You turn in your informative essay for English class. It was written last minute.  You can not remember what it was about. Your teacher will probably introduce the class to another paper you will need to write next week with another list of rules and requirements that restrict your writing.

This experience has happened to me too many times to count. I wonder if everyone’s essays look the same. I used to dread writing until I took a creative writing class this year, and everything changed. The class helped to give my writing new creativity. It showed me that writing should be FUN and not something that I should dread doing every day. It helped me put emotion and life into words! It made my writing colorful. And all it took was taking a class in high school.  

How many points would’ve been taken off my last paragraph if I turned it in for an English assignment? Why aren’t we, as students, allowed to have a certain style of writing that helps to convey our message? Creative writing classes are important to improve the way we think about writing and will improve our writing skills overall. 

Standardized testing like the Keystones has required teachers to teach the formula-based style of writing that students see in classrooms today. These tests further “standardize” students and hurt their creativity. If we still have to have standardized tests, teachers should at least teach both formulaic and creative writing to broaden students’ skills.  

Some people like having rules that are set in stone and will always stay the same no matter what. Writing is supposed to be something that is put into our own words, and that is unique to us. Authors like Jane Austen, e.e. cummings, Emily Dickinson and William Faulkner didn’t get famous by writing like everyone else in their English class and following the rules. They got famous by being unique and personable and by making their stories interesting to read.  If we want to be good writers, we should be taught how to do that too.