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Essay 1: My Literacy Experience

The author Pearl Cleage once said in reference to reading books that

she had a need to interpret what [she] saw as a story (Golden 83). This

quote best describes what reading has always been like for me. In a way that

is similar to transforming the story into a movie in my mind, I can draw an

unambiguous meaning from the words on the page if I can clearly picture the

setting and people acting out the scenes. Putting my imagination to use like

this has proven helpful when interpreting more advanced works. It has also

influenced the type of writing I enjoy doing outside of the class room. This

writing is usually in the form of poetry, journaling, or storytelling. When I

write for creative purposes, I tend to incorporate similes and metaphors to

draw illustrative comparisons between subjects. This clarifies their meanings

and heightens appeal. I also take pleasure in tailoring a characters dialogue

to fit its personality. In this way, readers can better understand and connect

with the character, even if their personality type is not blatantly stated.

Overall, it is my affinity for creative forms of literacy that has inspired my

writing style, which can diverge from the standard form of writing taught in

the classroom.

What helped spark my appreciation for creative forms of literacy were

the books I read in elementary school. I had never been a huge fan of

reading when I was younger, because I found many of the books that were

assigned for school to be boring. I did not want to read about colonial

America or marine biology, I wanted stories that could take me to colorful

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worlds that I could become lost in. In addition, being ahead of my age

groups reading level introduced the struggle of finding books that were both

advanced and exciting enough to keep my attention. It was not until I

discovered series such as Little House on the Prairie and A Series of

Unfortunate Events that I realized I had a strong appreciation for creative

storytelling. These series piqued my interest with their simplistic, yet vivid

manner in which the characters and their dilemmas were described. I was

able to make connections with the characters and immerse myself in their

backstories without being confused by the reading level. It was this unique

approach to storytelling that inspired me to begin writing in a similar,

descriptive format.

Though I enjoy creative writing most, it is the least common form of

writing I am required to do in school. Fortunately, I have written enough

essays over the course of my education that have made the task of writing in

a less creative style a bit easier. Depending on the topic, however,

formulating ideas can still be difficult. Additionally, with different instructors

come different expectations. This has caused a shift in which aspects of the

essay I needed to focus on. For example, elementary school placed an

emphasis on the primary foundations of spelling and grammar. Junior high

put the spotlight on basic essay structure and novel comprehension. Finally,

my high school teachers graded my essays based on the quality of my

literary analyses and commentary. This specific progression was utilized in

order to teach the basics of written language and combine it with how to
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organize an essay. From there, analyses could be composed and discussions

could be formulated based on the written text. Unfortunately, as stated by

Royster, this standardized approach can lead to institutionalized equations

which cause our true-to-life students to fall between the cracks, (Royster

38). Therefore, there was a period where writing was a difficult task as I tried

to conform to exactly what the instructors expected. However, at the same

time my weaknesses as a writer were being exposed, I realized exactly what

I needed to improve to become a stronger writer. It was brought to my

attention that I needed to develop my structuring skills, organization of

ideas, and my ability to communicate those ideas completely and clearly. In

addition, I continue to struggle with choosing content for introductory and

closing paragraphs. I tend to begin by explaining my main points without

introducing them for the same reason I have trouble writing a closing

paragraph: it feels and sounds repetitive.

To aid in strengthening the formal writing skills I fell short with, my

parents would always proofread my school assigned papers prior to high

school. This allowed them to review my grammar and diction I used to

present certain concepts. Having another set of eyes glance over my work

has always been helpful, because it lets me edit any mistakes I did not notice

while composing. However, once I progressed to high school, the aid of my

parents became less necessary as the center of attraction was placed on

how I personally analyzed and presented my ideas about a novel. I also

found it to be more beneficial when an instructor would offer suggestions on

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how to improve a rough draft, because I could understand exactly what they

expected from my essay.

To aid in strengthening my creative writing, I like to watch movies,

study art pieces, and listen to personal anecdotes. This comes especially in

handy when I write stories. Doing these activities helps me create a more

vivid picture through my work. Since I like to imagine what I am reading, I try

my best to compose in a way that can convey the same concept to other

readers. I do not preoccupy myself with the formality of writing as I do when

writing essays. By this, I mean that I do not worry about structuring my

composition with an introduction, body paragraphs, and closing. Instead, I try

to allow everything to flow in the way that I imagine it in my mind. For

example, if I am writing a poem about a waterfall, I may run all of my

sentences together without any punctuation. This would represent the

continuously running water. I would also make each line short and stagger

the stanzas to physically resemble an actual waterfall. Finally, the words of

the poem would describe the waterfall, tying every aspect of the poem

together. On the contrary, if I were to write an essay about the history of

Niagara Falls, I would begin with an introductory paragraph containing

descriptions of what the falls looks like. Next, body paragraphs would detail

the past events which occurred there, using historical evidence. Finally, I

would close the essay with why the falls are still important today.

From reading childrens book series, to learning the difference between

the ways I write formally and creatively, my journey in literacy has allowed
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me to discover the ways I prefer to write. Overall, I am determined to

continue improving my writing skills, both formal and creative. I need to

focus on bettering my use of the basic techniques of writing, while also

emphasizing the importance of what Shirley Logan defines literacy skills as:

abilities [which are] essential for meaningful civic engagement, (Logan

108). If I can improve the organization of my thoughts and expand my ability

to analyze works without rambling, I will feel like a more accomplished writer

from a scholastic perspective. For my creative writing, expanding my

vocabulary will prove to be very beneficial in order to continue improving my

use of descriptive voice. In terms of reading, I would like to better my ability

to comprehend advanced articles and non-fictional prose that I may not be

able to clearly picture in my mind. In an effort to overcome my deficiencies in

classroom writing, I can also incorporate elements from creative writing. This

would ultimately strengthen my creativity as well, as I would have to find a

way to be original within the confines of formal essay composition. By

augmenting my literary capabilities, I will have a stronger sense of my own

voice as a writer and higher confidence in my skills as a reader.

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Work Cited

1 Logan, Shirley. "Why College English." College English 69.2 (2006): 107-10.

Web.
2 "Pearl Cleage." Interview by Golden Marita. Word 2011: 80-93. Print.
3 Royster, Jacqueline. "When The First Voice You Hear Is Not Your Own." College

Composition and Communication 47.1 (1996): 29-40. Web.