What changes in your personal writing style do you notice as you survey your course

work? Be sure to comment on specific elements and forms.

Prior to starting this course, I believe my personal writing style was (in general) more
scholarly and elaborative, almost as though my writing was catered towards academic writing. I
feel like this is due to my life circumstance considering that although I do write creative fiction (in
terms of poems) during my spare time, majority of my school work encompasses my ability to
write formal, eloquent essays/ reports.
After going through this course, I feel I am say, without a doubt, that my personal writing
has matured and undergone some serious changes. Distinctly, the main difference is with how I
take a more casual, “informal” tone when writing now. At the start of the course, I did find
trouble in writing great as I was accustomed/ conditioned to write in such a professional-like
manner. This proved to me as my greatest challenges towards the summatives in Unit 2:
Creative Fiction and Unit 4: Drama. I essentially would write my dialogue for my characters as
though they were professors or people of sorts that possessed such a composured diction. This
also tied into how I maintained a level of seriousness in how my characters/ overall work carried
themselves although it was quite unsuitable. I do recall for my work for the Drama unit and
have I would consistently get feedback on maintaining a level of realism. Looking back, this
was really beneficial advice as it allowed me to recognize how I wrote the majority of my
characters with similar thoughts, mannerisms, and attitudes. In an everyday setting, it would be
practically impossible for one to endure a situation involving the likes of practically identical
people. A diverse set of characters add a level of richness to the work and makes the written
composition more “life-like.” After all, dramatic writing relies heavily on that element of realism
to help provide commentary/advice/critique over the current stature of society. I learnt to just
loosen up and nt write in such an uptight manner by allowing me to be flexible with various
elements of my writing (ex. Tone, characters, themes).
Another change that my writing has endured would be with my diction. This ties in to
how formal I was used to writing my work in. With that in mind, I would typically write my work
using the same set of words. I grown used to writing with a quite selective diction, which proved
a problem with me. In particular, Unit 3: Poetry was a unit that made us write many poems of
varying types. I ran into a challenge with that. Although it was relatively easy for me to
generate ideas, I found it challenging to express myself as I found myself repeating the same
words over and over again. Using the same set of words really made my work more bland and
lackluster, which evidently, took away from my work’s overall meaning. To tackle this ordeal, I
took it upon myself to look up various synonyms for typical words that I utilized and gather a list
of them. That way, whenever I saw myself using a generic word, I would tell myself to use my
list and find an alternative. In most cases, these alternatives proved to be better than my typical
selection. For instance, I use the word “eat” frequently. Referring to my list, I have various
synonyms for “eat” such as “devoured, nimbled, crunched, and chewed.” These alternative not
only made my work more tolerable, but it also made my work more lively as these synonyms
were actually more expressive/ descriptive than their generic counterpart.
We spent a bit of time in this course looking at the expert work of OTHER, professional
writers. Sometimes this was in a video or a document in an activity; there were one or
two times that you RESEARCHED an author/writer. How did this research/learning about
other, professional writers influence your writing and understanding of writing as an art,
craft, and career?

I do comprehend that writing is a hybrid between an art, craft, and career. Writing is an art as it
is put in the realm of the public eye to be interpreted on an objective/ subjective level (as done
with most paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art). Writing is a craft as it is a skill that
needs to be worked on repetitively, which truly weeds out who the true writers are. Although
anyone can be taught to write, only a select few can write with so much depth and vividity. As
for career-wise, various jobs rely on the likes of writing: writer, journalist, publisher, magazine
columnist, children’s storyteller, screenplay director, and even historians. These perspectives of
writing can intertwine in an array of ways as one would need to hone their craft (of writing) in
order to produce superior/ meaningful art, a given writer’s work is put out to the public to be
interpreted and critiqued (deciding a writer’s overall reception), alongside how those who
perfected the writing craft can go on to have lengthy, successful careers in said industry.

I do recall the requirement of researching on various writers to complete given discussion posts.
It was a good idea to do so, as it allowed us to get a hint/ glimpse into some of the most
articulate and linguistically gifted minds and apply the traits/ habits that they made them
successful into our own lives. For instance, a given discussion pst for Unit 5 “Activity 2:
Considering Contemporaries” required us to research on a given contemporary writer and
understand how they subtly placed their presence into their given written works. I chose to do
Toni Morrison, whom I only know as being the author to ​Beloved​. It never really struck me as
how much of an out-spoken individual she was, as my research led me to find out on her
passion towards freedom of speech. Especially with how schools tried to censor the likes of her
works, it only showcased how much of a driven individual she was. Not only that, I truly
understood the meaning of ​Beloved​- alongside truly appreciate the book for what it was. It was
a book that conveyed the harshness that came with slavery and the everlasting scar/ burden it
has left on the Africian-Amercian community as a whole. Additionally, it showcased the concept
of hope and a “happy-ever-after” that comes with healing step-by-step which was an
enlightening moment for me.

It wasn’t just with my discussion research that I fet enthralled about. My other classmates have
put in the equal amount of attention and time into their discussion posts and I appreciate how
extensive and insightful their responses have been. I already got the sense of how
bright-minded my peers were way back in Unit 1. However, I wanted to bring attention to Unit
2’s discussion thread “Activity 4: Authorial Advice” where we were tasked to gather a list of tips
from a given author. This thread provided me an abunance of advice that I have decided to
implement into my own writing. One post that I really appreciated was by Jaelyn Morris. They
chose to include various tips from the author Jenny Han. They included two timbits of advice
which I greatly needed. The main piece of advice I want to focus on is the first one which states
“Writing books isn’t always straightforward- each book is different, each process is different.
Writing a book is not like baking a cake— you don’t just insert ingredients and out comes a
beautiful cake. There are a lot of ups and downs.” This was important as I would always try to
storytell in such a direct way, assuring that whomever reads it would comprehend exactly what
was occurring and perceive the work in the same way I hoped it was. However, that given
statement by Han reminded me that my work is free to interpret the work in any way they desire
as a reader’s given willingness to take and comprehend the work in a unique way displays that
one’s work is interesting enough to give that much thought too.

 
Of all the writing techniques you learned this year, which one did you use with the most
success? Give specific examples of this technique in your writing.

One writing technique that I learned this year was the concept of “showing vs. telling.” In
particular, a decent balance between the two sides is optimal although significant emphasis
towards one side is adequate for certain expectations. This was introduced back in Unit 1
during “Activity 4: Show and Tell Time!” For this activity, one had to create a table showcasing
the likes of telling and showing, plus demonstrating the instances in which each side would be
better than the other. To go into detail about this, telling is when you simply state what is
happening. This side is most useful in certain mediums such as emails and text messages,
where being direct and straight to the point is ideal. On the other side, showing is when you
display and be more detailed about what is happening, which would be useful in the likes of
poetry and short stories. The activity tied into each sides and disadvantages that they may
bring. While telling can be a more lengthy process than showing, showing too much can lead to
the work being to “elusive” which can cause the reader to lose track on what’s happening.

By comprehending this technique, it allowed me to develop the ability to easily expand/

condense my writing as I see fit. I recall distinctly in Unit 2: Narrative Fiction for its activity
“Activity 3: Picture This” in which we had to select a picture followed by creating a 100-word
story corresponding to the picture. Initially, I did run into trouble as I had no idea on how to
approach this. I selected my picture, but had no clue on what exactly to narrate about or even
illustrate- especially with as little as 100 words. I have never done that before. Though, I
eventually got the hang of this task once I decided to implement the “showing vs telling”
technique. From what I learnt prior, telling is rather good at condensing information whereas
showing is meant to expand. Given the word limit of 100 words, it made the most sense to focus
entirely on the showing aspect to tell my story. I then thought of extremely short build-ups in
narratives that carried intensity and were quick in its development rate. With that, I was able to
successfully develop the start of a rather intriguing plot as I made sure that the telling side was
more prominent than the showing side in this short fictional narrative.

I came to visit this technique in Unit 4: Drama given “Activity 5: Take Ten…” Let me start off by
stating that writing a 10 minute play sounded like a daunting task. I was wondering how to
tackle this straight on, as at the time, I was swarmed with other school responsibilities. So, I
wrote and I wrote. I ended up with a play that seemed quite dense. It also felt shorter than I
expected, which made sense in how re-reading it over gave this “incomplete” vibe to it. That
was when I realised that my writing was a mere telling of the events I wanted to portray. These
events lacked pacing and vibrance, which should not be the case in dramatic writing. Plays
have to be enticing for the audience to sit and watch. After pondering about the work I had in
front of me, I decided to implement this “showing vs telling” technique and focused on the
showing aspect. I had to clearly display the showing aspect by incorporating more stage
directions, have my characters engage in more dialogue, add adverbs/ adjectives to the actions
at which these actors would perform to the extent of, and place more sensory detail. With that, I
was able to make my dramatic piece longer, whilst including enough knowledge/ information to
be executed on a stage of sorts. After all, dramatic pieces are meant to be acted out, and
hence suppose to carry great importance directed to the showing side.
 

 
Did you find the collaborative writers’ workshops (when we wrote in groups/pairs)
effective in improving your writing? Why/why not?

I do recognize the importance of working alongside other people, let alone other writers, in a
given group. Since each person carries varying perspectives/ opinions, it’s evident that these
new ideas can help open the eyes and scopes of focus for another writer. Additionally, being
immersed in the presence of other writers allowed us to be surrounded with like-minded people
and in turn, feel more empowered as we belong in this group of people who are good and enjoy
writing. Working with other writers in a collaborative efforts allows for editing suggestions and
ideas to improve a given person’s writing that they would normally not received- thus being
beneficial for its unique nature.

There were various times in this course where there were opportunities with working with other
writers in the course. Personally, I feel that when it came to editing, I feel that the collaborated
effort of the other writers were really helpful. Certain assignments and tasks gave me some
confusion in terms of whether I was in the right direction or whether the directional progression
in my work made adequate sense. This was especially true in the entirety of Unit 3: Poetry as I
was required to gain feedback from my peers. It was with their feedback (distinctly Yashvi and
Victoria) that I was able to understand my strengths and weaknesses towards a forum that I am
already experienced in. Their constructive criticism was exceptionally good and elaborated me
to perceive my own writing from a different light. I appreciated their efforts in editing my work.

However, the collaborative writers’ workshops (in reference to the BIRT Group Debates), I felt it
was more counterproductive to work within a group as opposed to me working by myself. This
was due to how of all the given people in my groups lived different lives, which frankly translates
to their commitment and time available to be online. That was a big factor that contributed to
the feat of how I was usually left to my own devices, with the help of 1-2 other members, to
complete the opening statement for our given opinion. While the few of us were present, the
rest of the group did not communicate nor interact with any of us during the construction of our
opening statements. Don’t get me wrong, I did learn a lot from researching and helping to
develop the given opening statements, which allowed me to grasp new opinions to implement
into my writing. However, it would have been better and more time-effective if I simply did the
task on my own.
What was the most frustrating experience you had as a writer? Why do you think this
happened?

Personally, I cannot recall a time in this course where I felt frustrated in the midst of the writing
process for any of my works. During this course, I felt quite relaxed within this course and it
gave me a sense of relaxation, from the work comprised of my other courses (which included
AP psychology, international business, AP english, and advanced functions during night
school).

If there was one part that would have caused me more trouble and so forth, it would be in
reference to the BIRT group discussions. Though, that was in reference of the course structure
as a whole (which I expressed in my response from the prior question).

As a writer, I dealt with two main frustrations. Firstly, I felt that the timed deadlines were one of
the most frustrating parts about this unit. With writing, I take a more lengthy process in terms of
generating my ideas and placing them into written pieces. At times, I did feel quite rushed with
given deadlines present. This is of great attention towards the deadlines in which they were
spaced out between a span of a few days, as I felt with the work I produced over that short span
did not reach their full potential and could have been flushed out significantly more.

Another frustration that I endured was my unconscious desire to write in a fantastic way. During
my writing, I felt that I was comparing my current works to the likes of well-known authors I read
about like Virigina Woolf and James Joyce. For the most part, my mind was roaming on how
my work could have sounded so much better, and how no matter how hard I tried, it would
never measure up to the likes of these phenomenal writers. This way of thinking was bad for me
as I would spend so much time just trying to make my writing sound more like that of the authors
I read about. In actuality, I should have spent that time instead focusing on writing in the utmost
authentic and truthful way I could.
Did you ever face writer's block throughout the course? How did you overcome it?

Writer’s block is basically when one cannot think of ideas to incorporate into their writing.
It could arise for a bunch of reasons ranging from being overly stressed to being easily
distracted by other situational factors. Nevertheless, it is an issue that anyone writing may
encounter.

This concept was introduced early on at the start of the course, as the class was given
the task of sharing various tips for one to get through writer’s block to then post in the
discussion thread “Activity 2: Sharing Strategies Contains unread posts” Some of the tips
shared in this thread include taking a break, changing your writing environment, writing freely
(without a filter), exercising, and even making a list of elements/ideas one wants to include in
their work.

While I did recognize the possibility of writer’s block arising in the midst of me writing my
works, I personally don’t recall experiencing this dilemma whatsoever. Generating ideas for
myself is an extremely easy task to do, and it’s when I decide to start writing, at which I would
proceed to be picky and filter the ideas that I actually want to use. As soon as I select my most
desirable ideas, I get quick to writing and it all just comes easily to me.

If there was one instance where I was the closest to demonstrate the writer's block, it would
have been when I tried writing my summative piece for Unit 5: Creative Non-Fiction for the
activity “Activity 1: Me, Myself and I.” I admit, I did run into trouble in the midst of thinking of a
real-life event that has happened to me. Though, that was because I am rather not used to
expressing my own experiences in such a direct manner like how I was expected to do so. I
know I was able to get through this by thinking of an universal truth/ message that I intended to
deliver within my piece. From there, I was able to weed out some of my experiences that I felt
best represented this overall morale and from there, made my best judgement in selecting the
best one.
Of the pieces chosen for your final writing portfolio, which one gives you the most
satisfaction? Support your conclusions by referring to specific aspects of this piece.

From the given pieces that I used for my final writing portfolio, I felt the most satisfied with my
dramatic monologue at which I wrote for Unit 4: Drama. This monologue came from “Activity 3:
My Monologue.” I felt this was the most calming for me as this acted as not just a catharsis for
my protagonist Sydney, but for myself as well. After midterms, I can just simply state that my
life has been hectic in terms of workload, stress, and all-around tension. I just really needed a
break to release all of my negative feelings out but due to the limited downtime that I had, it just
kept building up for me. When the class was assigned this activity, I felt it gave me a chance to
have a personal take on this assignment and take a tone that was reflective of how life was
going. The tone was quite strong in my monologue. Though, I felt quite rejuvenated and filled
with energy upon completing my piece as I felt all my negative emotions/ thoughts being swept
away. This task indirectly reminded me that it is ok to not be ok and that it takes time to just feel
better.

From a writer’s standpoint, I feel this is superior out of the remaining work situated in this
portfolio. With this piece, it can be considered as my most “realistic” piece considering it felt like
a situation straight out of any person’s life and the main character maintained her responsive
and truthful nature. People in everyday life don’t constantly in a single state of emotion/ motive
and are changeable depending on various external factors. As seen in Sydney, the audience
witnesses a shift in emotions showcasing a range of irritability, contentedness, sadness, and
reminisce. This also ties into how I felt proud of the characterization of Sydney in both a direct
and indirect manner. Moreover, I felt satisfied upon writing this since this best demonstrated by
utilization of the “showing vs telling” technique. Rather than focus on one side, this monologue
captures the balance between both of these. With telling, it is through some of the concise,
simple statements by Sydney that are used to encompass the relationship she had with Eugene
(from start to finish, with brief mention of events). Vice versa, the showing aspect is apparent
through the body gestures/ movements and elaboration towards how Sydney truly felt for her
lover through descriptive language.