~ Alfred Kazin
My Passion for the Written Word…
As a child, I would lie awake in bed listening to the sorrowful cries of the foghorn near my home. It’s beautiful, painful weeping evoked such feeling inside of me that I was inspired to preserve these feelings through writing. And so, was born, my lifelong passion for writing.
Throughout my childhood, I dutifully wrote in diary after diary, some crammed full of an adolescent girl’s laughter and tears, others left with empty pages. Regardless of its written destiny, finding the perfect diary became almost as important as finding the perfect words to put in it.
As a college student, I took every writing course my program would allow. During these pivotal years, I learned how best to organize my thoughts on paper. I also learned the difference between “its” and “it’s”, lie and lay, me and I, and other such grammatical indignations.
Becoming a teacher allowed me to share my passion for writing year after year, with each new group of students. As a teacher, it was my mission to instill in my students a love and passion for the written word; but, it was my own love and passion for writing that was reignited. Likewise, I learned more from teaching writing, than I had in any writing class, as the teacher masters her craft through the act of teaching.
As a grad student, my focus continued to be on writing. As a culmination to my Master’s degree, I developed, researched, and authored a study on elementary students’ abilities in expository writing. This knowledge helped me recognize and appreciate my skills in academic writing, something that had lain dormant in years past.
As a doctoral student, I had the distinct pleasure of working with the director of the South Coast Writing Project (SCWriP), a sister-branch of the National Writing Project. The focus of my doctoral dissertation was my involvement in SCWriP’s affiliate program, IIMPaC, a program that works directly with teachers to enhance their writing skills through workshops and in-house team-teaching. Not only was my participation in this program the crux for my dissertation, it was a true learning experience for the writer in me!
Now, as a parent to a young son, I have the privilege of watching the writing process develop from scribbles and pictures, to emergent writing. It is enriching to see the theories and studies I have long researched materialize in my personal experience! I write about these experiences on my Memoirs from the Belly blog.
In a nutshell, I have, my entire life, gravitated towards writing. From my adolescent diary writing, to sharing my love of writing with my students, to the honing of my academic writing in grad school, and now, writing memoir about being a single Mom, the written word has been a loyal, constant companion.
And now, I wish to share my passion and flair for writing with you!
Think we might be a great fit? You can contact me at sararenae71@gmail.com.
You can also check out my Written Well Blog for a glimpse into my writing skills and style!
Sara Renae Mattson
Words Written Well Sell
sararenae71@gmail.com
(805) 234-5272
