Writing Conference

I like to think of myself as a pretty good writer. Not the kind that goes on to win a Pulitzer Prize, but a decent writer. However, when I found out that a paper I had written had been chosen to be read at a college-level conference I may have thought of myself as a little better than just a good writer and may or may not have patted myself on the shoulder because someone else read my work and found it had some potential. When I first wrote the selected paper I had no idea that it would potentially be chosen for an activity within the university's English Department. But, after all was said and done I preferred it that way because it took some of the pressure off of having to write the actual essay. 

The day of the conference arrived and I told myself I wouldn't get nervous. But, once I sat at the table alongside my peers with a microphone in front of me, the nerves started to creep in. Luckily, I wasn't the first to go so I had some time to warm up to the idea of reading my work to a crowd. Although I thought the audience would be much larger than it was, I was thankful that most of the people were my classmates, who've listened to me over and over again in the classroom. When it was finally my turn my heart literally sank into my stomach, but I had no choice but to read. After the first couple of sentences the nerves were gone and I just kept reading my work with ease. At the end I was parched, yet filled with pride because I felt I had written a really good essay worth listening to.

In the end, I really enjoyed the experience. I would have wished that the activity would have been filled with more audience and professors to hear my work, but maybe a small crowd helped to ease the nerves. Personally, I took a program with me for a keepsake, but a participation or recognition document would have been a nice touch for the students to proudly display their accomplishments to their families or even future professors. All in all, I'm really grateful for the opportunity and would not hesitate to participate in another conference if given the chance.