Discuss an ‘Aha’ from Creative Writing class
There were many epiphanies for me in this year’s Creative Writing class, and many of them were inspirations from the daily quotes that we were given. “At the still point, there the dance is” inspired me to talk about the idea of simplicity and how it has so much more wholeness to it because of its raw nature. However, simplicity isn’t always as satisfying in the short-term, which is why people are drawn away from it. Another quote we had was, “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living” which simply is talking about regret. Regret is one of the reasons that I have changed myself, for better or for worse, to be less of just a ‘logical’ guy and embrace the emotional facets that are inside of me. I don’t want to ever end up, wishing I did something that I didn’t do. Regret is one of the worst poisons. Straying away from the quotes, the Bow View Manor writing was another epiphany for me, as the man whom I was assigned too taught me the meaning of ‘balance’. He was a politician who spent much of his time immersed in the world of ‘reason’ and seemed to be very structured in the way that he presented his life to us. Yet, on the other hand, he was also a sailor, which I thought was interesting since it was the one place in his life where there was a lack of order – beautiful chaos, if you will.
What have you accomplished as a reader? What is your plan to read next?
As a reader I have challenged myself, more so in the first semester, to read books that are classics and are quite challenging. Although I couldn’t understand Frankenstein completely the first time I read it, there was something about the book that made me want to keep reading. These challenging books are what motivate you to become a better reader, which kind of naturally makes you a better writer if you put the time in to hone these skills. My next three novels that I’m planning to read are part of my summer reading ladder and include: Death of a Salesman, The Handmaid’s Tale, and one other that I’m still considering.
What are your next steps to improve as a writer?
There is so much I can improve on in my writing, so its hard to find a specific area to start in. If I was looking for something, I would say that I’m going to continue emulating from the critical essays of my peers as well as the personals because those areas are a bit lacking. Reading is obviously one of the best ways to improve for critical essay writing, but another way for me could be by creating a variety of theme statements and looking to see which novels connect to them. I would also like to make my writing more clear and concise so that my audience can understand what I am trying to say. Sometimes simplicity can be as impactful as having amazing insight into a theme.
