Cather Avery & The Love Of Writing by Mariela

Cather Avery & The Love Of Writing by Mariela - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

When I was first introduced to this essay, I was so certain that the literary character I would write about was Lemony Snicket’s Violet Baudelaire in “A Series of Unfortunate Events”. Those were the books that really developed my love for literature and writing. Before I discovered them, I hadn’t been exposed to tales without happy endings or with twisted plotlines. They felt more real and relatable. Despite this, a lot of time has passed since then and it’s been hard to really grasp why I write anymore. Recently I read “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell, and I’ve never felt more confident about writing than when I met Violet Baudelaire and the other Baudelaire orphans until now.

Within the first twenty pages of the book, I felt this lifted feeling within me; like I had to really get out there, start writing again. The protagonist of the novel is Cather Avery, an English major entering her first year of college. She holds literature very close to her heart and has this ability to spill words from her fingertips, writing more than a thousand words nightly. Her character really intrigued me because nothing ever seemed more important than her work.

She would say that it felt like an escape and where she could truly be herself. Nothing ever felt more real, it seemed, than when she had her laptop before her. It was the talk about a higher education, moving on, and writing professionally that really made me connect to the story. My life’s goal is to be an accomplished writer. I know that the line of work I pursue in this life must involve writing, or I will never be truly happy. It is the only thing that makes sense to me. However, when writing stories I find that I’ve never really been able to complete them.

It’s so easy for me to create an ending to a story; it’s always been like that. I can think up a resolution, climax, and plot within a moment’s notice, but I have trouble the most with the body. The beginning will be slow, but the main part of the story really causes me to be stuck. Cather, too, has her own writing related struggles. Where I can’t really create a true story, she can’t write anything other than fan fiction of a popular book series, Simon Snow.

She’s a dear character to me because despite this, she was out there really pursuing her passion. I would like to do the same, but never really considered the fact that I could try to start perfecting my craft now rather than just waiting until college. Since I started that book, I feel reinvigorated. I have spoken to my family about taking writing classes this summer. The options are writing through online sessions or in person. Before reading such, I know that I would have chosen the online classes because in recent years, the presence of others has begun to intimidate me.

I’m not really an introvert, nor was Cather, but there’s something very calming we both find in being alone. She really set a model for me, of what I could truly be. She’s allowed me to see a cluster of possibilities and for that I’m really grateful. I mean, I could try to lock myself in like she had at the start of the novel, but I now know how that would most likely play out. I was able to see how trying some new things made life more enjoyable.

Writing is my life’s goal, but it’s not my only goal. I don’t want to be consumed by it; I would like it to remain as a place of serenity for me. Cather started to write with a boy named Nick and she was open with him, really recognized his strengths and let them develop together. I’ve never met anyone who has really understood the way that I write, nor who has written with me. I think it’s a new venture that I hope to one day become involved in. It’s not something I’ve ever considered or thought to be possible.

When I’ve always thought of college, I have pictured people alone or secluded, really lost in their studies. I know friends are bound to be made, some with like interests and some with very unique likes. This book made me feel very open to the possibility of the future. More than anything, I’ve been scared of how things will play out. I’ve always had a plan or tried to conjure one up, consider the possibilities before they happen. Everything turned out alright for Cath.
Not everything was a fairytale, but it was really a process of trial and error. Never once, did she let herself fall altogether. Writing was her place of tranquility, just as it is mine. Her family didn’t quite work out nor did her friendships, but she survived it, better than ever. The transition I witnessed was very commendable. I have a history of depression and self-harm and witnessing her way of dealing with the situations she was in taught me a great deal.

She’s different from Violet, not a childhood memory. She has dealt with issues I will one day face and though I love the Baudelaires and always will, life will go on for me. I don’t have to fall or be incredibly intelligent, I can have flaws.