A simple way to actually discover which path you want to walk in literature, whether you want to be a critic, a novelist, or a poet, is through a personal lens. 

Before you grow overtime, as a beginner you shouldn't just write what you think is "smart" all the time, you should also write from the experience that formed your perspective. Literature gives you that liberty.

To do that effectively, you can follow these steps to build your relationship with words strongly:

1. The Perspective Shift: “The Mirror and the Window”

Instead of just saying "I like books," I'd suggest you to find a specific moment or line of impact.

Start with who you were before you gained literary insight. Were you narrow minded? Cynical? Bored?

Identify a specific book, poem, or character that changed your worldview. 

Then tell us how you see the world now.

2. Challenges & Potential: “The Growth Spurt”

You can personalize your words, make it relatable. People don't follow "perfect" experts, they follow people who have struggled and won. Be honest about the “Literature Fatigue.”

Discuss the difficulty of analyzing dense texts, the worry of "getting it wrong or missing the depth", the struggle to find time to read amidst all the responsibilities and demands of life or the pressure of external expectations - those always expecting you to have words for every damn thing and be on international standard vocabulary 247, because you're an 'English & Literary student' or a writer.