Student Blog: Blogging is Scary!

Truth be told, I write in my own perspective a decent amount. Being a college student of course, there really isn’t any way around it. I write in my own perspective when writing reflections on readings, performances, techniques, etc. Reflections as a performing arts major are crucial, and only makes you stronger. So, I guess I lied. But it’s for a reason! My written reflections are almost never shared, unless I decide to discuss them orally in the classroom. This also comes with being in a small cohort, which I have grown to become comfortable in. I think what I’m trying to say is that writing a blog post in which it will be posted for anyone to see is a fact that is sometimes frightening for me to think about.

Comfortability when writing is something I have not always felt. I vividly remember sitting in AP English in high school and thinking, “Wow, I’m the worst writer in here,” as I scanned the room with my eyes. I recognized that I could have been labeled as a ‘good’ writer, but at that level I was nowhere close to the people sitting next to me…or at least I thought so. I think comfortability in writing stems strongly from confidence in writing. I definitely did not have that confidence in high school, so I was unable to view my work in a positive light before comparing myself when peer-editing another classmate’s paper. I think it’s also fair to say that my writing wasn’t as strong then because I wasn’t passionate about the discussion at hand; If I had the opportunity to write about something else other than The Catcher in the Rye, I would!

Playwriting has become a strong suit of mine. I think it encapsulates a lot of qualities I have, including being creative, specific, and thorough. Also, it technically isn’t my voice! Even though it most certainly is, I think this is why I am able to create new characters and stories so quickly. I don’t always have to agree with what a character is saying either, so that makes it all the more fun. Ofcourse, in a lot of my writing I do discuss things I want to discuss. However, I feel having a character discuss a topic or conflict in their own manner is way more interesting and effective to an audience than if  I were to discuss it. It opens more of a discussion, especially when you build in additional characters to perhaps challenge what the main character is speaking about. When writing a new play, I have found that it is very easy for me to write four to five pages in one sitting. But when I have to write in my own voice, that takes a lot longer. I often think so carefully about what I want to say and how I want to say it before I write it down, but in plays characters don’t always have the time to do that! They are speaking the text, and therefore don’t have as much wiggle room to sit and think about what they are saying in the moment as the plot moves forward.

I think blogging has helped me expand my own voice. Even if my blogs haven’t necessarily included much of my opinions, it’s been great practice to write as Katie. It has made me even stronger in my writing, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. Thank you!