Wallowing in Complexity

"Why Can't Tiffany Write?" Why can't I write? My high school English classes surely did not prepare me for college. The biggest challenge I faced upon entering this classroom was that I had to take everything that I had been taught in high school, throw it in the trash, and start over. I feel that my understanding of real writing has expanded greatly this semester. The most important skill that I have learned is how to critically think and how to use that in my writing. Our in-class discussions proved most helpful in acquiring this skill. In high school, my teachers would ask me to write a ten page researched paper on American government. Was I interested in this? No. Was the paper intriguing? No. Did my paper cause anyone to think differently? No. The ability to "wallow in complexity" was never a requirement. I needed only to regurgitate information in a five paragraph essay to pass the class with flying colors. However, I have learned that what makes an excellent paper is that the writer must be interested in his/her topic, he/she must critically think about the topic at hand, and he/she must write in a rhetorical manner that will cause the reader to be intrigued and enlightened. This knowledge has allowed me to become a more effective writer, and a happier one too. No longer being a slave to the mundane and unchallenging process of "research and regurgitate" has allowed me to view the art of writing in a new light.