Interview of "The Writer"

For me, writing is like going to the gym. It is fun when it is voluntary and dreadful when you don’t want to go.

1) What are the different ways you use writing (in and out of school)?

            I use writing in order to express my feelings when I am upset, sad and sometimes even happy. I write these feelings in my journal; on my Facebook page and I text messages my friends and let them know what is going on in my life. In school my writing is very different depending on the assignment. For example in Human Physiology I wrote a research paper on a disease that I found very interesting. I wrote the paper with a very serious tone and no expression to my feelings about the topic. I found myself writing a boring paper, but the topic was very interesting. 

2) What writers have you read that you could say had an authentic “voice”? Describe the qualities that made them unique.

            Victor Villaseñor is my favorite writer because his books are usually based on his family’s history and traditions. I find it refreshing to read a book that directly relates to my personal culture. He tells tales of how his family lived their lives illegally in the United States after war broke out in Mexico. He includes in these tales the Mexican and American history. This allows me to relate it to the stories my grandmother would tell. His voice is very authentic because of his uses of Mexican American terms throughout his stories, which is how my grandparents speak to me.

3) How would you describe your writing voice? How connected is it to the way you think and talk?

            The way I think is the way I speak. I have no problem expressing my self unless speaking to a person of authority, or a professional in which I usually would intend to impress. The way I text message and the way I speak are very different in that in text messages and informal e-mails I tend to use abbreviations for words. The way I write in school and in my journal is also very different in that in school I write in a formal manner rather than in my sloppy shorthand handwriting that would be found in my journal. My writing voice can take multiple tones.

4) List all the types of writing you’ve done in this class (brainstorm together). Were some of these more challenging to you than others? Which ones did you feel most comfortable writing? What does that say about you as a writer?

            A formal paper (issue essay), informal writing (rant), I have also written assignments (research logs) with a formal tone in order to help me later write my multi-genre research paper. I felt the most comfortable writing the issue essay only because it was a formal paper that I intended to make seem professional. One assignment that was very hard for me to write because it was an assignment is the rant because it was an informal piece of writing that was an assignment. I feel that as a writer for other people I want things to be through and make sense. I like to present information in an organized manner as for my personal life (writing that shall never be read just written) I feel is PERSONAL and should never be seen I can be an intimate writer as long as I know that no one will read the words I have written.

           

5) What is your earliest writing memory?

            My earliest writing memory is when I was learning how to write my name in kindergarten I thought it was cool that I could write my own name (a noun not in the dictionary!) in crayon if I wanted but that my name meant me! I was very excited to see my name written on the wall by me. I think it was so significant because of how cool I felt that I could spell and write my own name.

6) What is your best/worst writing experience?

            My worst writing experience was during my senior year of high school my English teacher assigned the class three five page papers due the next day because certain people were fooling around during lecture. I was so upset I started crying because I knew it was a joke. I left class for lunch worked on one paper and got a page and a half into it and broke down crying hoping for an e-mail from my English teacher saying, “Just kidding haha!” I never got that e-mail I finished my school day and went to softball practice. After practice I took my brother to eat and then to his baseball practice. When I was at his practice I bust out with my laptop trying to finish the first paper I finally finish right as his practice is ending and then I realize that my computer is about to turn off. I hurry to plug it in but I was too late. I get home and tell my mom about my crappy situation and she laughs at me and sarcastically asks, “Well, what do you think college is going to be like? You better go finish its almost 8:30[pm].” I sit down and start writing again. I finished all three papers and my homework for all of at 6am the papers were done and I had to be at school at 6:45 for zero period on my way to school I stop for coffee and a donut I get to class I am dead tired and my English teacher tells us to turn in our papers. We pass them in and he puts them in his desk as he says 25 points extra credit each paper turned in half the class didn’t bother and I was one of many that stressed out about these undeserved papers. It was a horrible experience and the next time a classmate acts out during class I asked them to behave.