I am not a write and never dreamed to be one. Few months ago, I remember I got a writing e-book. My original though was to develop my writing skill, not only to write a blog but also because every other week I have to compose our ministry with Wycliffe prayer letter and newsletter.
The e-book’s title is On Becoming A Writer: What Every Blogger Needs To Know, by Denise J Hughes. For a 2 weeks I’ve been reading this book (finally I got to this book!) and I wish she was the teacher at my writing class when I was at collage. She lives in Southern California with her family, a lovely Christian woman (who is one of those who inspire my life!) and a composition teacher at a collage.
On her first chapter, she mentions that she would encourage her students to write a blog, so that they would experience writing process outside the context of school assignments. I think that is a great idea from a teacher. Again, I wish my writing/composition teacher would ask us to do that.
I’ve been blogging (on and off) since 2006-ish, and I am still not confident enough to write and share my stories in English. A lot of reasons behind my unconfident feeling. But after reading her first chapter, I decided to try again, to start from the very basic of what is writing, what should I write and just flow with it. English is not my first language, it’s my 4th language. So YES, I will make many errors, but now I know that is part of learning process.
I will try to “push” myself to be discipline to share my experience here using this assignments, Writing In Action, from Denise’s book. This is the first one.
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I went to Atmajaya Catholic University, Jakarta, Indonesia to study to be an English Teacher in 1999 and graduated in 2007. There where I got my bachelor degree on education. I took about 2 years off the collage for some family reasons.
When I was at collage, one of the main subjects I needed to take was Writing/Composition. They had 3 classes for that subject, Writing 1, Writing 2 and Writing 3. I learned to write in English, in hard ways. It was very difficult for me to understand the whole concept the lectures taught at the time. We sticked to whatever they assigned us to write. I didn’t like that classes! My thought as long as I could get a C, I passed the class. I was satisfied with C! I just didn’t do my very best to try to get the best grade for Writing classes.
And I got the point when I experienced the hardest time when I had to write my last paper to graduate. But I was so thankful to God that he brought me through the process when I totally rely on Him, wisdom and He even sent helps through a group of American students who were in Jakarta at that time, the group I helped with their Indonesian language and culture class for 2 weeks. They helped me a lot with editing and helping me to understand some terms that I didn’t understand the meaning. After the group left, God sent a couple of missionaries to help me with the last editing for my paper.
Around the same time, I started to blog in English (I wrote blog in Indonesia in 2006). And through all that, I found out that writing a blog in English was more what I would like to do, but had not enough confidence to do so. But I just kept writing simple posts up until now.
I pray that through this learning process, God will help me to discover what He wants me to write, how and use it to inspire and impact other’s lives so that they may come to know Him and His glory!
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I will be so thankful if you, my friends and readers, would leave any comments/critiques/corrections on my writing/post. Your comments/critiques/corrections will help me to grow and improve my writing! THANK YOU SO MUCH for being so awesome for taking time to do so!
