“For some of us, books are as important as anything else on this earth. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I’m grateful for it the same way I’m grateful for the ocean.”
-Anne Lamott
This week I finished one of my better, more sophisticated English papers in my undergraduate experience. It took me weeks to write and to be honest, it is probably still filled with endless amounts of errors. As I read through it an hour before I was about to hand it in all I could think of was how inadequate I felt and how simple minded my writing sounded. There are moments I feel that I have such good, rich thoughts but as I put my pen to the paper (or my fingers to the keyboard), there is a slippage in the essence of what I am thinking and what I am actually communicating. Dealing with this frustration has given me a greater and more sincere appreciation for literature and more respect for good writers. Although I may be more confident in the English language than others, there are moments I read esteemed literature and I think that I am thousands of miles away from ever truly being a “good” writer. Being an English major has taught me many things, but it has especially taught me this: I have always valued wonderful writing. I am in awe of it now.
