Way back in the year of 2011, I went to an event called "TedxYouthDay." I went with my dad, and had a great time. I remember hearing my dad talk about this thing he writes for called the "Huffington Post." I decided to sit down and try to tell the story of my experience at TedxYouthDay. I wrote out a fairly sizable blog, sent it to my dad, and then spent another hour correcting bad grammar and idea structure. For being 13 at the time, I think I did a pretty good job on that blog. I remember being so proud of my work that I then decided to write about my experience trying to take the SHSAT, the standardized test for the NYC specialized public high schools.
As time went on, blogging became more of a regular activity. It was something I did every Sunday after having breakfast and thinking of an idea with my father. I switched between personal and news based topics, and still do very often. The weekly routine of sitting down and organizing my ideas into a coherent piece of text that people of various backgrounds can enjoy became very cathartic. This routine also began to have different effects on me that make sense, but I didn't expect at the time.
One of these effects was that I became a much more solid writer, which should be expected. Writing a blog forced me to take an idea in my head and turn it into a fully explained article, and helped me hone my skills in all forms of writing. One upside of this practice that I didn't think of 3 years ago was how this would help me in the college process; specifically the numerous essays that require you to divulge personal stories and feelings about certain topics. Another effect was that I became significantly better at presenting an idea of mine overall. I consider myself to be quite good at arguing a point of view that I support, as well as defending the point.
These advances became very clear when I received a message from a publishing company wishing to use one of my pieces (later another piece) to be published in a language textbook. After receiving that news, I realized why I write. I don't write for the publicity or fame, but instead to put my idea out there. I write for both you, the viewer, and for myself. I write to hear the responses in the comment section, whether they are good or bad, because those comments prove to me that people are reading what I write and care enough to chip in. I've mentioned this in a blog before, but the Huffington Post have given people like me, who normally wouldn't have a voice to say what they think and feel about what's happening in their lives or the world.