By Greg Silver
You look at the blank screen on the computer with an empty expression on your face and an empty hole in your brain, trying to figure out how to write another five-paragraph essay on some book you don’t fully understand and certainly don’t care about.
Sound familiar? Yeah, for a long time, this is the exact image that came to mind for me when someone mentioned writing.
Greg Silver was able to work with many different styles of speeches, sparking his passion for writing.
It wasn’t until I took English 18, a public speaking class at UC Santa Barbara, during my freshman year that I began to appreciate writing as a useful skill. In this class, I prepared weekly speeches with different formats such as eulogies, toasts, and legal arguments to present in front of the class. There was flexibility in what to choose as topics, which meant that all of a sudden I was able to write about events that seemed meaningful and relevant to me.
One week I could talk about gun law reform in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida while the next week I could discuss why college athletes should be able to receive compensation. And when it was time to write a toast, it felt like nothing to write a 60-second speech praising the musical legacy of Tom Petty.
Throughout the quarter, I became increasingly invested in writing intriguing, creative speeches for my peers. The act of writing had become exciting and purposeful and the class ultimately led me to a confusing epiphany: “I…enjoy this?”
That public speaking course in the English department motivated me to explore the Writing Program at UCSB where I found another course that helped expose my passion and allowed me to appreciate writing in a brand-new style: Writing in the Community, a class taught by Chris Dean. The purpose of this class was to spend a few hours each week volunteering in the community and to use the experience to create an ethnography. I spent my Sundays at Café Picasso, run by Saint Michael’s Church, which serves a free weekly brunch to people of all ages in Isla Vista.
As I volunteered, I began to recognize that writing is an interactive process, not simply a matter of sitting in a chair and blocking out the world for a few hours. Performing ethnographic research prompted me to interact, and eat, with other students and church affiliates. It also allowed me to include my perspective in the stories that I told.
I will always remember the moment when one student rushed into Café Picasso worried that she was too late for food. Her expression of gratitude when I assured her that we would ensure she had enough to eat was unforgettable.
Although my primary duty was to help the interns in the kitchen, I learned a lot about poverty and food insecurity on college campuses in California. I also felt for the first time that my writing could educate others outside of the classroom.
Before college, I would have never thought of writing as a creative outlet or a way to make a positive impact on the community. Discovering this passion has propelled me to pursue the Professional Writing Minor at UCSB.
Regardless of what I do in the future, whether it involves public speaking, music, or sports, I can let out a huge sigh of relief knowing that for the first time in a long time, I am excited about the academic adventures that lie ahead, and the writing I have yet to produce.
Greg Silver is a third-year student at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Communication. He wrote this piece for his Writing Program course Journalism for the Web and Social Media.