Writing for real!!

I have been writing for fun for a very long time and have received quite a few compliments on some of my work but when I read my own work, I find lots of flaws, I compare myself to the authors I read. I marvel at their ability to use metaphors and similes and to make their characters come alive. It's always a challenge for me to describe physical attributes of a person or paint a picture of a room in great detail so I dicided to enroll myself in a creative writing class. I pitted myself against the Journalists and aspiring novelists of this world. Honestly it was a bit intimidating at first because I felt completely out of place. I sat in my corner when they talked about reading the classics like Anna Karenina, Moby Dick and brilliant works of Shakespeare. I was also impressed by their literary backgrounds and their ability to quote famous authors. Now, I also find myself to be an avid reader and have read works of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Jane Austen and Harper Lee but only as school assignments. Today I read what I like and what I like is not classics but contemporary works that are written in language we speak, about the world we live in; about family, love, life and society. After attending a few classes and completing a few assignments, I have realized that it's not about how much you have read but it's about what you have gotten out of it. Did reading change your life? It certainly changed mine becuase by reading I found my love for writing and after joining this particular class and reading my material out loud it has given me confidence that I can do this. I may not be as good as others yet but no one is saying that I am bad either! R