Blurring the Lines

A blank Microsoft Word document and I had been engaged in a staring competition for over 25 minutes. Although I wasn’t quite sure who was winning, I realized that eventually I would succumb to Word and begin typing my first official college paper. Even though I had yet to step foot on the University of Michigan campus, I had an assignment that was due when I arrived. Standing in my way was the paper I needed to write about a New York Times article called “Groupthink.” As hard as I tried, I could not make a connection with the message of the article, leaving me more than unmotivated to write the essay…

Now let me tell you how an initially reluctant writer transformed into a Communication Studies major and Writing minor--both concentrations that almost exclusively focus on writing. Before Michigan, I viewed writing in two distinct arenas. There was the writing I was required to do for school and then my writing for pleasure. I never viewed writing for academic purposes as enjoyable. However, I thoroughly enjoyed writing about my interests, especially fashion. As I began my writing journey at the University of Michigan, I slowly but surely began to blur the lines between my academic writing and writing for pleasure. I quickly learned that I needed to embrace all writing opportunities and not differentiate between what was required for school and what I wrote for my own enjoyment.

Second semester of my freshman year I registered for a class called Books and Pictures. I was part of the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program, and we were required to take a creative expression class which I fulfilled through this class. As someone who is not particularly artistic I was hesitant entering the class, and feared that our assignments would involve artwork. One of our first assignments, a paper, instructed us to choose a favorite childhood book and closely analyze the text and images on a specific page. Initially this prompt shocked me with its freedom. My teacher assigned me to write about something I was passionate about…for school. In high school this would never have happened. I wrote about the book my parents read to me each night, Time For Bed by Mem Fox and illustrated by Jane Dyer, and found a new appreciation for the sweet story as an adult.

Excerpt from “Goodnight, Sleep Tight.” LHSP 230 Books and Pictures.

Although I loved it as a child, I really understand its purpose as an adult. I admire the simplicity of the text and images however; the idea of the story is still clearly communicated. The subject of sleep is so crucial to a happy and successful life. When I read Time For Bed as a child, I was drawn in by the beautiful illustrations. Now, I understand the point of the book and the message it is trying to convey about the importance of sleep. Going to bed might seem frightening for a young child, however with the comfort of parent, sleeping is a time for dreaming and imagination. The book also raises the question, “What does it mean to sleep well?” Sleep needs to be presented to a child as something that is possible and desirable. In my case, Time For Bed satisfied that criteria.

Being able to look at Time For Bed with a critical eye many years later was a privilege. As a child I greatly valued the book and this assignment helped me to understand that the writing I would be required to do in college would not be limited to analyzing a classic novel. As hard as it was to admit to myself, I may have even enjoyed writing this essay. While re-reading this essay from my freshman writing class, it is clear that I have a deep connection and appreciation for Time For Bed.

During the summer after freshman year, I became determined to find an organization on campus where I could write about fashion. I landed on SHEI Magazine, University of Michigan’s culture and fashion magazine. I was assigned to write an article for the print issue arguing the positive value of my unpaid internship at Giorgio Armani. At first I was disappointed. I intended to write about fashion, not unpaid internships. But as I began writing, I realized how much I was enjoying the process. Because I was drawing from my own unpaid internship experience, I was able to include details about the fashion industry.

Excerpt from “Free Time: Unpaid Internships as Creating or Constricting Professional Opportunities. Pro: Building Professional Networks.” SHEI Magazine.

This summer, I interned at a high-fashion international clothing company in Beverly Hills, California. I worked in the VIP Public Relations Office and dealt with celebrities and their stylists who “borrowed” clothes for various red carpet events. I learned about an aspect of the fashion industry that is often overlooked. Though my experience was not what I had expected, in under three months, I gained salient professional skills. Additionally, I developed relationships and connections with established leaders in the fashion industry. Though I did not receive pay for this internship, the experience was invaluable.

As with the piece about Time For Bed, I enjoyed writing this article for a student publication, even though it was not strictly focused on fashion. I began to recognize that I had a passion for writing about many topics, not just personal interest topics such as fashion. I started to see that even the writing I did for an academic purpose could be on a topic of personal interest, in a significant way that had a greater purpose.

Soon after I wrote the article for SHEI Magazine, I began to think seriously about declaring my major and possibly a minor. I knew that I wanted to be a Communication Studies major, but I hoped to supplement it with a minor. After looking at all options that Michigan offered, I decided to apply to the Sweetland Writing Minor Program. A few weeks later I was accepted, and I could not have been happier.

I took my first official MIW class, the Gateway course, during the fall semester of my junior year. Like many of the classes I had taken previously in college, we had significant latitude in our writing. The first essay I wrote focused on “Why I Write.” Initially this question seemed impossible to answer. How would I be able to pinpoint the one reason why I wrote? Yet after reflection, and a lot of re-writing, I crystallized my answer in the paper.

Excerpt from “I Write Because…” Writing 220.

Why do I write? The answer to this question has changed throughout my lifetime. Today I write because I love the transformation of a piece of work from start to finish. I enjoy each step of the process that takes place from generating an idea to making the final edit. My favorite aspect of writing is that I can control the progression of my work. Friends have called me a control freak and though I will never admit that I am, I love writing because I can control what ends up on the page. Writing allows me to tell a story just as I want it to be told. Whether it is a personal narrative or a fictional short story, I have the power. I am able to dictate my characters’ fates, love stories, or hardships. I can describe a scene the way I envision it in my mind. When I write, every decision is up to me.

I am proud of my candidness and honesty throughout the piece. At this point in my writing journey I had begun to fully embrace the fact that all the writing I did could be enjoyable and have meaning beyond simply the grade I received. Just a few years earlier, I would have rolled my eyes at this assignment, but after learning to critically write about topics that interest me, I felt prepared to write an essay entitled “Why I Write”.

The first semester of senior year I enrolled in an English 325 class focusing on creative nonfiction. Without much experience in the genre, I entered the class excited to explore a different form of writing. This class lent itself to a great deal of choice and freedom when completing assignments. The first task required students to write a reflective narrative about an experience in our lives. I chose to write about my seventeen-year friendship with my best friend Niki. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this sentimental journey of my long-time relationship with one of the most important people in my life. I began the piece by describing the moment Niki and I met on the preschool playground.

Excerpt from “HannahNiki” English 325.

It was just another day in the life of a 3-year-old. My mom dropped me off at my preschool classroom, kissed me goodbye and left for work. I enjoyed preschool most days, especially when our snacks were chocolate chip cookies! My teachers hugged us a lot, and most of the other kids were nice. I did not have one best friend, but had fun playing with everyone. It was a normal day, and we started working on our art projects from the day before. I cut out a rectangle of green construction paper, and then used the scissors to make slits on one side. I used my glue stick to paste my “grass” onto my scene. Finally, the clock struck 10:00 am, my favorite time of the day. I knew that 10:00 am meant that it was time to play outside on the yard. Today I was wearing a blue dress. I adored it. It was from my favorite store, The Gap, and there were flowers all over. As I walked outside to the playground I noticed another girl wearing my dress. The dresses were exactly the same, blue, flowered, and from The Gap. I had never talked to this girl, but next thing I knew, I was walking over to her. She was standing by the slide, having just gone down. We both looked at each other, then at our outfits, and we giggled. Neither one of us realized it then, but from that moment on, Niki (that was her name) and I were inseparable.

Throughout the paper, I write about different times in our lives and how our paths were similar, but also very different. One thing that stayed constant, no matter our physical locations, continues to be our strong friendship. Due to our solid foundation and unique connection, we know that we will remain friends forever. I loved writing this essay. It was a true testament to my friendship with Niki.

Ultimately, the naïve freshman (me!) that entered the University of Michigan almost four years ago has had a huge writing wake-up call. The distinct boundaries that I had constructed for myself regarding writing, slowly, but surely, broke down after each new assignment. I learned that academic writing did not have to be dull or boring, but rather could focus on topics and ideas that I am passionate about. The papers I wrote for class could focus on topics that interested me, and those topics did not just have to be fashion-related. My writing “thought process” has changed drastically throughout the past four years and that can truly be seen through my Minor in Writing Capstone Project. For the capstone I am writing a personal narrative about my journey with fashion and how I have made this passion into something productive. Four years ago I would have laughed at the thought of writing a paper like this for a class. However, the University of Michigan, and more specifically the Sweetland Minor in Writing, taught me that writing for an academic purpose does not have to fit into any specific boundaries or frameworks. I have learned to write with a purpose, explore questions and conflicts, and analyze my claims, all while focusing on topics that I find interesting and engaging. My capstone project, along with all of the other works highlighted on my E-Portfolio focus on topics that I care deeply about. Contrary to the first paper I wrote at the University of Michigan, as I wrote my capstone project and put together my e-portfolio, I was far from staring at a blank Microsoft word document. Instead, my Microsoft word document was overflowing with meaningful ideas.