By Mia Hanuska
I crawl under my covers and pull up a new Google Doc. It’s well past 12 am and my thoughts are racing. Quickly, I set up my new document: twelve-point, Times New Roman, single spaced. I bold the byline as if it’ll be turned in as an assignment, despite knowing it’s only for me. My hands rest on the keyboard and begin typing away. Within fifteen minutes I have a new piece, fully drafted, revised, and edited.
I’ve found a passion in writing. It began with simple poems, then the Sophomore English vignette project led me to writing longer, more detailed “letter-esk” pieces. I can attribute much of my love for writing to that project and drafting articles for The Shield, as they both allow me to test out new formats I’ve never tried. I’m not saying I’m an amazing or perfect writer by any means, or that I love every single piece I write, but simply? I just love to write. I find myself constantly tapping on my computer, creating countless new documents nightly. I love the freedom—there’s no rules when you write for yourself. Plus, as someone who has trouble voicing their thoughts, putting them down on paper/online doc makes them easier to manage and recognize, without the stress of needing it to be perfect or finding the right words in the moment. I can voice anything and could show them to anyone and say, “this is me. This is what I’m thinking, this is how I’m feeling.” I’m sure many would consider it gibberish; the constant repetition in words, the lack of rhymes, the jumping around in topics. However, I’ve discovered those are the best parts: they’re part of my unique writing style. It’s the colons, commas, and italicized words that make my writing, mine. Writing has become an outlet for me to express everything, and I highly recommend it to others who haven’t tried it. Now, I’m not saying everyone should write an article, or a book, but just try drafting something you know only you will see. Whether you start with poetry, longer letters to yourself, or even just brain-dumping, I’m convinced everyone has some sort of writing that they’ll enjoy, they just need to find it first. My tip? Don’t restrict yourself. Remember not all poems need rhymes (in fact, I’ve only ever written a few that do, I prefer playing around with formatting), no topics are off-limits (you can choose not to share them with anyone), and most importantly, enjoy it. If you find one form isn’t working, try another. Or find a nontraditional way, if it’s speak-to-write or even little lists. Writing is healing, writing is freeing, writing is safe.