Moving away from Theme Writing and Finding our Voices

Moving away from Theme Writing and Finding our Voices

The attempt to discover my "voice" may seem less than insightful for the audience in which this paper is intended. It is quite a relief that I don't have to write a theme, pretending to be an expert on finding voice. The concept of voice is very new for me because I wasn't aware that I was conveying a tone or attitude in my writing that was so profoundly obvious. In preparation for this discussion I have spent time re-reading former assignments trying to "hear" the voice present in them. I think the concept of voice, as well as the new deliberate avoidance from theme writing, has put the entire class in the same boat. In this respect our writing talents are maturing. If the paper does not provide any insight on the new and powerful creative tool called voice, in the very least it will have benefitted me by helping me explore the voice in my writings. For that, each of you will have this opportunity to become familiar with me, the person and writer, through voice.

Long before I decided to become an English major, I had decided I was a good writer. If I had to use one word to describe myself as a writer, it would be "thrifty". I could whip off papers that I was asked to write, on topics which I generally knew nothing about. Many of us could testify to the truth that we are conditioned to become theme writing specialists. It is almost as if we have been coerced to believe that writing of any other kind will push creativity beyond it's acceptable limits. I was continually praised for my writing "thriftiness". No matter what the subject was, I was an expert. The extensive use of latinate words in my work convinced the reader I knew exactly what I was talking about.

I had ...

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...ion, I would presume that people believe this because they weren't comfortable with the limitations imposed on them that made creating good writing, seem like an impossibility. We all struggle to discover whether we are good writers, and we look to our professor's paper evaluations to determine this. The promising thing about this class, is that we get to serve as mentors for each other. For this one time, we may submit our work to a larger audience for evaluation. Our success in writing doesn't have to hinge on the personal preferences and standards of just one person, our professor. I am optimistic, because although I continue to struggle with writing in voice, I have one and therefore I know I will discover it. It will enrich my writing enough so that I know I am capable of more than mechanical theme writing. Now that you hear my voice, what is it that you hear?