My Autobiography as a Writer

By Pamela den Ouden

Writing is part of my everyday life. Not a day goes by that I don’t pick up a pencil, pen, felt marker, crayon, or coloured pencil to write something. Daily, I use my computer to write various things: e-mails, blogs, status updates on Facebook, and chat online with friends. Not only has writing always been an important part of my life, it is also one of my favourite things to do.

I have always enjoyed keeping a diary. Before the days of computers, I wrote by hand in books made especially for journaling. I have many of these in a box in my closet. Most of them start well, often on New Year’s Day. The problem with keeping a diary is that it is supposed to be written in every day. January—a new start! By the end of the month, however, days are missing, and then I might leave some blank pages, thinking that I’d fill them in later. That “later” never happened, so the book was abandoned. Once friends and family knew that I was a diary writer, they always gave me very beautiful journals for my birthday or Christmas. Now, however, I try to discourage this because I use Word documents to write my journal. This is more convenient and faster for me, and I can write more by typing than by handwriting.

Another kind of writing that has been important to me is letter writing. Although e-mail is very quick to write and send, I think it is wonderful to receive a letter by Canada Post. I have a sister who lives on the other side of Canada and several friends who have moved away from Fort St. John who regularly write me handwritten letters and postcards. Nothing brightens my day like recognizing their handwriting on an envelope in my mailbox. I think they are also cheered when they see my handwriting on an envelope in their mailbox. I have many letters that I have kept over the years. My letters to my friends are, in a sense, a journal of my life.

Finally, believe it or not, I have also enjoyed doing school assignments and essays. This kind of writing takes time, thought, and patience, Each sentence has to be carefully written and proofread. I have written many essays on lots of different topics. The most difficult writing for me was my Master’s thesis, but the sense of accomplishment when it was finished was very good.

When we write, we let a little bit of ourselves out into the universe. We send a bit of our soul to another person. It is a great way to share our thoughts, feelings, and day-to-day life.

How I Use Writing

By Iryna Semenukha

As for me, I use writing for explanatory of my ideas on the papers. When to send messages and mails to my friend. I use writing for the letters my parents. I use writing for create documents. When go to doctor, he is writing medical recipe. When go shopping I complete list to buy shop. I use writing to do hometask and to keep a diary.

How I Use Writing

By Yudai

When I decided on my schedule, I used writing in my cell phone. When I sent an e-mail to my parents and friends in Japan, I used writing in my phone. If I go to a supermarket and buy a lot of goods, I use writing on paper or my phone. If a day finished and it’s very fun, I always write diary.

How I Use Writing

By Haruka Kawaura

I often use writing because I want to learn, study and so on. I use writing to study, send e-mail and write and diary every day. I have used writing to study from I am child because I must learn Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. It is the best way to learn and practice them. When I was elementary school student, teacher gave us homework that writing and practicing Kanji. I think every Japanese learn and practice Kanji by the way, so we can remember it and use it. I often send e-mail to make contact with my family, friends, teachers and so on. For example, when I go out with my friend, I often use e-mail to decide the place that we meet at. Therefore, writing is important to make contact with someone. I write a diary at every night. It is important for me because writing a diary learn and keep my memory. I don’t want to forget my memory. Therefore it’s very important habit. I think that writing is important to live a life. It is very difficult to live a life without life. I use writing every day.

How I Use Writing

By Sayako Tatewaki

When I keep my diary, I always use writing. By keeping diary in English, I can remembers days what I did in Fort St. John. It’s also a good opportunity to practice English. When I write about days, I’m careful of grammar. So I usually take a confirmation of my host family. They teach me about correct grammar, so I can know the proper way to write English. I’m really enjoy that every night.

How I Use Writing

By Yuki

I have kept my diary for about 5 months. I was said by my teacher of a writing class “Keep writing.” I came to Canada and I experience new things every day. I stay here only 4 months. So, to remember and to study writing, I keep the diary. When I return to Japan, I will remind this 4 months probably. In addition, if I write on Facebook, I use English. Even if it’s is a simple sentence or mistake sentence, I’ll try it.

How I Use Writing

By Ayumi

In my daily life, I use a lot of writing. For example, leaving a message, sending e-mails, keeping a diary, and so on. Therefore writing is important.

I use writing to leave a message. When I leave home, if my family isn’t there, I need to leave a message. The message is written “where I will go”, “who will be with me”, “when I will come back.” If I don’t do it, my family must be worry. Therefore I use writing to leave a message.

I use writing to send e-mails. After I entered university, I made friends with a lot of foreign people. When I contact then, I use e-mails. At tat tie I use writing too. For example, “I’m fine recently. How are you doing? I miss you”, “When will I be able to meet you?” Life this, I use writing to send e-mails.

I use writing to keep a diary. After coming to Canada, I’m keeping a diary. In the diary, I write what to do, how to feel that day. Like this, I use writing to keep a diary.

Like I mentioned before, I use writing to leave a message, send e-mails, keep a diary, and so on. For these reasons, I use writing in many ways in my daily life.

How I Use Writing

By Ryoko Nishimura

I write a diary during study abroad because I want to remember. Study abroad of Canada is one’s life experience. In the future, I will look at diary from study abroad. Then I will remember study abroad vividly. Therefore I write a diary.

I will write a word when I study. I don’t study without writing.

I can express everything in writing.

How I Use Writing

By Rika Iwasa

Diary: I’m writing every night in Canada because I will not forget what to do in Canada. Sometimes, I use blog instead of diary.

E-mail: I sent e-mail to my family and my firned. For example, in Canada, I sent e-mail about my stay.

Twitter: I write an Twitter about feeling something. These are enjoying, laughing, sad, and I’m telling things.

Shopping list: I write to not forget it. In my case, when I think of wanting to buy something. I write to the list.

How I Use Writing

By Nahomi Asa

Twitter: I use twitter when I want to tell my feelings.
E-mail: I use e-mail when I tell my information to my parents and my friend.
Shopping list: I write shopping list when I have to buy many things.
Diary: I write diary so I don’t forget daily happenings.
Blog: I sometimes write blog when special things happen.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Sehoon

By Sehoon

I do not enjoy writing. When I was young, keeping a diary every day was my school homework during vacation. However, I always postponed keeping a diary. As a result, I wrote the whole diary on the last day. I still do not like writing, so I usually use the social network such as Facebook or Messenger when I communicate with my friends. However, sometimes, I send hand writing letters to my family. Since I came here I have sent letters to my family and friends who are in Korea. I think that I need to write more than before.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Mayuko

By Mayuko Haida

I write some comments about what I read or listen to. I like reading many kinds of books so I write comments and make a list of my favorite books. Recently, I read English books or easy articles of English newspapers and summarize these things. I’ll try to keep a diary.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Saki Sekioka

By Saki Sekioka

I like writing since I was an elementary school student because writing collects my thoughts and can record my events. Then, I can tell my opinion with accuracy better than by mouth, and I sometimes keep a diary. However, I feel writing is a bother occasionally. At the time, if I want to tell somebody something, I use my cell phone better than e-mail. Although I like e-mail as much as cell phone. I send e-mail to my parents after I came to Canada. My parents want me to tell today’s incident. Therefore I send e-mail every day.

When I was a child, my dream is a caricaturist. I always write a comic in my free time. To think of story and character’s words is very interesting! I identified with the character of my comics. I wrote a comic and a character’s words. I can make a story to imagine and write the words. So, I tell myself the message by the words of the character. Then, I was given bravery by the character.

No, I have not time, so I didn’t write a comic for a long time, but I sometimes read it again. I didn’t definitely write well. It is a remembrance now.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Mami

By Mami Kashiwa

I write letters to my friends when I feel lonely. I write a letter when I got on the plane that came here recently. And I write letters of thanks to my family when they did something to me. Also, I gave a letter to my teacher when I attended graduation.

I send e-mail to my friends when I want to meet to someone. Then, we decide detail of the plan -- calendar, pocket diary.

I write down the message for someone when I received phone call. Then I don’t forget to put down one’s name and phone number, too. So the message will reach someone who was absent.

I write a blog or diary when I spend memorable days. I write a blog when I want to tell the memorable things to everyone. A diary is read by myself. So, I write sometimes bad things that I don’t want to tell anyone.

I write down the name of the food on the container [of leftovers] so I can know what’s inside even if I don’t open the lid.

I have made songs. Then I wrote down the words and music.

And I’m doing this homework on this paper!

My Autobiography as a Writer - Ayu

By Ayu Shigi

I try to remember my memories and important things I write down. I keep a diary every night because I want to keep remembering my study abroad life because I feel like time flies. Although I have just started keeping a diary, I think it is an important thing to continue it. My weak point is keeping on, so I want to achieve this thing.

When I was six years old to twelve years old, I went to penmanship as the lesson, so I like writing, and not only writing but also I keep writing in English. I think it’s a good way to practice my English, so I think that I need to write mine.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Shota

By Shota

When I was a high school student, I read The Diary of Anne Frank. It was a good opportunity for me to write something. After that, I wrote what happened in my diary. Something is almost a good incident. If a good incident happened, I wrote the incident in my diary.

I like to write, but I’m not good at writing. So I almost always use a PC to write my diary. Sometimes, I write with a pen.

To read the diary again is very interesting.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Yukari

By Yukari Fukuyama

It is hard for me to write a diary, blog, and so on because I can’t continue to write such a diary every day. I think that to write something is fun, but I have never kept a diary since I was a child.

For example, when I was an elementary schoolgirl, I started to write my diary one day because many friends around me have written their diary at the time. In the first day and the second day, I wrote my diary exactly, but I couldn’t keep writing from third day. As a result, my diary finished in a very short time. Then I tried to keep writing a diary, blog, and my life many times; however, I failed in all challenges.

I think that the cause of failure is two reasons. First, I get tired of many things very quickly. So I usually couldn’t keep doing some things except for forced cases. Second, I am not good at writing my feeling in terms. I like talking with someone more than writing. So maybe I lacked my feeling to write something. I want to keep writing some day.

However, an exception is a letter because I have been writing many letters for my friends when I was a high school student. At the time, I could keep writing a letter for a long time. I don’t know why I could, but these letters are very good memories for me. So I’ll write a letter to someone next time.

My Autobiography as a Writer - Hitomi

By Hitomi Nakayama

I like writing, so I often write something. For example, when I want to contact my friends or my family, I use a cell phone or computer. I can text message and I can send e-mail. I have written on them since I was a junior high school student. Then I used them for contacting with my lover. No matter if we couldn’t meet, we could connect with each other. Because I don’t have a boyfriend now, I need to connect with only friends and family. It is very useful because I want to hear about something about them. I’ll write on them forever.

Next, I write in my diary when I want to remember my daily life. I kept a diary last year since I bought a diary. I could write about my daily life and my mind which I couldn’t tell others. I can look back on my life because the diary can remain. I think that memory is very important. I keep a diary since I came to Fort St. John to record my daily life. I can study also because I write them in English.

It’s nice to write various things for me.