Who am I as a Writer?
It’s a simple question. It’s a question that never crossed my mind until now. Who am I as a writer? As a writer, I am one of many things. I can not limit myself to a single word or phrase that describes my style of writing. So I wonder, who am I as a writer?
I am a brain stormer. This is pretty self explanatory but maybe I should elaborate. Ever since I could write, I was taught to brain storm before beginning a piece of work. I am a brain storming machine. I gather webs of big ideas and produce little legs of thoughts. I outline because I believe each piece of work needs structure and organization. Brain storming has not failed me yet, it is a useful tool that I use to collaborate my thoughts into full fledged essays, poems, etc.
I am a thought hoarder. Sad to say, not all of my ideas meet paper. There are many times where I may come up with one very good idea and my supporting thoughts are not exactly aligned. Sometimes I am not able to connect all the dots. My ideas may repeat once or twice. One idea might sound better than another. Whatever does not make it to paper, is backed up in my mind. And maybe, just maybe I may be able to revisit an idea I had once upon a time.
I am a rough drafter. I am a firm believer of writing out my thoughts on paper first. Call me old fashioned but being able to scratch out words and rewriting sentences makes me feel like a better writer. When my pen meets a new sheet of paper, possibilities are endless. I do not have any boundaries. I am not chained to a computer that obligates me to hit CTRL+S in paranoia of my work being deleted forever. Also, it feeds my ego to know that I am great penmanship. Why not display that in my work?
I am a paper crumbler/tosser/waster. There is a curse to being a rough drafter. I am constantly writing and rewriting to the point where my trash can is filled with meaningless excerpts of work. I am guilty of wasting trees with my undefined phrases. It is a problem and I am working on it.
I am a high school writer. Yes, I am an amateur. I still worry about where to place my commas and quotation marks. I feel insecure about my writing style. I am a lover of peer editing. I am rusty when it comes to MLA format. I fear writing analytical pieces. I envy those who are able to spill their hearts out on paper. It amazes me to read one’s work and actually hear their voices when reciting their work in my head. In high school, I received a B+ average in my work. And for that, I believe I am B+ writer.
I have writer’s block. Like many great authors, I suffer from a mild case of writer’s block. It has a habit of creeping up on me while I work. It comes and goes. Some of my worse cases come in the form of procrastination. My mind wanders off and I am unable to concentrate on the task at hand. Doctors have not been able to find a cure but researchers are hard at work experimenting and diagnosing different cases everyday. Until then, I am struggling with the uphill battle of writer’s block. (:
Well, that is who I am as a writer. A writer, just like anyone else who is reading this.
