Pardon my French, but I’d honestly like to have a word with the chucklefuck who came up with the concept of “too much ‘I’”.
There’s been a point in my life where I would avoid using “I” whenever I wrote a paper for school. I don’t know, I was afraid of using it too much. According to my elementary teacher, the usage of “I” was strictly forbidden in an academic setting and if I were to carelessly slip up in college, my life would crumble into nothingness–to that, I call bullshit.
Writing’s always been about giving people a voice to effectively express themselves through the words they put down, whether it’s through a research essay or that over-the-top nonsense plot you came up with in your laundry room one night. Everyone has their own personal style. Maddalena goes into this in her article “I need you to say ‘I’”, personalization in writing is IMPORTANT! As a writer, you should push to find your own style.
Personally, I don’t really know my “style” of writing, but I tend to go for a more casual(?) approach in my work. It helps make writing feel less of a chore, especially in an academic setting. No idea if that makes sense but I’ve always hated when I would be told HOW to write. There’s no proper way to write.
Long story short, “I” shouldn’t be demonized. It should be encouraged. I believe it makes writing better, it helps the reader connect with the author.
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