Am I a Writer?

When I was younger, there were few things I loved more than writing. In the third grade, I would spend my recess creating picture books. In grade five, I worked vigorously on a “very serious” 30 page novel that I believed would become as well-known as the Percy Jackson series. Over the years, I wrote books about animals, mystery books, books about food that could talk, and books about my family. I loved how I could write about #anything and everything, and I loved how well-received my writing was by my parents, my teachers, and my friends. For some time, I believed I could become an #author when I grew up. However, my attitude about writing shifted when I entered high school and the endless possibilities of writing turned into writing prompts and rigid structures. When creative writing turned into analytical writing, I struggled to develop my own style and to feel the #joy I used to have while creating stories. However, as time progressed, I become more and more competent in my essay writing abilities. I learned how to turn my thoughts while reading a book into words on an essay and, after a lot of practice, I even learned how to properly defend these thoughts. Despite this, while writing these essays, I still lack that same #passion that I used to feel when I was younger. I do not believe I have successfully developed my own unique writing style while working on formal essays. I hope that over these next four years, I am able to find my passion for writing again and that my voice can #shine through any writing prompt.