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| Why I Write |
I hae to say that I do agree with some of Orwell's statements in "Why I Write". I too have found that lonely children tend to write of imaginary places as I was a lonely child myself.
I would find myself doing similar internal monologs with endings outside the normal idea of happiness.
Orwell's four reasons for writer's writing I feel are true to an extent. He mentions different degrees in every writer, however, I believe that some writers may not share that reason at all.
For example a writer may not have "historical impulse" while still keeping true to the other three reasons.
In the workshops that are a requirement for my class we sit in a tiny circle (as there's only 3 students and a teacher) and go over one members work that day. The 1st day I was fortunate enough to not have to present my work. I could see my friends face while we were taking notes on her poem.
She was scared.
There was a fear of judgement in her eyes. We did not judge, per-say, we mearly gave advice on how to better the work and what we liked. And that put me at ease. This knowing how it would be the next day when I showed my work.
WRONG
Now the wrong is not to say that I was judged harshly but to say I was not at ease. I was frazzled from my study hall the period before. My plan was to print out one of the works I had printed last year to show. I log onto the school servers and go to my documents.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I scrambled against the clock to pull some for of work from my head. That work was a little poem called 'Game'. I hated it at first. I thought it was one of the worst things I wrote. I don't like rushed projects and that's what 'Game' was.
Then I heard the reviews from my peers.
I sat there as they silently wrote on their paper, hiding in my cardigan. I saw pens flying over paper and all I could think was, "THIS SUUUUUUUCKS!" Soon, however, it was time for them to tell me what they thought.
They liked it! They actually found deeper meaning in a poem I had written in less than ten minutes. And then reading it again, completely ignoring what my peers interpretations were, I found it.
I found it!
Workshop led me to the meaning behind my words. It made me more confident. I feel now that I can show my work to the group. I can do this.
