Summary
1. The author, Shannon Nichols, throughout the narrative goes from appreciating her writing skills to absolutely hating them. In the third paragraph of her narrative she finds herself speaking about how writing was one of her strengths, then by the seventh paragraph expressing her hatred for writing and self-doubt within her work. She no longer sees her writing abilities as "worthy" due to how many times she had failed despite her and those around her seeing her as a great writer.
2. Nichols may believe that standardized tests take away from an author's creativity and lack the room for perspectives on one's writing. No matter how many attempts were made she kept finding herself not being able to pass. Standardized testing far too often than not, boxes students into giving what is seen as a proper answer and not allowing room for personality.
3. Nichols was a great writer, an excellent one at that. Her grades were great and was a very strong student in many subjects but for her, English was one of her major strong suits. She then had to take a writing proficiency test which she had failed. It was something that shocked her greatly, for even those around her barely passing the class, had passed the English section of the test. She assumed that after her next attempt, she'd surely pass, but once Nichols received her grades back she was still not satisfied. She wanted to do better, be better. She had felt like a major disappointment to not only herself but to everyone else in her life. Due to such an experience, she began to hate writing and was filled with major self-doubt. She wished she could've kept her love, passion, and enthusiasm for writing instead of it turning into such a chore.
4. Has there been a time in your life when you doubted your abilities as a writer or in general? Explain.
There has been a time in my life when I doubted my abilities as a writer. A specific time I can think of was in High School. When I graduated from middle school I had the best English grade in my entire year. I knew that no matter what I wrote, I still found a way to get a grade I best believed it was worthy of. Whether it was a research essay I spent hours on, or even just simple homework answers I put true thought behind it. It wasn't until I got to high school that nearly everyone else was at the same level of writing as me. It made me feel like I wasn't a good writer if all I knew was the bare basics everyone else did. I started not to try as much, but writing in a journal has been something I use to freely express myself without feeling the need to compare. Now I believe my writing skills and ability are just mediocre, which is nothing to feel ashamed about.
5. I feel like my writing abilities are average for someone who grew up speaking and writing in English. There are many more things I wish to learn and be much better at, like using better words when describing things or using fewer metaphors and similes.
