The writer writes this piece to reflect and discuss how writing has been an integral part of her life. She looks at how she began her start in writing and how she changed through writing.

Writing has always been an important part of my life. My love for it started when I first fell in love with reading. Growing up, I had a horrible speech impediment that made me not want to speak to others and afraid to speak publicly. But every night before I went to bed, my mom and I read lots of stories to practice my speaking.

At age six, my mom and I read the whole series of Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones. I loved how reading let me escape into another world filled with comedy and entertainment. Everytime I read Junie B. Jones, I was drawn to this first-grader who was a huge risk-taker. She even took a raccoon to school in Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy. Or in Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia, where one day Amelia, a hard-working housekeeper, becomes a teacher who has to juggle lots of things at once.

Reading these stories inspired me to write. I wrote about witches and fairies in another world. I wrote about characters who were ambitious, looking to explore into an unknown future. 

Once I moved away from writing fictional stories, I started diary writing around the age of eight. I used to keep my journal entries short, talking about how my days went, what I learned at school, when my mom would take me to the park or the library, or when I was with friends. But then it grew to me sharing emotions, thoughts and feelings. Like when I was in high school between freshman and sophomore year and struggled through the drama of fake friends, gossiping, and cliques. Even when I found myself in the midst of the pandemic. I had just started college and was taking classes and making friends, when suddenly I had to move back home. I was stuck in isolation and glued to a computer screen all day. But it was writing that helped me along the way. I wrote all day in my journal of my feelings, my questions, my worries. 

One day, I was alone on a rainy cold morning, and I turned the news on. All I could see were so many people losing their loved ones and struggling to pay the rent, get groceries and find a job. 

“They say that everything happens for a reason,” I wrote. “But it’s a time like this where I feel really, really lost, and I don’t even know what is happening. I can’t seem to process it.”

Writing allowed me to share the good times in my life. I look back at some of my memories, like spending the summers with my family in Cape Cod. Everyday we would go to the beach, where I would sink my toes in the sand and pick up seashells by the shore. Or the fun moments when my family and I moved into our home in Yonkers in 2010 on a cold January day, the sun shining through the windows. We spent our summers at  Yankees games, and even went to see Mary Poppins, the first ever play I saw on Broadway, in New York City. 

I always sought comfort and found my voice in writing. Writing helped me share an important part of who I am, and helped me learn more about myself. It showed me the importance of taking risks and taking advantage of opportunities. As I look back, it taught me to be humble. It taught me important values that I can think and dream about. It helped me be resilient and gave me perspective on love and respect. It taught me that life can be simple, but it changes constantly. 

As I grew into writing more about myself, I read memoirs of women who learned important life lessons during some of the most difficult times. I was inspired by Aftershocks, where a woman named Nadia finds out about her cultural background, and her multiracial family’s story growing up with an Armenian American mom and a Ghanaian father. Another one I read was Call You When I Land, about another woman taking some time to travel, choosing not to marry, changing her career, and moving her life in another direction.  

How did writing make me a better person?

Writing was like my friend, my mentor. Writing was always there with my ups and downs in life. I now realize why people say writing is therapeutic. No matter what, the words always stayed on the paper. They listened to my emotions, my biggest fears, and some of my biggest regrets.  My diary also kept in all of my feelings, my questions, my worries, and most of all my hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Writing showed me my passion in life. It allowed me to be honest with myself, reflect, and learn how I can overcome. I’ve learned the value and the importance of writing and, most of all, I’ve learned how it became a part of me. Long after I’d overcome my speech impediment, my diary kept all of my feelings, questions, worries, and, most of all, my hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Process

My inspiration for this started with my 300 word writing prompt book. As I searched through the pages, I found this one and it really spoke to me. I decided I was going to make this into a story since I really enjoy writing about my life.

While I was writing this, I learned how writing has had a huge impact on my life. It’s always been comforting to me, but it’s even helped me with choosing the career path I want to pursue. I hope that when people read this, they understand why writing is so important and how stories can really help us in learning more about ourselves.