Nothing strengthens one's intentions and ideas more than putting a pen to a paper.

There is almost no better way to express what is going on inside your head, heart, and life than by writing. Creative writing expresses the writer's thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic way.

I have always held a great passion for writing. With a touch of imagination and wording, you can convert the everyday mundane things into rollercoaster rides of emotions, dramatism, and thrill.

Since childhood, I have always been captivated by how authors used creativity and storytelling skills to bring their words to life. I have enjoyed traversing the countless 'universes that were contained in the pages of different books. As a small child, my premature but developing mind was brimming with ideas but had no way to convey or put them into written words. Furthermore, my nervousness and soft voice made it harder to speak clearly. My small hands and incoherent speech could only do so much.

The moment when I first put my pencil to the surface of a creased kindergarten paper, I was whisked away into fantasy worlds and utopias alike. Finally, I found a form of media to project my ideas. From writing, I have realised that I could bring my imagination to life and explore what my creativity had to offer. Not only that, I could use it as a way to express my thoughts and experiences to the people around me.

At first, it was something that I would write about but not share. Eventually, I realised that I was able to lend a voice to it and share my ideas in a way that I did not know how to do otherwise.

The notebooks where I wrote inside were doorways to my mind and thoughts'and my pen, the catalyst that aided me in creating these works. Those words were nothing but ink on paper, but with thoughts and feelings, they became colourful and uniquely beautiful.

As I grew up, I also realised that I could use my writing to convey the voices of those who are often unheard'as a way to inspire. In each of my stories, I sowed in my beliefs and perceptions about the world around me and argued about the causes I supported.

I felt completely relaxed when I let my thoughts pour into the stories I wrote. It allowed me to escape from stress and immerse myself into new worlds. Writing has allowed me to feel free and accepted around the people who read my stories and liked them.

Indeed, writing can move and change the world. It can inspire and evoke feelings of empathy, courage, and it leaves impressions that stay with us forever. Ultimately, it helps us to connect and that is why I love writing.

By: Veronica Elizabeth Pan, Secondary 2 Integrity