I have been writing ever since I was a kid, as has most of the population. But I truly fell in love with writing in the third grade, once I realised I was better at it than my peers at the time. 8-year-old Avani could not be happier to have found what set her apart.
Now, I write because it makes me happy. It makes me feel smart and validated, but also focused. Having ADHD, it is irritatingly easy for me to lose focus and become distracted. Funnily enough, my favourite feeling in the world is when I am in ‘the zone’, and writing is a medium I use to get there. It helps me harness my mind which is otherwise cluttered with seven different trains of thought and three songs at any given moment.
Although the content is not always joyful, the act of writing itself brings me joy. Despite my focus being poetry and my style more metaphorical than always necessary, manipulating words and spaces to create a nuance perhaps only I will ever truly understand is both my pride and heartbreak. It does bring me immense joy when someone understands my intentions with my writing, however since most of it is a deeply personal piece catered to an audience of one (me), it can also be uncomfortable.
Having been told most of my life that I am a good writer, it was hard for me to learn to listen to critiques about my works. That being said, I acknowledge that is the only way to grow and get better and am ready to polish my skills. I know that I still have much to improve, in terms of clarity and conciseness. I hope that this class will help me with the same.
