Why Do We Write?
Why write? That is the question today. We asked our various members why they wrote in the hopes that you'll be inspired as we were. Without further ado, here's why the Owl Pamphlet writes. Enjoy.
Daniella Cotek
Being part of The Owl Pamphlet, our school newspaper, obviously means I have to write a lot. There are a few reasons why I chose to join this club and write, although they aren’t really surprisingly deep.
One of the reasons I write is because I think it’s a good way to learn how to express my ideas properly. Writing has helped me learn to express ideas better without being too wordy and boring while still going into enough detail. It has somehow helped with my presentation skills and oral examinations by helping me compose answers better. This is one of my main motivations to write because I think it’ll be useful for my future, whether it be university or even a job.
Another of the reasons why I write is this: I generally try to have other activities outside of school. I’m hoping that being a part of the school newspaper and other extracurricular activities will reflect well on me for future college and job applications (again).
Lastly, I write because I do enjoy discussing topics that I find interesting. I’m generally talkative, and writing feels a bit like talking or ranting to somebody even if no one ends up reading my articles. I enjoy long conversations and basically just discussing anything. I like going into detail and to me, writing is the perfect outlet for my thoughts and opinions.
Azriel Alvarez
Writing. It’s a tool for good or bad. It may be a tool to tell the truth, state facts, or educate the masses. However, for me, it is to express my opinions. Let me explain why. In a world of cancel culture, it is hard to express our opinions. Though many times cancel culture is justified, a lot of times it is completely useless. Hey! You may even be canceled for liking pineapple on your pizza, which I do, and now I’m scared for my life. In all seriousness, it is really hard to express our beliefs nowadays. In the past, and even now, people have been killed by just expressing their opinions. Though, talking about Stevie Wonder probably won’t get anyone killed, lots of topics can still be divisive.
Now, Azriel, all of these points would seem to make expressing your opinion into something you shouldn’t do. Well, the reason why I and many people do it is because it is suffocating to stay silent and to not have a voice in the world. It feels freeing to not be afraid and to express what you believe in. Now as a Christian, one of the things I’m afraid to put in my articles are Bible verses. I ask myself “Is this necessary?”, “Do I make myself less cool by doing this?” Well, Matthew 28:19-20 is a verse I really go back to when I get insecure about these types of things. Now lastly, I encourage all of you people reading this to go and express your opinion, because it is your right to do so. Don’t be scared of judgment and also don’t judge anyone for sharing their opinions. This has been Azriel Alvarez for S.Y. 2021-2022, and you can count on me to continue sharing my opinions. See you next time!
Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Iris Ang
Writing is a very versatile art. It can be used to express, teach, and more. Personally, I write to learn. Writing is an opportunity for me to think critically and learn how to assess information, and it also allows me to reflect and form an opinion on certain topics. The pandemic has forced us to stay at our homes, in the same environment, surrounded by the same people, leaving us with limited methods to learn. To cope with this, I decided to use writing as an outlet to articulate my thoughts and learn more about modern society. Writing has allowed me to learn in a free and adventurous way, with numerous topics to choose from and explore.
However, what use is learning if you don’t share it with others? Sharing insight with others will be beneficial to both yourself and the people around you, as it promotes overall growth and improvement. Joining The Owl Pamphlet has allowed me to share my learnings and thoughts to different people. Writing in this club has been such an enjoyable experience, as I was able to try out new things and write and learn more about various topics such as the current news, pop culture, and school events. Such writing activities have greatly helped me broaden my perspective.
To me, writing is one of the best ways to learn, grow, and spread awareness to one’s self and to those around them. I hope that other people can learn something new or gain a new perspective in the articles I write.
Zach Pantoja
As part of The Owl Pamphlet, I learned that to write means to be committed. Sometimes, it takes a while to make an article and to come up with a topic to write about, but I find that writing is something important in life as it equips us with communication and thinking skills. In the club itself, I improved my communication skills with my fellow club members because we would always talk about many things whenever we met. But, how does writing itself help in communication?
I believe that I can use my writing to reflect and learn from my experiences, and from there, I can communicate to others my newfound realizations. Communication helps to spread knowledge and the truth, and this is also a tool in which we can exercise our influence on others and bring out changes in the minds of our readers while also motivating them.
Elijah Carreon
Why do I write? That is a question which, I admit, I have not pondered upon all that much, for the why of the question just seemed all too self-evident. With that being said, I personally write simply because I enjoy thinking about various things.
I would describe myself as a very curious person, who has a lot of questions regarding many different subjects. Writing is an avenue in which I can articulate the questions I hold to the clearest and most precise extent in which I can possibly manage. Once I have written down my question in a manner that satisfies me, in such a way that I think touches or will touch everything I wish to know about the topic, I will then read books, essays, articles, and even listen to discussions between experts or other people knowledgeable about the said topic in order to get the necessary information which I desire, as well as differing perspectives on the issue. Once I have accrued enough knowledge and have reached the point where I feel confident enough to develop my own stance on the issue, or perhaps to the point where I feel as though I can confidently talk about the issue, I then proceed to write my thoughts down.
“Well why bother?” One may ask, “Why make the effort of doing so?” Well, I’ve come to realize that often, you don’t always know what exactly it is you think of something, or at the very least, not to the fullest extent possible (which I think is definitely the case), until you have genuinely questioned yourself regarding your stance and written down your thoughts on the issue in one form or another. “Why and how so?” Writing, and by writing I mean writing with an intent to learn (not just some senseless scribbling or button-mashing), is already a form of organized thinking. Writing helps us formulate the right questions in the best possible manner and sort out what we have learned and our thoughts about it. So in a sense, writing not only helps us discover new things, but in some ways discover ourselves as well, which allows us to grow and mature into critical, independent thinkers. Can the process of writing be laborious and difficult at times? Certainly. Do you occasionally get uncomfortable and pushed to the edge of your thinking in the process of writing? Absolutely. But is it all worth it in the end? To me, it most definitely is.
Such is the reason why I decided to join The Owl Pamphlet. Being part of this club has made me appreciate the very simple, yet sophisticated, timeless, yet ever-changing artform that is writing all the more. It has encouraged me to improve upon my skills as a writer especially since we do share what we write here with other people. To this club, I am ever grateful.