A souring experience derailed my writing career before it even began. I’m sure you’re asking, “Well, what do you mean by that, Jordan?” Let me tell you about this experience, which soured my love for writing for years. I was just a student in middle school and the concept of poetry, storytelling, and punctuation was foreign to me. It took me weeks to learn when and where to put a comma, so my sentences never paused. When I took Language Art, I was a social studies and science kid. Back then. Math and language arts were my Achilles’ heel. Every time I felt like I was gaining knowledge, an essay would drag me back down to reality. It wasn’t a pleasant time, but souring experiences happen all the time. Even the hobbies we adore will have you, at some point, question your affinity for it. There were a lot of frustrating moments in that class, but two stick out in particular.
My Souring Experience made it worthwhile
If I recall correctly, we had to draw a picture of our interpretation of ‘The Raven’. I tried drawing Edgar Allan Poe, but my sketching abilities were still very green. When the teacher got to my drawing, he laughed and showed the whole class who joined in it. I never felt more embarrassed in my life up to that point. Another assignment was writing a poem. You may think I aced this one, given that I have an entire page on this website of poems, but you’re wrong. Remember, I had never written a poem before this, so I just piece together some random words that rhymed. I titled it “Bark at The Park”. I wasn’t supposed to give it a title, and the teacher was not high on the poem anyway, so that was a double whammy. So, I finished the class, just passing it by the skin of my teeth. This Souring experience during 8th grade Language Arts made me give up writing and poetry recreationally until my freshman year of college. I wonder how much better of a writer I’d be if I continue writing during my adolescence. However, part of me is actually thankful. A Souring Experience made my journey as a writer much more fulfilling. Also, it taught me not to give up on something immediately because of one rough experience.