A Thousand Words

I have only found myself in one or two writing group projects. I am never one for group projects. Not because I don't get along well with others (I am quite the opposite), but because often times one person ends up doing most if not all of the work while others slack. Often times, I am the one leading the group, and end up doing lots of work somehow. It is very frustrating under normal circumstances, but in a writing group especially, it is hard to work. Sharing your own writing, your thoughts, your words, with others to help make them flow is perhaps on of the most impossible tasks. Everyone has a different mind and writes differently. So, I honestly prefer to write alone. Showing my work to others is fine, but collaborating with others is something I do not want to have to do.

Nothing has bothered me more about growing into a young woman than the fact that I have to be extra cautious. I cannot count how many times I have felt uncomfortable or been hit on by some creepy guy when I was out in public. It does not matter the age, but guys seem to think they can just say whatever they want to and it will not have any consequences. It seems that our society puts the word sex and woman together far too often. For instance, in many of Carl's Junior's ads, they have featured beautiful women in bikinis seductively eating a burger. One day, I stumbled upon a video titled, "If Men Were Featured In Ads The Same Way Women Are" and I found myself laughing at a shirtless, six-pack man seductively eating a burger. However, this is not a joke. Why does it seem, even to a woman like myself, so odd when a man is sexualized in an ad but when women are it just feels normal? It is because of this and countless other reasons that men feel that it is "normal...

College is a tough transition. I think we all can agree on that. You move away from home, live with other people your own age 24/7, and you actually have to try to be a functioning adult. It is quite the jump from our high school days just goofing around. However, no part of college has been more tough for me than living without my favorite dog, Brutus. Brutus is a large boxer/hound mutt. He has droopy ears that flop around when he runs, a long nose that directs him to any interesting smell it picks up, a howl that even the moon can hear, and a heart as sweet as cotton candy. He is one of the greatest friends I have ever made. All my life, I have had a dog. When I was born, a chihuahua/Boston terrier mix named Bosco was my companion. After the 16 year old passed away, my family eventually decided it was time to get a new dog. I will never forget the day we saw Brutus at the Oregon Humane Society. He seemed shy. He was only 6 months old. He was not as energetic as most puppies I had...

In the video I found on youtube, the author goes through series of serious inspiration and motivation and complete boredom, anxiety, and procrastination. That is a big part of my writing process. I will start something and finish it, then come back to it and change it up. However, most of the time, I put the writing off until the last minute, and then finish it all in a night.

Here is an author's writing process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_4SpGQo1k

For all my life, except for Kindergarten, I went to a private school. All of these schools had a limit of 300 kids or less. It never felt that small to me. Perhaps it was because it was all I had known. However, I did develop normal social skills. For a long while I did not feel sheltered. But then, college hit. I decided my junior year of high school that I was sick of the small school feel. Everyone not only knew my name, but my whole life story. Rumors traveled twice as fast, drama happened more easily, and escaping a bad friend or an ex was almost impossible because you had the same friends or the same classes or saw each other in the halls everyday. I was also done with the Seventh-Day Adventist bubble. Their beliefs just never agreed with mine. I yearned for a new taste on life and view on God. So, my senior year I finally decided to attend George Fox University. Before school started, I felt pretty confident with my decision. I knew it would be bigger than I had been around ...

"Wouldn't wanna be anybody else...yeah..." My alarm blasts off at the highest decibel possible each morning. I never let Who Says by Selena Gomez get much further in her song before I shut it off. The time I get up depends on the day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I tend to get up at 9:15 am. Plenty of time for a shower, including shampoo and conditioner, picking out a cute outfit for the day, brushing my teeth and hair (with different brushes of course), my acne cream, and mascara and eyeliner. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have to sleepily fall out of bed at the miserable hour of 7. Then I proceed to throw on some pair of jeans I wore earlier that week (or the last) and grab a baggy sweatshirt I wouldn't mind never wearing again. No college student needs to dress nice at 7 in the morning. Each morning however, taking my medicine and grabbing a bite to eat just before I have to leave does not change. I usually am out the door 10-8 minutes before my first class...

Most people know the terms Extrovert and Introvert and often times they identify themselves to be one or the other. Generally, an extroverted person is someone who is energized by being around other people, and introverted people get more exhausted when surrounded by others. For the longest time, I considered myself to be an extrovert. I figured this because I love people. I love talking to them, getting to know them, and making them laugh. However, as I got older, I discovered that I get very tired and irritable sometimes if I am with people a lot. By the end of a long school day or class trip, I was so ready to be by myself, in my room, relaxing. It was not until I came to college that I found out why. Moving into a dorm is a different transition for sure. You are always with people your own age. You even live with another peer. I found myself getting exhausted every now and then by all the energy, but being energized by it all the same. I felt like I was in identity crisis. I sw...

I define a piece of my writing as successful when I have fully encapsulated my thoughts, ideas, and emotions into it. When the writing speaks in my voice, and my voice only. This may sound utterly simplistic, but writing is an art form. Every artist has to be inspired and stay true to who they are to feel complete with their work. Often times, I find that I am using other voices and influences in my life to create a piece of writing that just isn't me. When I re read through a piece of my work, and just feel empowered by it, I know that it is my true heart's words and not anyone else's. It is so easy to write like anyone. To copy lines of poetry, a style of writing by your favorite author, or even song lyrics you heard once upon a time. I have always been a huge advocate for authenticity of an individual. In a world where everyone is trying to copy someone else, or be something they are not, I find someone who is real and genuine to be the most refreshing part of life. ...