Good Writing

        Good writing, in my opinion, is dependent on a few qualifications. Things such as the description of the setting are nice, but not nearly as important as its effect on you. By that I mean the meaning. the emotions. The complexity. I don't want to sit and read about how something looks or sounds; I want to know how it feels, the thoughts and emotions that come hand in hand with the described experience. To me, the knowledge of something is nothing compared to the understanding of it.
         This quote from Ernest Hemingway is a perfect example. It's a story full of emotion and tragedy, perfectly conveyed in six short words:

                                                       "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn."

There is no description. There is no extravagant diction. However, in spite of this, it might quite possibly be the most pure representation of feeling possible. It has the power to make one choke up, to make one lament. This expresses perfectly how unimportant diction and description can be in the face of blinding emotion and meaning.

Introduction: Me

San Ramon Valley High School. Classroom R8, Mrs. Harper, 8:30 in the morning. Inside: me.

My name is Kevin. 

This blog is for that very class, it's a blog not only to publish and share my writings, but also a blog to educate me. One to help me become a better writer. One to help me be more open to sharing my writings.

Although I spend much of my day in a classroom, I'm more than this conglomeration of academic goals.

I am an athlete.

Athletic competition has always been a massive influence in my life. Whether it be from pick-up games to competitive sports, soccer and volleyball to football and rugby, physical activity is part of me and has made me who I am today. It has shaped my mind, my attitude, and my body.

I am a musician.

As much as athletics has influenced me, music has had twice the effect on me. For literally as long as I can remember I've been playing piano, my mother first teaching me basic songs at the age of 2 or 3. I've graduated to the point where I spend hours a day playing any songs I can get my hands on, just for the entertainment.

It doesn't stop at piano however, I've been playing violin for a total of 7 years and currently play in the SRVHS Orchestra and the Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra. While not my primary instrument, I still enjoy playing and love the music.

I am a scholar.

I have a craving for knowledge. I need to know everything I can about anyone and anything. I'm constantly asking questions, thinking, wondering. I love the philosophical, the questions you can't answer. The books that investigate human nature such as my favorite, 1984 by George Orwell. The poems that get you thinking  like Invictus by William Ernest Henley, which contains my favorite quote:

"In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed."

I love to put myself into the minds of people, learn from them, learn about them. Be able to connect with anyone, to know their stories, to know them. Those are my goals from learning, to know humanity better than it knows itself, and to understand the world as well as I possibly can.