I want to write an essay on how i was a drug affected kid but i don’t know how to start it off, can you help me?
I’m happy to help, especially with something that is so personal to you.
I’m a little conflicted on which way to advise you because I’m not sure what you want to use this for: is this for school, for yourself, family, friends?
If this is for school and therefore a grade, the assignment is likely to be on the structure and grammar of your writing. If that’s the case, ask your teacher for a graphic organizer or a template to get you started. Be sure to ask what you are being graded on, so you can focus on that.
If this is for yourself, just start moving your pen. We’re natural born storytellers, so let the story move you. Don’t worry about grammar, structure, or organization at first.
Start with what is most poignant in your mind and let it go from there.
Keep writing until you feel like you have said all you want to say.
Make a mess of it. Go back and read what you’ve written. If you missed or want to change something; cross out, write in the margins, use arrows, different colored pens/highlighters. Whatever feels right. Do this a third or fourth time.
Clean it up. Now that you’ve written your story out, think about what will make most sense to the person reading it. You can cut your story up into sections, lay it out in a manner that will make it more readable from start to finish.
Rewrite or type up your cleaned up version.
Have someone else read your work. If you feel comfortable, let someone read your work. Sometimes with writing that is so personal, it can be good to have someone neutral like a teacher, classmate, or counselor read your work. This way they can ask you follow-up questions or give you feedback that might make the essay even stronger.
Be open to revisions. When you get feedback, be sure not to take it personally. Every professional writer has a team of editors who provide them with feedback. Keep in mind this doesn’t change your story, but is more about what will make the writing better, and more readable to the person reading it, which is the whole point of writing…to make an impact on the person reading it.
I love that you are taking on this project. Think about taking this project even further, like making a digital story that you can share with others. We would love to share it on We R Native too, so let us know when you’re done, and be sure to share your story at weRnative.org/shareyourstory.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Take care,
Auntie Manda
