What was your writing identity prior to this course?
Prior to Creative writing, my ability to write was satisfactory and hadn’t improved for many years. Ever since Grade 5, my writing has been weak although I put the time and effort into trying to make it better than it is. This was one of the courses that had always brought my average down, which motivated me to improve in some aspect of writing. Every single piece of writing that I created before grade 10 was given low marks and made me feel less confident in my abilities.
There was always something about English that dragged me back- the writing. I would usually write during English. Although English,overall, was disastrous for me, writing had been a major struggle for me. I was,sometimes, given explanations for what my writing lacked, but it was hard for me to change. English extremely subjective to each individual person which made it hard for me to meet the demands of my teachers. I dreaded the criteria by which they marked me because it felt impossible to live up to- nearly impossible.
What is your writing identity now?
Today, after my experience with Creative Writing, I feel that,although my marks in English itself haven’t improved, I have built a foundation for my writing in the future. There is an element of Creative Writing that cannot be found in any other class, and I believe that it is that here we are free to express ourselves. I always felt writing to be so restricted and how certainty shrouded all the beauty of English literature itself.
Even the first day I attended Creative Writing was a bit shocking to me as we began with writing in our journals. This is something that, strangely, I have not done in any of my other schools- or if I did, then it would always be marked. I absolutely loved the idea of having journals, and it has allowed for me to grow beyond what I used to be. I have,somewhat, found my voice, but I still have a long journey to go.
Probably, my piece “The Oak Tree” has highlighted my own stylistic typicalities and has defined what my voice is today. I talked about two lovers who are inevitably distanced apart and this is where I started following up on the theme of love which I had never done before. I have found my identity in both poems and short stories because it is what I have most experienced.
Reflect on you development as a writer
Genre∼ The genre I write is made up of some tragedies which interlink with my passion to write about nature. From what I have seen, my writing consists of both of these, if not more, and it has become a part of who I am. For some odd reason, I love to write short stories and one-act plays alongside poetry.
Ideas∼ I like to write about tragedies, as I mentioned before, especially if I can relate it to love. This has been a weird transition because I, at the start of the year, was science-oriented and this new emerging theme of love is unusual. Here and there I made some pieces that connect to other ideas like optimism as seen in “The Awakening”. Then other times, my scientific instinct kicks back in, and I make pieces like time.
Details∼ I think this may be a strong point in my writing as I do focus on sensory details when I do write. However, I often use too much of this which pulls me away from writing a lot of dialogue.
Structure∼ My structure is to use not group up sentences into large paragraphs so that my writing does not appear overwhelming and congested.
Voice and Style∼ My tone merges pessimism,optimism, and has a strong level of formality. I, personally, make my characters contemplate their life and the actions they may do for a great period of time which takes away from the dialogue I use. The voice I have, however, is something that I still continue to search for, but Creative Writing has given me support in finding it.
GUMPS∼ My GUMPS have never been a major problem for me, but I have seen how Creative Writing has given me some improvement in being more wary of any mistakes. Usually, I try to check over my work as I write to make it as perfect as possible the first time.
How would you explain your voice? What is stylistic of you?
The voice I believe that I have is always formal because when I write I search for perfection. Even the ideas I write about take me time to publish it since I contemplate it for quite some time. I try to get the strongest insight possible which is why I am always seen thinking hard about something. This connects to the image of the “Thinker Man” that I used for my title page.
My diction can sometimes be complex which is a key reason that my English mark is not great. I have been trying to make my diction simpler, but it is hard for me since I have been used to my former style of writing. This is what I hope to better for the future which is why I am taking Creative Writing again next year!
My writing is shaped around ideals and being the best that I possibly can be. This is why my blog is quite plain and uses only the colours of white and black to symbolize my ideals conflicting with reality.
As a mentor writer, what advice would you give to future creative writers?
For future Creative Writers, I would say that if you feel that English has not been one of your strong points, then this class, if you put in the time and effort, will help you feel confident in writing. I am quite a pragmatic person which is why I use marks as a caveat for my improvement, but let me tell you that this is inaccurate. English cannot be restricted to numbers as it is far beyond that. It gives you insight into how we, humans, interact with everything around us. Once you let go of having marks determine whether you have developed as a writer, only then will you truly advance in your abilities.
Lastly, I would say READ!! My reading ladder last year only consisted of my required reads and ever since grade six, I never read any books unless we were forced to do it. All I can say is that it is extremely beneficial since it was the first step for boosting my English mark.
Future goals and plans regarding writing?
This year has been so strange for me because I have never given so much importance to English in any point of my life till this semester. I intentionally placed English and Creative Writing in the same semester which, if you are serious about getting better, will definitely be beneficial. Hopefully, I will be able to carry this passion for English into grade 11 without being overwhelmed by my other classes.
I will be taking Creative Writing again next year because it has taught me so much that I don’t want to let it go. Sometimes I regret ever taking Creative Writing class because I know that after Grade 12, I will only be hurt even more once I leave this class. For the future, I can only hope that along with personal improvement, my marks do increase with time.
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