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My best friend and I at a beach in
Mexico. |
Reading my personal essay to my friend, I was really nervous about what she would think. I don't normally talk about the subject I chose to write about, and she had moved before the scenario happened. She never really knew what I was feeling or what was going on because I had distanced myself from my friends, because in my 15 year old mind, that was being strong.
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| After running Color Me Rad. |
She really enjoyed hearing my personal essay, and because she has been in my house before, she was able to have a better picture of my house. Even though she knew the design of my house, she still had a hard time taking in all the detail. She suggested I improve on the flow of my detail, and maybe change a few words to create a better description.
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Finding hideous clothes for each other
and modeling them. |
As I was reading out loud, I noted a few places where the flow between paragraphs needed a little fixing up as well. I needed to let loose on this paper, and really get through what I was trying to show. The essay seemed boring, even though there was a lot of detail. In reading it out loud, I even got a little bored. I'm going to see how maybe changing some details may make it, well, less boring.
After I was done reading the essay to her in the parking lot of a movie theater late last night, she asked a few questions about how I felt during that situation, and what was really going on. She had tried to be a good friend to me during that time, checking up on me and making sure I was okay, but I had pushed her out. I was always "okay." So it was nice to finally be able to open up to her, and deepen our relationship.
I also had a similar experience when I read my personal essay with someone else. They helped me pick out some places where the flow could be better, but also it was good for me to have them share in on my perspective of my experience in a way that I hadn't shared before.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting that you shared your personal essay with someone you had known around the time of the events in your personal essay. I am sure that sharing it with her meant more to both of you because you knew each other back then. I never thought about what people who were directly involved might feel or think about what I wrote. I think that sharing it with these people would allow for different kinds of feedback.
ReplyDeleteI love how your writing has connected you with an old friend. I think this should be a lesson to all of us in our own writing; to create opportunities to connect with others in a positive way.
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