This is my first essay from composition.  It is by far my favorite thing that I have written for this class, because it tells a lot about me and I feel as though I've put a lot of thought into it.

19 September 2011

The Keeper of the Plant

I've always had an affinity for writing, one that's rather unusual for a majority of young people. Most of my friends never really understood how I was able to take an idea and go with it so effectively that I would have whole essays completed in no more than 2 hours. Instead of living the life of what one would consider a “normal” teenager, I spent a lot of time writing down every little thought that I had, and I never complained about having to write things for school. It was never really a problem for me. No one knew just how accustomed I was to writing at home, constantly extending my grammar skills and trying to absorb vocabulary, both to the greatest extent of which I was capable. Doing this made me extremely comfortable with writing.

I had this strange tendency to keep my writing a secret. I spilled my mind in numerous notebooks and not a word escaped into the view of anyone else. It was always too personal and introspective. Occasionally, though, I would write a bit of fiction, but none of it was quite as deep as the story I weaved with occurrences from real life. Somewhere in between, I drew a few works of concept art, and became lost in thought as my mind fused together my fictions and realities. The character I had drawn was now a real person who lived a life of his own, and I knew then that it was necessary to write his story.

Thus, my love for writing took on a whole new form, which I now know as my comic series, “T.”, which follows a clinically insane high school boy named Timmy who is the destined keeper of a carnivorous plant known as Sir Peaches. I was never truly confident in anything I wrote, though, until I found that people were instantly hooked on my work. It was then that I knew I'd made more than your average comic strip. “T.” contains a storyline that is both complex and dark, and I'm always trying to find means of making it better. I change the drawing style as I improve on my art skills, and, with that, I improved on the storyline and flow of dialogue as I increased my knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. I actually took this desire to better my series far enough that I revised the whole first issue of the comic, and found it much more satisfactory than the original. This was when I really found my passion for this comic, and I began to dig significantly deeper into the storyline. I applied my true philosophy as well as a few twists to reality.

My characters are basically the embodiment of each aspect of my personality. The character, Chryss, that I named after myself, is representative of my outward shyness and social anxiety. Zaide is the colorful, creative, hyper side of me that shows when I'm with my closest friends. Jake is my insecurity and desperation, and Timmy, the main character, is that little bit of insanity without which I wouldn't be who I am now. Somehow, these characters managed to build a path that led them from my heart to those of others.

I never imagined that I would have so many people interested in a piece of writing that came from my mind, so I had quite a list of mixed feelings when people actually started to proclaim themselves “fans” of my work. A few of my relatives and close friends are actually encouraging me to seek a publisher for the purpose of preserving my work and granting the world access to it. As I read about Russell Baker's experience with his high school essay, “The Art of Eating Spaghetti”, I instantly made a connection to what occurred with my comic series. I noticed that his idea had also come from an initially pointless attempt to create something that he was going to keep to himself, and it ended up being so much more than that. It delivered the extremely unexpected result of people showing interest in it, and that is always an honor.

Since this major turn of events, I've been vastly more confident in my writing, and increasingly more willing to share it with others. I no longer have a fear of constructive criticism that I couldn't let go for such a long time. Previously, it would discourage me and cause me to distance myself from writing, but now I believe that it can only help me. I believe that a true passion for writing entails the willingness to take any steps that I possibly can to be the strongest writer that I'm capable of being. I value my own writing more now than I ever have before, because I know that, even if it's solely for my viewing, I put all of my thought into it. Ultimately, if I am satisfied with my own work, it is enough. It's simply a bonus to have my writing recognized in a positive way by so many people, especially the ones for whom I care the most. Writing is so important to me now that it is one of the most critical factors in how I define myself.