Everyone has that one thing for them that just seems to click. Some people would describe themselves as a “math person.” Perhaps you were always more interested in social studies or science. For some people, that interest lies in ELA, and more specifically, writing. People will come across many writers in many different forms throughout their lives, but have you ever wondered what it is like to be the face behind the book, or the poem, or any of the various forms of writing? I interviewed Joe Meng at our own school because he may be one of those faces behind the writing that the next person may find themselves reading, or perhaps even you.
Joe Meng is an 11th grade student here at Greenwood. He has been writing since about his freshman year, but he says, “I’ve had the ideas in my head since beforehand, I just figured out how to write them.” Joe Meng managed to find his knack for writing through his family, noting that, “I would read stuff that I’d written to them and they would say that it was good, so I decided to take creative writing and I was like, man, that’s not too bad.”
The writing process can be a long and arduous one, and it is also something that proves to be different from person to person. Meng says that, for him, “It starts with an idea. An idea will pop into my head and I’ll just be like, ‘that’s cool.’” However, putting that idea into words is not so simple, something much easier said than done. Meng admitted, “I am always stuck. I’ll start working on one project and then just kind of forget about it forever and then start working on a different project. That’s the problem.”
Meng, like many people, can suffer from something known as “burnout”; unfortunately, not the cool, car-related kind. Burnout occurs when someone becomes overwhelmed and exhausted. Someone suffering from burnout may become withdrawn and stop or nearly stop doing things that they previously would spend a lot of time on because the fatigue causes them to feel stuck. When this happens, Meng says, “I just let it sit. If I come back to it or I don’t come back to it, that’s up for my brain to decide.” It may seem odd at first, but it is important to take a breather when such things happen. Doing something else, or even nothing at all for a little while, may actually not be a bad approach to dealing with burnout.
When it comes to writing activities at Greenwood, writers will likely be doing academic writing alongside personal pieces. It can be a lot, and it can lead to the aforementioned burnout, but Meng believes that “writing academically can be great. It can be a good way to practice and learn how to write, especially if you’re writing a story academically. But, it can feel more like burnout. It’s like reading; if you’re forced to do it, then it’s not gonna be as fun as it would be if you were doing it on your own.” Writers looking to branch out and test their skills could even enter into things like, for example, The Barbara Ann Williford Memorial High School Writing Contest that WKU is doing, which is open to submissions until the 28th. It can be a good way to show your skills in an academic setting while still being allowed freedom, and you could even win prizes.
“I would say,” notes Meng, “write what you want. Use your personal experiences, your brain, your life, to create a story and a world that’s completely unique compared to everyone else’s.” Writing can serve as a great way to express yourself and your creativity. “I think it’s important to use writing as an outlet,” replied Meng when asked how he feels overall about writing. “Use writing to do anything because writing can take you anywhere.” Joe Meng plans to continue writing into the future, declaring, “I love writing.” For any new writers, it is important to remember that, “The world is your anvil, you just got to hit it with a hammer.”
