My writing style has always sounded strange to me in comparison to others. I'm not sure if the impression I get from my work is the same impression other people get, but I always feel as though I come off as incredibly aloof. I sound detached and slightly arrogant when I read over my writing pieces, which is definitely not the tone I'm aiming for. Honestly, I don't know how to fix this. I don't even know if it needs fixing. There's a good chance that I'm being hyper-conscious about my work and the thought of my writing sounding arrogant hasn't crossed the minds of anyone but myself. But I somehow doubt it will change, regardless of the circumstances. I'm fairly set in my style. The transitions I use from topic to topic also tend to be weak or nonexistent. My paragraphs end abruptly, and the new paragraph starts as if the last paragraph was never written in the first place. Now that I've pointed this out, that factor might become painfully obvious when reading this post. The transition I'm using now should make that point clear.
When it come to reading, I'm generally slow and I need to read over things once or twice to go beyond the obvious plot and meaning. Reading between the lines takes me awhile sometimes. Reading has never been one of my absolute favorite things, a big part of that being that I take forever and a day to finish a book. Despite it not being my strongest suit, it is still leaps and bounds more developed than my public speaking skills.
I do realize that the third part of English is communication, which means speaking in front of a large group. I have never been comfortable with reading my work aloud or sharing my ideas purely on the grounds that I'm afraid I'll sound ignorant or that I've completely missed the point. But it's not just projecting my own thoughts that terrifies me, even just reading aloud from a book to the class makes me nervous and tense. I blush and start slipping up on words, which sometimes people don't even notice because I speak so quietly. I know that this is mildly irrational, and it's something that I need to improve, because there's so much room for improvement.
English classes that help develop these three skills are very important, which is why English is required in all four years of high school. Why? Every class, every job, every social situation, everything demands one or more of those three skills. Writing is used in virtually every class and almost every job we will ever take. Everyone reads constantly every day, whether it be Shakespeare, Dr. Seuss, or even a price tag on a new pair of shoes. Communication is a vital skill as well. We talk daily for a good portion of the day, and being able to talk comfortably and intelligently to others is important. Just think, if it weren't for English classes, we'd be running our mouths about every thought that crossed our mind like we did when we were little... or maybe that was just me as a toddler. Having a good sense of language is completely necessary to anyone. And strengthening myself in reading, writing, and communication beyond the required class is why I chose to do Honors English.
