Part A: You, the Writer

What was your writing identity prior to the course? 

I feel that last year I struggled with synthesizing in my writing. Whenever I look back at older works of mine, I find that they feel almost choppy in a way, and that I struggled to cohesively put my ideas together. Another issue that I struggled with was using my sarcastic tone. Often times, my sarcasm bordered into immaturity, and it was difficult for me to utilize that style of writing. However, I now feel that I’ve gotten better at using a sarcastic tone without coming off as childish.

What is your writing identity now? 

Personally, I feel that there hasn’t been any drastic change in my writing identity from grade eleven to grade twelve. Though there have been a few subtle changes in my style and nuance, there hasn’t been anything major. I feel that I have gotten better at utilizing different tones of writing, and that I’ve improved on using sarcasm in my writing without sounding immature. I also found that I’ve improved on synthesizing my ideas and making my writing flow better, however, I feel that these are all small changes in my writing that I’ve struggled to notice myself.

Reflect on your development as a writer 

• Genre – For the first time, I tested out article writing, and while I didn’t exactly enjoy it that much, I got a lot of positive reception with it, which surprised me. Although I still haven’t tested out script writing, which is something I’ve very much wanted to try. Prose, for the time being, is still my go-to style of writing, since it comes the easiest to me.
• Ideas – I feel that there isn’t a lot of diversity in my ideas, most of my writing is centralized around a few main topics that I’m comfortable with writing in. The reason behind this is that whenever I step outside of my comfort zone and try to write about something that I’m unfamiliar with, I’m worried about offending people or having inaccuracies in my writing, which is something that I want to avoid.
• Details – A lot of my writing–especially with narratives–tends to be dialogue heavy and often doesn’t worry about in-depth descriptions. However, I had a breakthrough piece that I wrote this year that focused more on internal monologues and sensory details, and to my surprise, I had a lot of fun writing it. Details are definitely something that I’ll want to keep on experimenting with in my writing.
• Structure – I haven’t really developed in my structure that much this year. It’s pretty well much the same as it’s always been, with no improvements or declines.
• Voice and style – I think this is where I’ve noticed the most improvement in my writing. Not all of my writing is on this blog, there is some on my AP English blog and I believe that some of the pieces there exhibit the improvements in my voice and style. Personally, I think that I’ve improved on doing argumentative pieces, which does show in my piece “The Millennial’s Economy.” Previously, I struggled to utilize my sarcasm and not have it come off as immaturity in my pieces, but now I feel that I’ve gotten better at using it to my advantage in argumentations.
• GUMPS – Thanks to my friend, I only learned just this year that I had been doing my quotation mark punctuation wrong for my entire life despite being such a voracious reader and grammar-picky person. So yes, I can say that my knowledge of grammar has expanded this year, although it wasn’t thanks to NoRedInk.

How would you explain your voice? What is stylistic of you? 

Depending on what I’m writing, my tone can be vastly different. In humorous pieces or certain argumentations, I’m often more sarcastic and satirical, but whenever I’m writing about something more serious I like to use a more formal tone that fits the subject matter. Personally, I tend to write either in a poetic or narrative style the majority of the time, since I find that’s the easiest way for me to express my ideas.

As a mentor writer, what advice would you give to future creative writers?

My advice would be to just keep on practicing with your writing, the only way that you can improve your writing is by practicing with it. I would also advise to read a wide variety of genres so you can see how other authors have expressed their own thoughts, and perhaps draw inspiration from that. It’s also important to not be afraid to experiment with your writing, even if you don’t like a certain style of writing initially, it doesn’t mean that you could end up liking it later on. Personally, I was initially reluctant to experiment with poetry, but as I kept working with it, I eventually developed a liking for it.  

Future goals and plans regarding writing? 

There is a novel that I’m attempting to finish, and I would like to get it published, but I have no idea how far I’ll get with it, or if I’ll even end up getting published in the end. Even if I am unsuccessful with that, I would still like to keep on writing, even if it’s not professionally.

Part B: You, the Blogger

Reflect on your development as a blogger

I don’t think that I’ve developed that much as a blogger this year. Although I’m happy that I changed the aesthetics of my blog, I like the cityscape and night sky theme, and it’s much better than the boring black and white theme that I had in grade eleven.

How would you critique your blog?

• Positive – Looking back on it, I have no idea why the hell I ever liked the bland black-and-white theme that I had last year, and I’m glad I took more liberties with the aesthetics of my blog. The black and white theme was incredibly boring, and I even got feedback from a friend who said she was glad that I changed the aesthetics. Personally, I think the new design suits my personality and interests more than the last one.
• Need to improve – I haven’t heard any feedback from anyone, but I’m worried that the brightly coloured background that I have on the blog might be too grating on the eyes. Although I don’t have any issues with reading the text on this blog, I think others might have some issues with it, but like I said earlier, I haven’t heard any criticisms so far.

What will you do with your blog after this course? 

There is a page on this blog called “Rants and Ramblings” where I might place some extra pieces of writings when I get the time. If I’m every confident enough, I might post something directly on the blog every once in awhile.

Which student blogs would you continue to follow?

Although they aren’t in the class, I do actively follow Jade, Hope and Alysha‘s blogs.

What professional bloggers have you explored? 

None for the time being.

Part C: You, the Student

Discuss an “aha” from creative writing class

I created an emulation during the Betty Smith writer’s seminar that I’m quite proud of. It wasn’t particularly long or in depth, but I’m very happy with it, personally.

What have you accomplished as a reader? What is your plan to read next? 

• Discuss the best book you read this semester – I’m currently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and aside from all of the unnecessary sex scenes in the book, I’m very impressed with it. It’s incredibly hard to come across an adult fantasy that isn’t ridiculously dry and boring, and American Gods perfectly balances the exposition with the action to keep the reader engaged without being confused.
• How does reading improve your writing – Reading helps me to see how other authors express their ideas and what stylistic devices that they use to enhance their voices. It also serves as a source of inspiration so I can essentially steal ideas from other authors and use them in my own works.

What have you accomplished as a writer? What is your plan to write next?

I think that I’ve managed to diversify my tone quite a bit and explore different types of writing such as aritcle writing, even if I didn’t like it that much. I would like to try out script writing next, but I’m not sure how far I’ll get with that, as we don’t have that much time left in class.

Will you take creative writing class again? Why? Why not? 

If I could take it again, I would love to, but I’m graduating this year and I will unfortunately be unable to continue taking this class.

What are your next steps to improve as a writer? 

I want to put my skills to the test by trying out script writing, although I’ll probably have to do that on my own, since the semester ends in less than week.

Part D: You, the Fan

How has studying published authors changed/improved your writing?

• Are you glad you did your writer? Who different would you consider? Why? – Although Clark Ashton Smith’s writing is vastly different than my own, it helped me to study him, since it showed me a side of writing that I’m not very familiar with. Obviously, I would alternatively consider JD Salinger since he is the author of my favourite novel.
• What genres have interested you the most? – Since I’m personally working on an urban fantasy novel, I have been reading in the genre to see how other authors have handled their subject material. However, the downside to that is that the majority of urban fantasy authors write YA novels, which tend to be below my reading level, and a lot of adult urban fantasy authors are incredibly bland–at least in my opinion.
• What did you learn from the writers? Inspirations? – Although I’ve read all three of Khaled Hosseini’s books, I was intrigued by his writer’s seminar, as it was interesting to learn where he got his inspiration from.
• Any emulation to share? – If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you’ll see the emulation I did from the Betty Smith writer’s seminar.
• Do you intend to read more of a writer? Which? – Ever since the Betty Smith writer’s seminar, I’ve been a little curious about her works.

Discuss 3-4 student writers in the class who you have commented on/are a fan of. Explain what you like about their writing/work

Although she still hasn’t uploaded any of her works onto her blog, I’m a huge fan of Katy. She frequently writes in the macabre genre and is heavy on the usage of metaphors in her works, and while that’s vastly different from my own writing, I’m still fascinated by it. Every time she reads out any of her emulations in class I’m absolutely blown away by what she’s written.

Maybe it’s because I bothered her until she agreed to join creative writing, but I really like Zain‘s writing, she has a surprisingly lyrical tone to her writing that I didn’t know about prior to her joining the class. I was also incredibly impressed by the depth of her feature article writing in which she discussed the affects of PTSD on people. She obviously did an incredibly large amount of research on the topic and was very invested in what she was writing about.

Now, maybe it’s because I’m a huge fan of aesthetics, but I absolutely love Victoria’s blog. It feels that everything she does on the blog is done with a certain meticulousness, her aesthetics are beautifully consistent and every piece that she writes feels as if it’s had an incredible amount of thought put into it, even if it is something short and minimalistic. She writes about a wide range of topics which impresses me. She’s written about the holocaust, the life of an old woman she met at Bow View Manor, and human trafficking (inspired by the play Nine).

Other writers you are a fan of

JD Salinger, of course. 🙂

Part E: You, the Critic of your work

You now need to take us on a journey of two pieces of your writing that you are most proud of from the semester. Each will be its own paragraph whereby you explain what your piece is about, your process of writing it, and any challenges you faced.

Piece One – The Millennial’s Economy

What is the title and what is the significance of the title?

The title is “The Millennial’s Economy,” it’s simply meant to establish what I’ll be discussing in the article–that is, the bad economy the millennial generation has to deal with.

Summarize what your piece is about in terms of theme and what happens.

This is an article that discusses how millennials are unfairly called lazy and whiny, when in fact they have to deal with inflated rent and house prices, low wages and high tuition costs, and in reality, they’re not lazy and whiny for wanting to have a fair life.

What was your purpose and audience for this piece?

My purpose was to debunk the myths surrounding the millennial generation, specifically the myths that they’re whiny, entitled brats. My intended audience was the older generations, who often unfairly judge the millennials, and need to learn a thing or two about how unfair life is for their successors.

What/who influenced the creation of your written product?

My parents are definitely an influence behind this piece. Every time I try and tell them about how unfair the economy is, they often try to shut down my argument, and don’t want to hear me out. I’ve also seen a vast plethora of (pardon my language) bullshit articles calling the millennials bratty, and being a millennial myself, I felt obligated to disprove all of the falsities I’ve seen.

Discuss the craft/style decisions you made, provide examples

I was very heavy on the sarcasm in this piece, partially because I wanted to take a jab at all of the old conservatives who misjudge my generation, and also because I felt that an article like this needed some sarcasm in this. One example of the sarcasm I used is shown in the line(s): “Of course, millennials are just lazy, though. They’re entitled, whiny brats who just want to survive in an over inflated economy. All they ever do is spend time on their phones and kill various industries.” I’m also quite heavy on the cynicism in this article because the content of this article is rather grim, and you can see that cynicism in the line: “At home, I asked my parents about this, frightened that my dreams of moving out and gaining independence would be crushed by the astronomically high house prices.”

Discuss your process for experimentation, revision, and feedback and epiphanies you achieved

This piece was ridiculously difficult for me to write. Quite frankly, I dislike article writing, I like to have creative liberties when it comes to writing, and articles don’t really allow that. You have to stick to a certain, factual structure that I don’t like. Due to my lack of inspiration for this piece, I didn’t have that many epiphanies, but I’m relatively happy with this piece since it flows fairly well and I got positive feedback on it.

Any final thoughts about this piece?

Although I don’t like article writing, I’m satisfied with how it turned out. The sarcastic and cynical tone of it works quite well, and I think that I got my point across in the end.

Piece Two – Love that Isn’t

What is the title and what is the significance of the title?

The title of the poem, as seen above, is Love that Isn’t. Since this an emulation, I wanted to make the title somewhat similar to the two poems that I based this off of, with those two poems being The Jews that We Are and The Women that We Are. Since love (or lack thereof) is the central theme of the poem, I wanted to include it somewhere in the title, and as a result, this ended up being the title.

Summarize what your piece is about in terms of theme and what happens.

This piece is about how the concept of romantic love is constantly shoved down our throats throughout our lives, even at a young age when romance and getting a partner shouldn’t be a major concern. This poem documents my experiences with the concept of romantic love throughout my life, and how I often felt like an outlier in a lot of situations for not wanting a romantic partner.

What was your purpose and audience for this piece?

My purpose was to argue that not everyone needs a romantic partner in their lives, and that some people are happy just being on their own. I didn’t exactly have a specific audience in mind when I wrote this, as I was more focused on putting out the message to anyone and everyone that came across it.

What/who influenced the creation of your written product?

I guess I would say that the main influence behind the piece were my parents and society in general. My parents constantly tell me to ‘not be so quick to speak’ whenever I say that I’d rather not get married and always remind me of how one of my aunts was the first to get married in the family despite saying she’d rather stay single. While I can understand what they mean by that, I still find their insistence to be infuriating. It feels as if they want me to get married and follow their intention for my life rather than my own. What I’ve also found is that almost everywhere you look in the media, the idea of romantic love is everywhere, no matter who or what the demographic is. Whether it’s children’s media or media intended for adults, it’s simply everywhere, and I find that to be frustrating. It’s almost as if society is saying that you need romantic love in order to be happy.

Discuss the craft/style decisions you made, provide examples

In the style of the two poems I emulated from, the stanzas are always preceded by a roman numeral, followed by a statement of my age. An example of this would be: “v) I am eleven/and my resentment is growing.” I also used enjabment a lot in this piece, and because of this, the lines in the poem were a lot shorter than they usually are. You can see this in the lines: “I have been told/time and time again/that falling in love is the greatest thing/that will ever happen to me.”

Discuss your process for experimentation, revision, and feedback and epiphanies you achieved

I started this poem way back in November if I remember correctly, and I didn’t finish it until much later, as I started the emulation one class, but forgot about it until much later. Eventually, I decided to finish it and upload it to the blog as my poetry piece. It didn’t take me too long to finish this piece, as I’d had the idea to make a poem like this for a long time, although I did revise it a few times to cut out some unnecessary details and make it flow a little better.  I definitely had an epiphany with this piece, as I was happy to finally express my feelings on the subject matter in an eloquent manner.

Any final thoughts about this piece?

Although I am happy with this piece, I don’t exactly like how the lines in the poem are incredibly uneven at some parts, making it look aesthetically displeasing. That aside, I think this is one of my favourite pieces by far.