Learning the Art of Writing

There is a difference between learning how to write, and having you writing say something. I first learned how to write when I mesmerized my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Marillo, with my championing and grasp of the alphabet. What is writing but the stringing together of words, which in turn is the coupling of letters? Despite my ability to write at a very young age, I did not learn how to say something of meaning in my writing until the 10th grade. Before then I could write fictional stories, book reports, and essays - but for the most part this was all just regurgitation of what I was hearing in class. It was not until sophomore year in high school, while writing a paper on "The Great Gatsby" did I learn how to take the text, formulate an argument and make pointed conclusions about what I believe.