I’m a writer. I always have been. I have a notebook full of fictional stories I scribbled in kindergarten. I have journals upon journals that document my middle school, high school, and college experiences. I have binders of poems, letters I never sent, conversations I never had. Writing was and is my outlet. I always received good grades on my papers with little effort, and I was the one stuck editing my older brothers’ papers late at night. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with writing, but I knew I was a writer and always would be.
My senior year of high school, I went through a sort of mid-school crisis and decided that I was going to be a dietitian. My parents were trying to hide their confusion (and amusement) regarding this new interest, but they knew it was just a phase. After realizing how much science was involved in that career, I quickly abandoned the idea. I graduated and spent a year at Word of Life Bible Institute. Everyone took the same classes there, so I didn’t have to decide on a major just yet.
After I graduated from WOLBI, I transferred to Cedarville. As soon as I read the first part of the first sentence on the Professional Writing and Information Design (PWID) page, “If you like writing, editing, and design…” I knew exactly what I was going to major in. So I transferred to Cedarville, technically a sophomore but feeling like a freshman.
One of my first papers due was all about defining technical communication (which is ironic and confusing because the entire semester we were learning that technical communication can’t be concretely defined). During high school, I learned to procrastinate so well that I literally became unable to sit down and focus on writing a paper until the night (or hours) before it was due. So naturally I saved the bulk of this first paper till the night before it was due.
A trait that I took pride in during high school would soon be my greatest enemy. I finished the paper, turned it in, and didn’t think about it again until I received an email saying that my assignment had been graded. I nervously clicked the link and logged into my account. My heart sank when I saw my grade.
A C+??? Are you kidding me?!
I had never received that low of a grade on a paper. I was devastated and embarrassed. So many things were running through my mind. Why am I even in this major? Professor Carrington probably thinks I’m so dumb. I’m not cut out for this. I’m probably not even a good writer. Seriously, a C??
After some time of grieving, a new wave of thoughts flooded in. I thought to myself, “Olivia, you’re in a writing major. Everyone here is a good writer. Waiting till the last minute isn’t enough anymore. You need to learn to impress yourself with your writing.”
I came to the conclusion that I probably didn’t even know how well I could write because I never challenged myself to be better; I had always settled for waiting till the last minute to produce acceptable work. But not anymore. I wanted to impress myself with my own writing, and last-minute work wouldn’t do that.
Although still slightly embarrassed, I had a new sense of confidence and determination to take on the rest of the semester with. I spent some more time on the next paper and was ecstatic when I received a B+. When I saw the comment “you write well” at the end of my paper, I thought I was going to explode with happiness and pride.
Now I’m in my junior year, and I’m happy to say I haven’t received any more Cs on my papers. I have learned the value of planning ahead, editing more than once, and not waiting till the last minute to crank a paper (or project) out. Yes, there have been some late nights, and I still sometimes procrastinate more than I should, but I’m slowly erasing my high school habits.
PWID has not only challenged and pushed me as a writer, editor, and designer, it has also provided me with a tight-knit group of people with similar interests. I can say that I truly love my major and fellow professional writers. I have been in class with (mostly) the same people since my first semester here at Cedarville, and we really have become a little family. From goofing off in class, to working on assignments late at night together, and even bickering like siblings, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of classmates and friends.
I’ve been saying for years that I’m a writer. I always will be, whether I write manuals, publish blogs, or simply journal my thoughts on life. PWID has not only made me a better writer, it has helped me develop a higher standard for my writing. Sometimes all it takes is one C to turn your perspective upside down.
— Olivia Duffus (Senior)
