One of the people who’s influenced my writing the most is my cousin Sage.
When I started thinking about this blog post and how I was going to write it, I didn’t initially think of Sage. But the more I think about my life as a writer, the more my mind drifts to how she’s helped me become who I am today.
Sage and I were always friends, but we didn’t grow close until the summer of 2012. At our yearly family reunion, Sage and I bonded over church problems—both of our churches managed to fall apart at the same time. This turned into a long-lasting friendship, and six years later, we still text and call each other every day. She is the person I turn to when I have an opinion but need an argument behind it, and her passions have helped shape the outspoken person I am today. I sent her the majority of my essays and articles, because she most efficiently edits my vision into a message with power.
While Sage impacted me with her writing skills, that isn’t the only reason she’s my main influence. Sage is one of the most driven people I’ve ever met. Any time she wants something, she works until she gets it. I’ve seen her get into the school of her dreams, hold a high GPA, and become the Public Relations Vice President of her sorority (which coincides with her major.) She pushes me to be a better version of myself every day.
While her style and technique help me, her passion to mix what she loves with doing what’s right is what has affected my writing the most. Without her, I don’t know if I’d even be writing at this point. She is diplomatic without taking herself too seriously, always putting her love for others above everything else, and I want that to be how others think of me as both a person and a writer.
