Stand first:

The writing process can mean many things to many people. Middle 2 students were invited to describe what writing meant to them with a writing metaphor.

Writing is a fast bike ride in your mind. The bike's tires on the rubble are like the pen on the paper. Your hair blowing in the wind is like ideas flowing in your mind. When the gears on the bike go round, that is when I get more ideas – coming faster and faster, driving my speed. As the bike turns, I start a new paragraph, on a new journey. Crossing the finish line is when I reach the writing of a whole page or more. The crowd going wild as I win, the trophy is my parents congratulating me on a job well done. – Nicholas Amaral

Writing is a snail. It moves along very slowly. I find writing to be tedious, like a snail that takes a long time to reach its destination. I also take a long time to write a story.

One day as I sat on my porch I saw a snail going up the wall and thought to myself, how unfair it was that a snail has to carry its shell around everywhere it goes. Writing for me is a snail carrying its shell. It seems unfair that I should have to do something that is difficult and un-enjoyable to me.

When I write I go into my shell – to separate myself from outside influences, just like the snail hiding in its shell from the outside world.

Writing leaves a trail, like a snail leaves its slimy footprint. Half-used pages, of mistakes, unused ideas, corrections and draft, leave evidence of my agony and despair.

As I watched the snail reach its destination, I felt relief, for it is just like me reaching the end of a writing assignment. That's when I realised that there is reward in hard work. – Maximillian Stirling

Writing is playing a video game. If you don't like what you've done, you can reset and start over. You can save your progress and revisit it. You can be the character and be part of the story. You are the person who controls everything. – Germaine Darrell

Writing is a train ride. My thoughts as a writer are a never-ending train ride along the nature valley path. Realising that I've made mistakes is the train putting on its brakes. Adding thoughts to my pieces is picking up passengers as we pass by. Interpreting my piece so that the readers have a better understanding of my story, is the announcer stating the next location. Having the need to write without stopping is the express train travelling rapidly to its destination. Reviewing and revising my writing is the train turning around. Including figurative language in my writing is the window that allows clarity to be seen. Details in my writing are the paths on which my words travel. Writing about everything that is out there is the train ride – going places I've never dreamed of. – Imani Bean