Authenticity

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 This week, while working on college essays, I realized the importance of having my own voice in my essays. I was reflecting back on an anecdote I was including and I began to feel tired. I was boring myself on my own essay! If I couldn't even get through my own essay, how could I expect someone else to, not only read it, but also enjoy it? The answer was I couldn't and I needed a solution. I scoured the internet hoping to find some tips on how to make my writing more interesting. The one answer that consistently turned up was that I needed to work on my voice. This reminded me of our breakout room, in which someone suggested to me that I work on "showing not telling". At the time, I thought that was good advice but I wasn't really sure how to implement it and eventually I forgot about it. Now I knew that in order to "show not tell" I would have to speak through my writing not just describe a situation objectively like a news report. But how would I do this? Through the knowledge of Google, I was able to find helpful advice. Voice isn't about using big words to show off your vocabulary. Instead it is better to stay concise and draw your reader in by painting a picture of what your story is. Using strong words to enhance a story rather than simply stating bare facts in fancy words is important to capture and hold your readers attention. By working on voice consistently, I hope I will be able to connect more with my reader and strengthen my writing ability. 

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