Shattering The Conventions of Writing Through an Essay
Ever since a young age, I have been passionate about what writing has to offer. The ability to unleash my voice as a writer using pen and paper deeply interested my intellectual curiosities. While I was passionate, some of the hidden “secrets” about writing were still considered foreign territory for me. Going into my junior year in high school, my thinking was narrowed to the regular conventions of writing: an essay that has an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
To my dismay, writing is not defined by the “conventions” often set forth during the formative years in school. I had the opportunity to be exposed to the true power of writing during December of my time in AP (Advanced Placement) Language and Composition where my teacher assigned the class an assignment called the “Self-Designed Essay.” The task assigned to me seemed too simple for me: “Write a reflective essay in which you reveal a discovery that you have made about yourself and possibly about your society.”
The day the assignment was assigned, I spent part of my night’s homework brainstorming the wide-range of topics to write about — my fear of flying, my experiences being a competitive figure skater, the reality of young citizens being civically engaged. I was flooded with multiple topics to write about, coming to the realization and shock that this was the broadest prompt I have ever received. I thought how am I supposed to write this? I can’t write this using the 5-paragraph method. I was initially puzzled and confused on how to write a piece without using the regular “5-paragraph” standard.
So, I took action by searching “how to write short stories” on google. I was eventually brought to a website called “Medium” where authors from around the world share and write short stories that transcend the “5-paragraph” method. From reading countless short stories — ranging from on “How to Build Confidence to “How to write like a professional” — I was immersed with a new vantage point, incongruous to my initial thought of writing. I observed and soaked in the power of using short paragraphs to convey a strong message. I witnessed and read writers use vivid word choice that sticks in people’s minds (stinging, biting, electrifying — to name a few). I discovered writing a good short story is not about packing the most amount of words in a sentence or using the most complex syntax; rather it’s being concise.
My newfound view on writing helped guide me through my Self-Designed Essay where I chose to write about the reality of young people in politics through my experience as an intern for a Congressman. I tossed out the convention of sticking to a set number of paragraphs and not starting sentences with “But” or “And” taught to me in the formative years of school by packing ten paragraphs in a three-page essay and using shorter, but more concise sentences.
The experiences writing my Self-Designed Essay not only unveiled to me a deeper understanding about the power that writing has to offer but also enabled myself to write in a way I never imagined I could. Having read numerous “Medium” articles and stories, I soon found myself to be a writer on “Medium” myself, writing weekly stories I am passionate about whereby I improve my writing abilities. By tackling the Self-Designed Essay, the narrow perception I once held about writing was shattered. Through writing the Self-Designed essay, I carry with me a valuable tool for future endeavors and writing assignments: utilizing the hidden secrets of writing in order to craft a mesmerizing and meaningful essay.
