Long-term Aims for Writing

Truth, Changes and Progress

As a writer, simply expressing words on paper has always come easy to me.   It is sharing those words--my thoughts--with the judgmental world in which we live that has always been difficult.   Last year, one of my professors raised an interesting question that has changed the way I view writing:   What is the purpose of writing if there is nobody to read it?   This question has made me realize that writing can only affect the world if the writer allows it to be read.   Through my personal writing, such as poems, short stories, and journal entries, I observe the world around me and my own beliefs but I remain true to my writing.   Truth, to me, is of utmost importance when writing--especially when it is personal writing that others might have the chance to read.

If I continue to remain true to my thoughts and my beliefs and express only the truth as I know it in my personal writing, nobody will be able to look back and call me a hypocrite.   It is important to stand by my work proudly, even if others may disagree with what I've written.   No matter how many people might be bothered by my words, there will always be someone who understands and agrees with my thoughts.   My past writing experiences have proven this theory and strengthened it.   I hope that as I become more open about sharing my writing, others will value my work for its truth and honesty and me as a writer.   Recognition, to me, is unimportant when it comes to my personal writing.   There have been times when I would have loved to have been anonymous but there are times when I know it is important to speak up, be bold and take credit for my work.

Through my personal writing, I will continue to write about the people, sites and events that impact my life in order to understand the world around me the best I can.   Hopefully, when others read what I write, they will be able to relate at least one aspect of my experience to their own and find their own understanding and appreciation of the world.   I strongly believe that you don't have to agree with someone to discover something new about yourself and your world.   Sometimes, when we read something that is controversial in our eyes, it still has an effect upon us.   Writing can affect us by affirming our beliefs just as easily as it can by changing these beliefs.   As a writer, I will consider myself and my writing worthwhile if it touches someone, someday, in some way.   I am not searching for fame and fortune through my writing.   I simply want my personal writing to have an impact on someone's life--no matter how big or small that impact may be.

At this point in my life, I value my personal writing far more than any other.   However, in the future, I plan on focusing more on my professional writing.   Ideally, I would like to find a job where I can utilize my abilities for writing in English as well as in Spanish.   As a journalist, I would be responsible for writing the facts and truth behind the story--despite my own opinions.   If I can become respected as a professional writer by other writers, I will feel as if my writing has a purpose.

I want to be capable of relaying newsworthy events in a professional style.   No matter what type of writing I do, from local, national, international, entertainment or social news, I want my readers to take an interest in the story.   I hope that my work and the words I choose will be easily understood by a non-writer.   As a writer, I feel that I will be able to impact my readers by writing my work so that it is as appealing as possible.   I don't expect the readers to critique and examine my professional work.   However, I do understand that other writers who read my professional work will evaluate my writing style, my word choice, and my work in general.   As long as I am receiving constructive criticism, I will take it into consideration and decide if there is something I need to change. The purpose of my professional writing will be to share a story, and the facts of that story, with my audience, to engage them in what they read and if possible, to connect them with the person, event or situation in the story.

The most important goal for both my personal and professional writing is progress throughout my lifetime.   In a shoe box on my top closet shelf, I still have every story I have ever written since I started writing in first or second grade.   Occasionally, I will read the letters I wrote to the three little pigs or the letter "Cinderella" wrote me and it is obvious that my writing has matured.   When I am an elderly woman wise with age, I want to be able to look back on the writing I am currently doing, and will do in the future, and see the evolution of my work.   As the world around me changes and my beliefs adjust to my experiences, my personal writing will reflect these changes.   When I look back on my personal writing, I want to see that I remained true to what I believed at that time.   When I reflect on my professional writing, I want to see that I delivered my newsworthy story professionally and fairly.

At the end of my life, it will not matter to me how others feel and think about my personal or professional writing.   As a writer, my work must meet my high standards and satisfy me before it will satisfy my readers.   If I have accomplished something through my work and I can see my own, personal progress, I will feel that my lifetime of writing was meaningful and I will have fulfilled my greatest goals.