Tell me something I don't knowI've been a writer since I could read. From the first day I learned to write at school, teachers showed me how to put words together, how to add proper punctuation, and how to intelligently compose what I'm trying to say. I know the writing process inside and out (thinking, writing, revising, editing, and producing a final draft) and I know the structure a paper should follow (introduction, body, and conclusion.) Writing n This is just another formula that I was taught to use, and so far, this formula has gotten me an A on every writing assignment I've done. However, the formula that has been engraved in my mind is no longer acceptable to pass me off as a good writer. The skills I learned from my educators were just one building block of good writing. Now I need to take my writing to the next level by discovering what truly makes writing wonderful. To answer this question, I searched deep within myself, sorting through the last eleven years, to find the missing piece of the formula. My discovery was surprising, but simple. Good writing is something I have never been able to learn from an instructor: it is something that daily experiences have taught me all along. Since I began writing by learning to read, the words that other authors had written became the basis of good writing. I have experienced both good and bad writing enough to know that good writing is more enjoyable for the reader. When I read literature that resembles something I've read before, I'm no longer interested in what the author says; however, when I read literature that speaks in a unique way about a topic or speaks...in the middle of an article...into something brilliant that others will appreciate. Everything I have to say, whether I'm writing an assignment for school or for fun, must come from the heart. If I write from the heart, what I have to say will be authentic and sincere. Writing takes time; it should not be wasted on something that others and I will not be proud of. Creating something of value should always be my goal when putting my thoughts on paper. Writing is much more than words on a paper with correct punctuation, nice vocabulary, and a textbook response to a prompt. Writing is a person's thoughts and ideas brought to life. For this reason, good writing can only happen when a person draws on their personal experiences and then truly presents them to an audience; therefore, life must teach a person the recipe for extraordinary writing.