Research Writer Interview With Judy

Some people, especially students, believe that writing is a punishment - that it is something teachers like to make students do, but it really lacks in purpose. However, writing is more than just a form of self-expression. Writing for some is a way of life!

We all have different ways of expressing ourselves. Some write poetry, some write song lyrics, some write stories, while others get tattoos. However, all these methods have one thing in common: they all involve some form of writing. When teachers assign creative writing assignments, it is not because they wish to punish students. It is not because they need more grades in their grade books; and it is certainly not because they lack things to read. The reason why teachers assign papers is because they want to get to know you. Students nowadays are rarely in tight-knit classrooms where both students and teachers could actually get to know one another. Students are lucky if their teacher even knows their name. However, by writing, we have our own distinctive voice that flows out of our paper. Instead of physically using speech, we put our deepest thoughts and emotions into journals and essays.

As a child in elementary school, I hated writing papers. In fourth grade I turned in a one page essay. My teacher in the back of the room called me for the student-teacher conference about my paper and after much criticism, she gave me a one - a one out of four with four being the highest. At least I thought about crying, but as I grew up, I realized that experience helped me become the writer I am today. We learn to get up after we fall and I learned to become a better writer because of her. Since that experience, I have never received below an A on any of my papers in school and that I take great pride in.

I would not say I am a great writer, though. In fact, I would not even say I am a good writer. I am simply a writer. For those who read my papers and essays, and judge what they may or may not be, I write in my own voice and not anyone else's. There is more than one grade behind each paper. There is the grade we believe we should get and there is the grade we actually get stamped on our paper. Most of the time, these two grades do not match, but... both are correct grades. Each reader of a paper or essay has their own opinions about how writing should and should not be. There is not one correct way to grade a paper just like there is not one correct way to write a paper. For those writers who have experienced repeated failure, it is not because they lack skill in writing. It is because they are preaching to the wrong audience.

I would have never thought I would actually enjoy writing. Writing is one of the few things that can never be taken away from us. While people may come in and out of your life, writing will always be the one thing is truly yours. When we write words on a page or type words on a screen, it comes out naturally as if it was a conversation between the page and our mind. The greatest lesson I ever learned in writing is that writing is not something that should be filled with big complex words that no one knows the meaning of. Instead, it should be like a conversation between two people - relaxed, simple, and to the point. In everyday conversation we do not impress people with conversations filled with big words that might insult others' intelligence. We use words that are in everyday usage and we do not beat around the bush, we get straight to the point. Writing should not be about how long a paper has to be or about how many impressive big unknown words are in the paper. It should be about who we are and that is the best part about writing.