Personal Narrative: My Writing Journey

My writing journey and, in a way, my academic adventure as a whole, began with a single poem.
I had absolutely no confidence in my writing. The first time I submitted a poem in school, I was petrified. I had written and discarded about ten poems before I finally settled on one for my College Credit Plus literature class. I clicked submit with hands trembling and heart racing, absolutely convinced it was horrible. This fear was nothing new. It was something I had experienced again and again. It happened every time I turned in an essay in English class, every time I sent my film class teacher a script, every time I sent anything to my friends or parents to proofread. My head would spin, my chest would tighten, and I would convince myself that whatever I had just written was awful, not worth reading in a million years. …show more content…
Suddenly, the terror that had abated over the course of the week came rushing back. My stomach squirmed like Willy Wonka’s elevator—up, down, left and right. I cringed, and squinted my eyes tightly, hoping that would somehow reduce the sting of a calamitous grade. Through my slowly unclenching lashes, I strained to see…an A. I was stunned. Was it possible that I had actually done well? The very thought struck me as absurd. There must have been some sort of mix-up. As it turned out, my professor not only liked the poem, but liked it so much she thought I should submit my work for publication. I was delighted at this unexpected praise, and my confidence in my writing abilities soared. That experience taught me to have confidence in my writing, to stand by my work and be proud of it, instead of degrading myself and expecting