The prompt for this week is to reflect on someone who has been a large influence on my writing and my voice. While there have been many people who have influenced my writing, either in person or through their own writings, there is one person who instantly comes to mind: Professor Katherine Burns from my community college.
Since I was homeschooled all the way until community college, not many people read my writing. Being in an English class where the professor and other classmates read over every draft of my work was a new experience. It took some getting used to, but I learned to love it; especially when Katherine would read mine and give me feedback.
She knew exactly what kind of feedback I wanted...and what I needed. She knew I could take criticism, and so would give it to me. She told me what didn't work, what needed to be re-written, and what should be trashed. She helped me be more confident in my arguments- even when she didn't agree with my points. She corrected my grammar too- which strangely enough, I loved. I still think of her every time I use a semi-colon.
But Katherine was always very gracious and encouraging in her feedback as well. I didn't mind the negative feedback, because that meant when said "good job" on something, she meant it. She always told me when there was an especially strong sentence, or a metaphor especially striking. She gave me two of the biggest compliments I believe I could ever receive as a writer: that my writing was making her think about some important things in her own life, and that I wrote like someone who reads classic literature.
Not only did she help me discover my voice (or, at least start to discover it. I sometimes feel I don't know my own voice yet), but she also made me see that academic writing could be fun. Up until that English class, I thought I only enjoyed creative writing, but dreaded essays or academic writing. But she showed me that even writing for school, you can still have pathos and emotion! You can still tell stories, use metaphors, and be creative.
Because of her influence, I have grown much more confident in my writing. Because of her influence, a paper for school is now often something I look forward to rather than dreading. I'd say her influence has been pretty great indeed.
