Different

Some people may find that writing out their thoughts is difficult, and for some, it is very difficult, but I actually find that writing is painful. I seem to have lots of ideas but it is hard for me to get them down on paper. Many of my ideas are really great ideas but when I write them, they seem so simple. I am sure that many of my friends were able to sit down and write their blog post in a matter of an hour, but for me, I spent hours trying to write and rewrite my blog posts. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand how I could have really great ideas but it would take me so much longer than everyone else to write my paper. Now I know that it’s because I’m dyslexic.

Dyslexics struggle with written expression. It is much easier for me to write about a famous person, or a period of history, but it is painful to express my thoughts on paper. When I have to write a paper, I have to first draw out my thoughts. I set it up like a web and boy is it messy. This allows me to organize what I’m going to say. Then I use Dragon Naturally Speaking and start talking to write out my thoughts. Dragon is a voice recognition software that allows you to speak while the computer types. Dragon is a lifesaver for me! I usually end up with 900 words for a 300 word post. This is because like most dyslexics, I have lots of great ideas. I then read through the post and end up shrinking it down to about 250 words. I keep reading and rereading the post and add more thoughts. I have to read it out loud so that I can really hear what it sounds like. I also have someone else read it and make comments and edits. As you can see, this difficulty makes me different. Dyslexia makes me different than my friends but I’m ok with different. I’ve actually learned to like different.