Students talk about their writing lives
As our editors work on our 2016 Crossroads IV Anthology, we want to share what we are hearing from students who submit!
- I write to take my mind off of other things.
- I really enjoy writing because unlike other subjects, where there is only one true answer, writing has no single answer! There are infinite interpretations to any subject matter, and you get to make what you write perfectly tailored to how you wish it to read.
- I write to make sense of the thoughts in my head, to bring out parts of myself into something tangible.
- I have grown attached to writing because it allows me to express my thoughts, and I am a very artistic guy, so making art, or stories, or anything that allows me to put out what I think in my mind.
- I am a junior in high school and an aspiring writer. I work for my school newspaper and take a Creative Writing class at my high school in Charlottesville, Virginia. I mostly enjoy writing poetry and fiction.
- Writing allows me space and time to express myself more authentically than I might in conversation. Not only is the process of writing challenging and exciting, when I am finished I have the reward of a story that I have brought to life. I feel that writing is a soothing exercise which helps me to make sense of the world by exploring my own written ones.
- I like to write because it helps me get stuff off my chest.
- Writing provides the best sort of release
- Writing makes me feel better about all the sad things in my life. It’s a different form of expression other than sports for me.
- I’ve always loved writing because I think it’s the best medium of expression for me and it allows me to be completely honest.
- I like to write because it is an amazing way to express yourself and your opinions.
- I love to write because it allows my mind to go to anyplace it wants to with no restrictions.
- Writing, I’ve found,is a way to express myself in ways I may not otherwise be comfortable doing.
- I enjoy writing because I love being able to express myself and my own ideas.
- I enjoy writing because it has so much freedom.
- I like to write to express my feelings. Sometimes it is hard to get into words what you feel inside, but when it is just me and the paper I am able to translate everything into something meaningful.
- I’m more of a guitarist than a writer, but it’s difficult to convey nihilism thru instrumentation.
- I have always loved reading and writing, particularly stories about far off lands. My favorite part about writing is creating my own world within the real world, or completely apart from the real world.
- I like to write because you can create anything; you can show yourself, or hide depending on what you want.
- I find inspiration in dreams, stories, shapes in the cumuli, and peculiar happenings from everyday life.
- I like to write because it is a way to express my ideas.
- I love to write, just for myself, as a way to release stress and express my feelings.
- I like to write because I can put all of my feelings into words and share my thoughts with others.
- I’ve always enjoyed writing because, quite simply, I find fiction so much more interesting than the real world.
- I like to write because it lets me express my ideas in a different way.
- I have loved writing since elementary school when I wrote stories about horses with arms coming out of their necks who could breathe fire (Disclaimer: this was a friend’s interpretation, not mine) even though I never really thought it was a big deal back then.
- I wrote this poem as an assignment given to me by a student teacher from UVa Curry School in my AP English 11 class. The prompt was to write a vernacular piece. The phrase I chose was not exactly vernacular, but an old Southern phrase of advice. Having been born and raised in the South, phrases like these are central to both my vernacular and my identity.
- Writing lets me express myself in ways that I can’t say out loud. This might sound cheesy but it helps me escape reality.
- I enjoy writing because it allows me to express observations about nature, feelings, knowledge and reflect on life experiences that I have encountered in my life.
- Writing is a way for me to contemplate the lives of others and find solace and vitality in my own.
- I began writing poetry a little over a year ago, and eventually started publishing it onto a few online sites. I love writing because it helps me cope with stress and others like to read my poetry.
- I love to write and am often found jotting down notes in my little black notebook.
- I love to write because it brings out one’s true words.
- I like to write because it provides an opportunity for me to describe the world in ways we don’t usually see it.
- I enjoy writing because I loved stories, making my own seemed to be a great way to tell my own as well as understand others. I also found writing to be a great way to express myself.
- I like writing poetry because it allows me to express deep thoughts that I don’t verbally share with anyone.
- I love to write because it helps me to cope with the whirlwind of high school.
- I like to write because it helps me understand more about other people, and lets me add depth to memories that I have committed to paper.
- I love to write because it clears out my mind.
- I love to creatively write, it helps me connect to my artistic side.
- Writing provides an escape when reality becomes too complex.
- I like to write because writing gives me the opportunity to express myself in ways that I couldn’t otherwise.
- I like to write because it allows me to focus on something and helps me relieve stress.
- I was born to dance, but I chose to write. That’s why I’m putting myself out there: I won’t lose to something I chose, especially when I knew full well when I chose it that I wasn’t born with it.I chose writing, and now I’m waiting for it to choose me.
- I enjoy writing because literature is a good mode of expression for my feelings and beliefs.
- I like to write to write to relieve stress.
- I enjoy writing because you can write anything based on how you feel at the moment. Sad, happy, analytical: anything can become good writing.
- I like to write because it is a way for me to express my thoughts.
- Writing expresses feelings in a way that is only possible through the process of putting words on paper–and that is an irreplaceable experience.
- I think that poetry gives a unique way to express your thoughts and your ideas in a creative way.
- This was originally a poem for my AP Lit class, but with the recent attacks, shootings and overall injustice witnessed nowadays, I thought it was appropriate to submit for a larger audience.
- I just love words and writing, and I want to share this love with others.
- Instead of muscles, my written words allow my lungs to expand and contract.
