I have decided to post a portion of my autobiographical essay that I have written for the Sept. 11 writing assignment. I enjoyed this assignment. It beats statistics reading:) Donna
Webster defines "writing" with many definitions, but the one that speaks to me as a writer is the definition that suggests the "leaving of marks, signs, or evidence." For me, writing has been somewhat of an emotional release. Just as my children are truly my bridge to immortality, I view my writing in the same way. Regardless of the nature of my writing, whether it is an expression of the heart or an expression of academia, it will remain after I have long left this world. It will be a part of someone or something. I will in some sense have left my mark. As I have reflected on my life as a writer, I have taken some time to revisit some of my writings. I have them saved in various places in my home. My journals (one from my freshman year in high school, 1983, and one from my semester in Spain, 1990) remain packed aside my many photo albums. For me, these contain precious memories just as my photos, but the words are my illustrations. The words paint pictures of my experiences during transitional times in my life's journey. Still today, as I reread my entries written years ago, I can recall difficult as well as joyous events in my life. Someday, I will share these with my children.
Again, this is only a portion of my paper. I look forward to sharing the rest on Thursday. See you then. Donna
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Donna Boston Ross
Rough Draft
Assignment #1
EDL 7065
My Autobiography as a Writer
Webster defines “writing” with many definitions, but the one that speaks to me as a writer is the definition that suggests the “leaving of marks, signs, or evidence.” For me, writing has been somewhat of an emotional release. Just as my children are truly my bridge to immortality, I view my writing in the same way. Regardless of the nature of my writing, whether it is an expression of the heart or an expression of academia, it will remain after I have long left this world. It will be a part of someone or something. I will in some sense have left my mark. As I have reflected on my life as a writer, I have taken some time to revisit some of my writings. I have them saved in various places in my home. My journals (one from my freshman year in high school, 1983 and one from my semester in Spain 1990) remain packed aside my many photo albums. For me, these contain precious memories just as my photos, but the words are my illustrations. The words paint pictures of my experiences during transitional times in my life’s journey. Still today, as I reread my entries written years ago, I can recall difficult as well as joyous events in my life. Someday, I will share these with my children.
In addition to my journals, I have saved all my papers written during my undergraduate and graduate years at Appalachian State University. “Why?” One might ask. Writing is not an easy task, and I can say with all honesty that I take my writing very seriously; and for these reasons I revise, revise, and revise some more. I view the process of writing as the artist views his artwork. I try to work my writing into a masterpiece. It always gives me a sense of satisfaction when a professor comments positively on my work. I feel a true sense of accomplishment.
As I reread some of my papers written in undergraduate years, I can definitely track growth, but I also am able to recall the names and faces of professors that raised the benchmark and challenged me to go beyond the status quo of undergraduate papers. One such professor was Dr. Ruby Lanier at Appalachian State University. She was my North Carolina History professor (HIS 2207). She was tall and slender with dark brown hair and she wore dark framed glasses, which clearly indicated her intelligence level, so I thought. I heard terrible things about her from other students, especially how her expectations were unreasonable. All elementary education majors knew to avoid her class… that is, all except me. The final project for her class was to take an interview (an oral history) and weave it into a term paper that reflected a time period in North Carolina history. Mine was entitled, “Women at Appalachian State Teacher’s College during the Early Nineteen Sixties.” I recall my intense interest in this subject. It was true that Dr. Lanier had high expectations, but she also gave her students the freedom to pursue area of interests within a particular context. Reading her positive feedback, knowing that it was from Dr. Lanier, the most feared of all history professors, established a sense of confidence in my writing abilities.
As a result of my writing experiences in undergraduate at ASU, I became a published writer in the most limited sense. My history professor submitted one of my papers to a textbook publishing company and it was actually published as an example of “good” work. I remember signing the permission to publish form and the writing contract from the publishing company. I was paid $25.00. The pay was not important, but the fact that my work was published filled me with pride.
I have saved most of my papers from graduate school as well. All of my papers from graduate school are written in Spanish. I am especially proud of my writing here as I followed all the conventional rules for writing well-organized, literary arguments plus mastered the grammatical syntax of a foreign language. This may sound arrogant, but I do not mean for it to be. Actually, if the truth be known, my language (conversation) abilities suffered in comparison to my other classmates who were native speakers or who had spent the majority of their lives traveling abroad in Spanish-speaking countries. My general rule for survival both in oral and written communication was to keep it simple. It worked. One classmate, which had always intimidated me because of his fluency, did not pass his comprehensive exam. I learned afterwards that it was not the oral component of the comprehensives that prevented him from graduating, but rather the written. Several semesters after the written comprehensives were taken, I ran into a former Spanish professor and mentor, Dr. Peggy J. Hartley, at the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina conference. She had read my exam, even though she was not on my committee, and commented on how well organized and well-written my responses were. She was genuinely proud of my accomplishment.
Obviously, I thrive on approval and affirmation. I believe this is a result of my childhood. I am an only child. Therefore, it seems I am always seeking the approval of others and trying extra hard to please. Through writing, I was always assured I could find approval and acceptance. I wrote personal notes, cards, and letters to my mother, father, and grandparents either asking for forgiveness for some wrong doing or communicating my sincere, unwavering love.
My grandmother passed away in October of 2005. While going through some of her personal belongings, I found a dresser drawer filled with the many notes I had written her. She had saved every handmade card I had made for her. Ironically enough, as I was rereading my entries in my journal I kept while living in Spain, cards slipped out from the inside. Guess who they were from? They were from my grandmother. Her writing is still present and more powerful than ever before.
For my family, writing expresses unspoken feelings. My mother never simply signs her name to a card, but rather takes time to write a special, heartfelt note to the recipient. My dad is the poet and creative writer of the family. He spends most of his time in the basement sitting in his navy blue, leather recliner with his writing essentials which consists of a Pilot fine tipped black pen and yellow legal pad. Every Christmas I restock his supply with gifts from Office Depot. My father is the first one to read my papers. He is eager to do so and provides beneficial feedback. He even gives me a grade for content and mechanics. I think this is so strange given that he is a former community college mathematics instructor.
I do think of myself as a writer, but not one in a professional sense. I like to write because it is a challenging exercise that assists me in communicating my beliefs, ideas, and emotions. This autobiographical assignment has required deep introspection into why I choose to write. I have discovered that I feel a great need to leave my mark, to seek approval of those I love and respect, and to communicate sincere thoughts to family and friends. Writing has always been a part of my life. It has been cultivated and nurtured by my parents and teachers alike. I am sure the daunting task of writing a dissertation will most certainly bring the issue of mortality to the forefront, but in the end when it is all said and done, I hope the final product will be only another stepping stone in building my bridge to immortality. It will be something I am proud of personally and will serve as a lasting tribute to my teachers, parents, husband, and children who continue to give me a reason to write.
Donna,
I enjoyed this paper because I could hear your voice in it. You told personal stories and added reflections that brought it to life. I would encourage you to not be afraid of writing in the personal narrative!
Tina
Donna,
I have always found your comments in our classes to be very profound and enlightening. For this reason I find it very interesting that you never enjoyed speaking. Furthermore, you took Latin knowing you would never have to communicate it. Your writing is quite genuine, which shows the seriousness you put into it. I applaud you for finding yourself, and continuing to express yourself, through your writing.
Donna - I enjoyed reading your paper and like Tina, could almost hear your actual voice in it. I think you have a true talent as a writer and of course I am proud as I can be that you are actually published.
The structure of your paper naturally flows and is very easy to follow. The personal stories made it come alive for me. I won't change a thing.
Have you thought about pursuing your writing?
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