A Full Breath: A Freshman's year of writing
A reflective writing piece on my writing journey this past year
English I
24 May 2024
A Full Breath: A Freshman’s Year of Writing and Reading
Award-winning author Pam Allyn succinctly captures the yin-and-yang of reading and writing: “Reading is like breathing in, and writing is like breathing out” (Allyn). I will always strive to grow my passion for both reading and writing to continue to enjoy literature all throughout my life.
As I reflect upon this school year in English, I think about how my journey as a writer and reader began with a mix of excitement and nervousness; I initially thought of myself as a decent writer with a knack for structured writing, coming from a background of strict essay-writing guidelines in India. However, just within the first few writing assignments, including the “Cask of Amontillado” paragraph and the The Joy Luck Club essay, I realized that the style of writing encouraged in high school was different from the writing ethics I had been taught previously.
This year, my reading habits transformed significantly; I have already read at least three extra novels this semester than usual, and I have no other person to thank but my teacher. Engaging texts deeply wasn’t just a chore anymore, it was a fun challenge! Meaningful discussions about favorite Agatha Christie novels and constructing laboring Synoptic Charts analyzing Joy Harjo’s memoir, Crazy Brave, allowed me to delve deeper into any work, whether it be an action novel or a Shakespeare play, beyond surface-level. I find myself now able to dissect the complexities of both Christie’s tricky language and her mysteries! New goals include reading difficult novels such as The Lord of the Rings and Leviathan Wake, novels I originally put off as being ‘too hard’ to read. Now, armed with skills and confidence, I am sure I will read them! This new mindset not only enhanced my enjoyment of reading novels but also propelled me into exploring other genres, inspired by the variety of genres we explored throughout the year. I hope to enrich my literary repertoire going forward!
The Capstone essay stood as my Everest this year: difficult, yet immensely fulfilling once summited. Drawing inspiration from a range of genres, I chose characters and themes on the more implicit side, attempting to challenge and test myself on everything—from analysis to integration—in this final work. I tried to incorporate feedback from my teacher, particularly about the interconnectedness of the topic sentences and the thesis statement and the order of the scope of ideas in the introduction and conclusion. Habits that I shed as a freshman writer include steering away from skeletal language such as “In conclusion…” and “First…”, making my writing flow more naturally. I also embraced a step-by-step approach to essay writing, which involved fleshing out body paragraphs before crafting the perfect introduction and conclusion. Coupled with elevated diction, this added up to an outstanding Their Eyes Were Watching God essay: proof of my progress!
I feel an immense change in my attitude towards writing and reading. The juxtaposition of writing freedom and the need to write sophisticated essays turned out to be challenging, yet super rewarding! Looking ahead, I am excited to test my skills further by entering essay and short story competitions. This year has been a real journey of discovering my own voice in literature, and I am grateful for every lesson learned along the way.
“Reading is like breathing in, and writing is like breathing out”.
I realize that only now have I begun to learn to take a full breath.