Affective Dimensions of Writing

My grandmother, "Grandma Sherrill" is what we call her, is a poet and writer. She published her own book of poetry. I was always inspired by her effort and motivation and tried to follow in her footsteps. Having someone who you look up to and someone who is passionate about something can really spark an interest in anything. She is the one I would share my short stories and poems with. I liked to listen to music and imagine montages that usually turned into some kind of elaborate narrative. I remember talking to her about my wild, weird imagined stories that I came up with and her listening to every bit. 

When asked the question, "Do you think of yourself as a writer?", my first answer would be no. I don't write that much anymore, probably because of the lack of time. I try to write in a journal occasionally and write in it when there is a big event in my life. I also occasionally write poetry to sort out strong emotions. And of course the occasional, pretty much seldom, Facebook post creeps up. Occasionally, occasionally, occasionally... But when reflecting on the kinds of writing I've done in the past, I remembered all the things I used to write. Maybe I do consider myself a writer.

As for school writing assignments, I don't think I pushed myself as much as I did recreationally. I only remember a couple writing assignments, and most of them were from AP English. I do remember my freshmen year writing a letter to Juliet about her decisions with Romeo. I remember really trying to be creative and put effort into that assignment because it was from me and was my opinion. I was very proud of the end product and showed it to my parents. When it comes down to it, I think students remember writing assignments where they can insert a little bit of themselves. Personal narratives, letters, and short stories are great for that very reason, but I don't remember doing that kind of writing in school too much. If students are encouraged to be creative and to branch out, I think those are the assignments that they remember and show to their parents. Even analytical and persuasive essays be creative and personal if you let them choose a topic they are interested in and encourage them to write their opinion. Lastly, I feel that journals for English classes are great tools, especially if you used them right. As long as it doesn't turn into busy work and the questions you ask them are genuine and complex, you may end up with very reflective journal entries.