrase “practice makes perfect”, it is the only quote I can think of that incompases why it is important to keep on writing. Schools screw over kids when it comes to writing because it makes students expect an award for their writing, whether that be a grade or some sort of recognition. I myself still find it hard to write for fun because of this method. The key component to getting better at something is to practice it as much as possible. With writing, if you expect something in return for it, like a grade then you will never take the time outside of school to practice it. School also perpetuates the idea that you have to have good writing the first time when in reality reflection is the most important part. School has taught kids the basics of writing and made them think it is the only way and that you can master it at the age of sixteen. The realities of that are just not true.  

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The danger in thinking that you are born a good writer perpetuates that idea that you can’t learn anything new. It gives you an excuse to give up or not try. Everyone is capable of being a good writer. School curriculum teaches kids that there is only one way to write, 3 paragraphs with topic sentences and a thesis at the end of the first paragraph. The confinement of this is the root of the issue. 

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Throughout the quarter we have been working to break these norms we were taught as kids. We have spent a significant amount of time trying to define writing in its purest form. This was a task that held a lot of weight simply because everyone had a different opinion of what writing was.  Mine has changed over the quarter, not drastically but my ideas on writing have been reformed. My definition in the beginning was loose and basic, simply stating, writing is a process. Now, I have specified my definition to writing is a form of composition using text to communicate with an audience. By defining writing I have been able to create a basic criteria for what standard my writing should hit. By following this definition I am better able to produce a quality paper without the help of a basic template. This idea was really pushed in my class. It was uncomfortable to begin with simply because I was not used to it, later on it became more natural.

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Looking forward, I want to take a more reflective approach to writing. Knowing now that there is always room for improvement has helped me become a better writer. Knowing that I can be good helped me overcome the doubt that I’m a bad writer. There is no reason to believe you are a bad writer simply because you don’t fit acidamia’s standards.