"I wished to know the meaning of all things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction."
-Ayn Rand, "Anthem"
Reading: Degen has been reading as long as she can remember. Her earliest memories are of reading on the whale shaped chairs at Chippewa River District Library and early mornings on the porch swing, listening to her mother's different voices as she read. Degen's reasons for reading have evolved over the years, including a hunger for knowledge, a desire to escape to another place, and the simple love of reading printed words. By reading much of her life and challenging herself with difficult books, she has improved her reading skills greatly, making it easier as the years pass. Because she was introduced to reading at such a young age, Degen has never had much trouble with understanding the words on the page. What she has struggled with is jumping ahead from the top of the left page to the middle of the right, always eager to find out what happens next; she has always been a sucker for a good story. This plays a big part in how she chooses books; a book must have a good plot and characters. Degen enjoys obscure short stories such as "The Metamorphosis" and "Harrison Bergeron", and also likes the horror genre. She reads as often as possible and strives to get in time to read every night before bed, using reading as a way to relax and take her mind off things.
Writing: Reading and writing go hand in hand, and Degen has been writing as long as she has been reading. She can remember being around 4 and practicing writing, sitting on the living room floor, using a pillow as a table while she worked on writing letters. While she doesn't often use a pillow for a table now, Degen still enjoys writing for it's way of clearing the mind and its use as a tool to get one's message across. Writing doesn't come naturally though, one must first understand language and its complexities, and have knowledge of grammar. With her understanding of writing, she enjoys writing the style of story she likes to read: short stories. Plot twists, strange characters, and murder are often present in her stories, and her fascination with the personalities and characteristics of murderers inspire her stories. However, since she isn't a murderer herself, she often finds it difficult to get inside her characters' heads and therefore appreciates the honest reader who will tell her what doesn't make sense in the flow of the story. Her mother is always her first reader, so she often writes in the peace of her home, which amounts to a few times a week. When she's writing at home she says she can really "get in the zone" and write things that she's truly happy with. Her best work comes when she isn't distracted and can write for as long as her hand can handle.
Writing: Reading and writing go hand in hand, and Degen has been writing as long as she has been reading. She can remember being around 4 and practicing writing, sitting on the living room floor, using a pillow as a table while she worked on writing letters. While she doesn't often use a pillow for a table now, Degen still enjoys writing for it's way of clearing the mind and its use as a tool to get one's message across. Writing doesn't come naturally though, one must first understand language and its complexities, and have knowledge of grammar. With her understanding of writing, she enjoys writing the style of story she likes to read: short stories. Plot twists, strange characters, and murder are often present in her stories, and her fascination with the personalities and characteristics of murderers inspire her stories. However, since she isn't a murderer herself, she often finds it difficult to get inside her characters' heads and therefore appreciates the honest reader who will tell her what doesn't make sense in the flow of the story. Her mother is always her first reader, so she often writes in the peace of her home, which amounts to a few times a week. When she's writing at home she says she can really "get in the zone" and write things that she's truly happy with. Her best work comes when she isn't distracted and can write for as long as her hand can handle.
