Semester Reflection

I think that one of the things that I struggle the most with when I write is how to get time
to pass smoothly and how to do bigger jumps of time. With that I feel that my writing can come
across as rushed a lot of the times, even though I take great care to actually take time to write the
story. Even if its hours spent in a study lounge by myself. So, comparatively I think that the way
I pass time within my final story is a lot better than my mid-term. With my last story I wrote,
“So, we kept walking, followed by Anna and Riley. It got darker and darker outside, and we
continued hiking and from the shadows on the trees it felt like we weren’t alone.” By saying this
is not only gives imagery but also provides the passing of time. Shadows shift with the time of
day based on where the sun and moon are in the sky.
But I also think that my mid-term and final story are pretty similar. They are both written
with the same point of view with a female lead. I think that one of the things that I don’t like in
both is my lack of characterization of the main character, which like, what am I doing? With my
mid-term story there is characterization for everyone else but for Loathing you get nothing.
Which we discussed and I’m obviously more aware of now and am working on. With the final
story, I think that the main characters characterization is a lot more indirect. She mentions that
Riley is at least a head taller than her meaning that she isn’t very tall, and then when chasing
after people and asking questions you see more of what she values and finds important within the
adventure.
When it comes to stealing moves, I think that obviously there is a big inspiration from
Inside Out for Killing Love. The personified emotions going on an adventure, is incredibly
similar but they both obviously stand by themselves, Disney hasn’t sued me yet so there’s that. I
think that also with Killing Love I made it a lot more adult with the emotions and language used
throughout the story. With Killing Love, I think these emotions aren’t even necessarily a part of
a kid’s emotional rolodex. I have also started adding more characters throughout the semester.
My very first story had two main characters that you follow the entire story, Eleanor, and
Theodore. By mid-term I would consider there to be one main character in the story with a lot
more supporting characters that really add to the story. With the mid-term there was one
common goal that the ensemble of characters all are working towards. I think that through the
semester I have realized the importance of other characters in stories besides just the main ones
because existing in a world where there aren’t any other people is almost odd.
I think my self-concept hasn’t quite changed throughout the semester. I never really
viewed myself as a writer because that wasn’t what I was interested in with that career, so this
class has made me really come out of my shell in that way. Before coming to college, I was
really used to writing academic papers that were reports or a literary analysis and I didn’t really
have the opportunity to be creative in those processes. I did recently learn though that my cover
letter from an essay I wrote my senior year was used as an example when discussing what to talk
about in a cover letter for an academic essay. It made me feel really proud. With that however
have changed what I want to do as a career. Coming into college I wanted to be an editor, but I
have now added a Classics major to hopefully become an archeologist.
As a writer though I really enjoy working in a dark space in the middle of the night by
myself to do creative work. Noncreative work like articles I write for the collegian or an
academic paper I like to write in Starbucks in the middle of the day. I don’t know why, it’s just
what works for me. I have also noticed that I really prefer to be alone when I write. Even though
Starbucks may seem crowded when I have my headphones on and am pumping out an essay, I’m
by myself in my brain. I also really like having some form of caffeine with me. My top choice is
a venti iced mocha with an extra shot from Starbucks, but I will settle for a Celsius if it’s the
middle of the night. I am also one of the worst procrastinators that I know. I will procrastinate
until the last possible minute. Working against a clock excites me because I know that I have to
get my work done or I’ll get a bad grade. I like having that little adrenaline rush of writing at
night and then being able to be in the quiet of the night after you’ve accomplished something.
I do recognize however that my writing process is not considered “healthy” or good. I
believe that a good writer takes weeks of writing and revision to make something that is great,
and they are proud of. I also think that my work is great and am proud of it. The good writer
works with peers to edit and process their material to make it the best it can be. The good writer
isn’t up until the late hours of the night finishing something the night before its due. I am not that
good writer and I am okay with that. I can live with it.
I think that now that I am done with this class that I’ll continue journaling. I like having a
place to put thoughts and feelings about what I am writing about. It’s a nice little debrief for me
and only me, so I can say whatever I want, what a slay. I also think that within my journaling it
will probably be more personal. I really like writing down my thoughts and feelings and I don’t
do creative work very often so having a place to put what I am working on is great. I’ve
journaled before in a more personal way and I think it’s great so I’m going to stick with it. For
me as a creative writer I don’t think there is much left for me. I am planning on going down a
different career path than I was before the start of this semester so with that my thoughts on
being a writer have changed. I can’t wait to go dig up ancient artifacts.