For a long time, writing has been a drag for me. It was something I never looked forward to, and struggled to keep focus on when I had to do it. Despite my disinterest, I believe myself to be good at it. I received A’s and A-‘s on all of my papers in college and received great reviews on my writing from professors, which validated my ability. I can get my point across in an essay, but why bother when I can just verbally communicate my point? Usually, I enjoy the things that I am good at, but writing has always been the exception and it has perplexed me.

I’m learning that writing takes place in countless environments and across various genres. This was somewhat surprising to me at first. Almost all of the writing I have done has been in a traditional academic format: research papers, book reports, final papers, etc. The topics were almost always unappealing to me. I have read sports articles and books that I’ve enjoyed and engaged in but never considered them to be among genres I could write in. I’ve learned that writing in these other genres could help me to appreciate writing more. The problem that remains is which one?

So far, I’ve tried writing in several genres. I’ve wrote a piece about myself, a writing profile on another student, an educational resource review, and an Op-Ed piece. I’ve also engaged in some free- writing. I’ve enjoyed several of them. Free-writing has been useful in that I’ve been able to get ideas onto paper in a no-stakes, and relaxed medium in which I do not have to worry about formatting or grading. The resource review was beneficial in that I was able to hone in on the pros and cons of an educational resource. In doing so, I was able to find a resource that I not only can use in my classroom, but I’ve evaluated to implement it and change it to make it better. I’ve most enjoyed the Op-Ed piece. It allowed me to write about a topic that was not only relevant, but awkward for me to respond to in other formats. I’ve been disappointed in the comments I’ve seen made recently about the NFL National Anthem protests and the president. I’ve been timid in responding to others’ points of view because of the hostility surrounding it and this piece gave me the opportunity to respond in a thought-out and respectable manner.

I believe engaging in these various writing genres has made me more open-minded towards writing. It still is not my favorite thing to do, but I am now approaching writing tasks with more optimism. I believe by engaging in more writing genres, I will not only find an enjoyable writing genre, but I will also become a better writer in doing so.