The Journey

Imagine you're walking through the desert. You see sand, clay boulders, and cacti on all sides. You know you have to go somewhere, but you have no idea in which direction to walk. The fear of such a situation can be paralyzing as many people would agree.

Yet, those same people may not realize a similar fear brews in writing students. Just as with the desert analogy, in writing, there are several paths a student can take in developing an essay. There's no map that provides a clear, right answer. The freedom of choosing a path is often difficult for students. For several years, teachers have told them exactly what to do. In college, they have to rely on their own vision and creativity.

But the only way to find a path that will lead you out of the desert is to actually walk it. After having done so, confidence will replace that initial fear. I love that this was the case for College Writing student Christi Warner-Bigam, who shares her writing journey below.

Writing has been a challenge for me since high school which was approximately twenty years ago. I enjoyed English class;however, when it came to writing papers I was frightened. This same feeling trickled over into my college years and adult life. Thankfully today, that fear is mostly gone due to experiences, education and confidence with age.

My first adult job was with a law firm and I recall my envy of the paralegal at the office. She wrote various legal correspondence to clients, the courthouse and other attorneys. A letter that would generally take me an hour to write would take her ten to fifteen minutes. The words seemed to come effortlessly to her. I began to emulate her style and the terminology she utilized in her writings. I credit this environment as my first growing point in the right direction.

From there, my second job was with a prestigious law firm in Washington D.C. I was surrounded by alumni from the best colleges nationwide. I recall preparing emails in horror that my word usage or grammar was incorrect. I relied on my supervisors and fellow secretaries for guidance and ideas. As time moved forward a sense of pride and confidence started to stir.

Finally, at my current position, the fear has basically subsided. Of course, when writing a slight sense of apprehension exists even today if the writing is for a huge audience. This is the case for most correspondence that I author due to my audience of around one hundred fellow employees. All of these work experiences have allowed me to excel and gain confidence in my writing.

As mentioned, my work experience has taken a significant hand in my writing skills and education has also played and continues to a play a major role. In high school, my college prep English class gave me the initial tools to becoming a good writer. In my opinion, the grammar, spelling and structure were the main focus during this stage. In college, a few years later, structure and style were the main focus. Today, I am able to incorporate the highlights of my education together with my life experiences to try and write the best papers that I can.