Wacky Writing by Jayde

Wacky Writing by Jayde - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

In my freshman year, I had one empty slot on my schedule to fill. With the deadline of the current term coming to an end, I decided to pick at random one of the classes my counselor had said was available. At the time, I had no idea that the class Creative Writing would be taught by one of my all-time favorite teachers and advocate, Terra McQuillen. Little did I know how much this class would change my life.

I had not cared much for writing in the past, only the occasional flash fiction and poetry written in my margins. English was not my strong suit, in fact, it was the subject I was the worst at. This being said, I was not as excited for a language arts class then as I would be now. Aside from my dislike for taking these kinds of classes, I went in semi-optimistic. Within the first day I began to learn that writing was much more than what I had made it out to be. It was not just theme papers and elaborate syntax, but in fact, anything you wanted it to be.

Of course I had expected the class to be creative, but I had not expected to learn that I had a deeper passion for writing than I had imagined. Granted, I had joined the school’s writing club earlier that year and I had enjoyed reading most of my life, but I had never challenged myself to write in the way that Miss McQuillen had. She gave us journal topics to write on every day, and if we found a different topic to discuss, she encouraged it. She gave us various assignments of odes and script writing to challenge us, and character profiles to switch with people to broaden our horizons. She taught me to write about any topic in any form, and made it fun rather than dull and dry.

Creative Writing lasted nine weeks, and in that time, my entire academic career shifted to include more creativity. I had written a new Norse myth, a children's book about bees stealing Batman’s cake with my friend, Willa, and a script of a wolf (who turned out to be Johnny Depp) eating a cupcake. I became more wacky and creative, and learned to take risks. This lead me to become a better writer for when I took AP Literature two years following. I learned to write professionally, relatable, and most importantly, creatively.

Now as a highschool senior, I still look back at that elective course and wish I could take it again. Creative Writing let me find my voice and it let me find my love for English. It has influenced my academic writing in every class following, and set a foundation for AP Literature that I could not have excelled in if I had not found my passion. It has helped me in my oral interpretation and public speaking by allowing me to creative catchy introductions for the pieces and letting me see the literature from a creative angle. Most importantly, Creative Writing helped me determine that English is the major I want to pursue.