As A Writer...

I have always considered myself as being a good writer. In high school, I had very well rounded teachers who challenged my ability as a writer and formed my writing style over the years.
When I arrived at college, I felt that I was very familiar with the terms and types of writing I was learning in my English class. Also, I felt that I was ahead of the game because I found that a good number of people had no idea what was being taught in the class. I was happy to find myself in a familiar area of the subject, so I was obviously prepared well. Throughout high school I also had a few poems that I had written published in poetry books, which was a great accomplishment to me. The fact that I had poems published in books gave me more confidence in all aspects of my writing.
One thing that I have realized is that a piece of writing is never complete. I always used to get discouraged about receiving so many comments on my papers, because I felt that I needed to change everything. Then, I realized that people have their own opinions, and that I could choose to change things that they suggest, or leave it the way I would like. I always take grammatical suggestions seriously, but tend to slug off opinionated changes.
I consider writing to be more than just an educational, scholastic skill. Every literate person in the world uses writing at least once a day. Writing is obviously a major part of literacy, and without it we would not have some of the things that we have today. We would not have books if people never took the time to write things down. Also, I think that without writing many people would not have a way to express themselves. Writing is a way of letting your imagination loose and expressing yourself for many people.
We use writing for the simplest tasks such as signing a check, writing a thank-you note, and signing a receipt. We need that skill, otherwise what would the alternative be? Writing is an art, and I have experienced that aspect through my poetry. I definitely use writing outside of school whether writing a letter, or just writing to vent. Writing is more than just a skill used in school, and I do not think people take full advantage of their writing abilities. I feel that many people are not confident in their writing because of being constantly critiqued. I think more people would write if they had the time, but the world is so busy that there is no time.