Lessons on Writing, Collaboration, and Empathy: One Student's Experience Cowriting and Editing a Book Helped Him See Himself and His Classmates Differently

When first asked to write my chapter for 30 Days to Empathy, I was not sure how to approach it. My effort level is different for different tasks I am given to do for school. When I understood the gravity and possible effect this book could have on my academic career, my life, and others, I kicked myself into high gear to finish my chapter and to make it the best it could be. In writing this book, I learned a lot about myself and being part of a cohesive effort. In terms of learning about myself, I came to realize that I can achieve whatever I put my mind forth into doing. I also learned a lot about how to be part of a team effort. There were times when we didn't think that the book would get published due to the fact that some people didn't finish writing their chapters or doing their editing work as fast as everyone else. In the real world, this is how the inner-workings of anything goes, and, in that regard, it gave me a fast forward preview of my future. One of the most interesting parts of writing a class-sourced novel is to see the different ways that everyone approaches the project. My style of writing is different from the style of writing of the kid sitting next to me, so to see it being made into one cohesive thing is really cool. I chose to write my specific chapter about a regular school day, but some of my peers chose to do weekend days or special school days. To see the contrast between my regular school day chapter and the chapter of someone writing about their weekend is what makes this project so great. The fact that two different tales can all fit together and make one big story is one reason I enjoyed writing this class-sourced novel so much during the school year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The peer review was one of the most effective parts of the process. Having everyone read each chapter before they were put into the collective book was one of the most important things we did. One mind is not as great as the collective conscious, and I think that is where Mr. Rehak led us in the right direction. One might think that writing a singular chapter in a book with 32 chapters in total, that some might go unseen or looked over more than others, but the fact that we all had the same input in everything made everything more fair. The process Mr. Rehak employed to lead us in doing the book is part of what made the entire thing so hard. It is hard to write from the heart, but it is made easier when your peers are doing it. In my chapter I shared some intricacies of my everyday life that I normally wouldn't share with the everyday person. If I could do the entire process over again, I would. I didn't know how our book would eventually become something noteworthy. I believed the entire time that the book could ascend to the ranks of being award worthy and being recognized, but I didn't understand the gravity of what I was a part of when I started and finished my chapter. If I could have, I would have added more intrigue and risque overtones in my chapter to make it more interesting for the teenage readers who are reading it. I think that is an example of how I lacked empathy, in a sense, when I started writing this book. …