LITR 3731: Creative Writing
Student Journal / Portfolio Sample Submission 2005
Audra Caldwell
May 2, 2005
Introduction:
Creative Writing is not a class I thought I would be
interested in. However, after I had committed to the class, I became very
excited and anxious to see what I could accomplish. I have enjoyed every section
in the class for various reasons. Up until now, I have only written analytical
papers during my college years. The class really stretched my way of thinking
and this class gave school a breath of fresh air. I have surprised myself in my
abilities to create. This portfolio will portray my personal development in
creativity and samples of poetry, fiction and drama.
As an online student, I probably relied more on the book
and webpage than other students. I believe I also gained more of a talent of
self criticism, yet missed out on the class discussions and learning from the
comments from my fellow peers. However,
it was nice to really sit back and take in some of my peer’s writings to learn
from and use as examples.
Overall, I am glad I took the creative writing class. It
was a very difficult class and yet, I have proven to myself that I have not lost
my ability to imagine. And I have found a new talent that I might take time to
expound on and personally enjoy some day. Through this class I have learned so
much about my self and the outlook I have on my abilities. I am unsure at this
time whether my interest will go any farther on a professional level, but I
consider any kind of expression a good experience and writing is no exception.
This section was probably most difficult, though also the
section in which I had the most knowledge. I have taken poetry classes
throughout my schooling. Making many of the technical terms easy to find and
understand, but this being my first time to write made them very hard to use.
I
wrote and rewrote several poems but none of them came out as I wanted. I was
however, pleased with my final draft and hope to continue the feelings of that
time in my life with more poetry. After I was finished with my poem I felt as if
I had written an entire novel. This idea is what I love about poetry, you can
say so much with so little. I admit that my poem was not superior, but I am
proud of the accomplishment.
Future development of this poem is very likely. I do not
think it embodies every emotion and experience I would like to express, however
I was not sure how to fit it all together. As I improve and build confidence as
a writer I intend on further developing this poem. The strength of this poem is
the recollection of the past it allows the reader to embrace as it is read.
Fiction is the section I knew the least about while
writing. I referred to the book often and was adamant about reading every story
posted by my peers. I believe this section would have been the most helpful to
have class discussion in which to participate, to find out what other readers
are looking for or how they perceive things.
I enjoyed the fiction section the most. I
surprised myself with my imagination and creativity. It was fun to let your mind
run with the story. I think I may have let mine run a little too much at first,
but after revising I think I toned it down a bit. I am a big crime show fan
right now and my story reflected that. I could see bits of my story in a
television series. I hoped to accomplish a short story, however I think my story
could grow into a chapter book easily with some added storylines and more
details.
The drama section was another section that turned out to
be much more difficult than expected. Using my classroom setting of home was
quite a challenge. I try to do most of my work during the day while I’m at
home alone, so in the evening we can have family time. However, it is hard to
base a drama on your day when there is not much conversation that occurs. In the
beginning of writing my drama I found character speaking to her self a lot. I
didn’t think this could carry an entire scene of a play so I tried to put more
characters in where possible.
After receiving peer critique, I realized how much my
drama was lacking. I changed several scenes and rehashed the conversations. This
is a little nerve racking and discouraging, but after rereading the piece, I
believe I was able to revise my work well.
Peer Review:
Jennifer Davis 2003
“This is probably the greatest achievement I have
experienced. However, realizing I
can do this and continuing to do it are two totally different things.”
“Ultimately, I believe I will always be a writer of some
sort. I have thoroughly enjoyed
challenging myself and I especially love visualizing on screen how my mind
works. I say this not because I
have all of these great ideas stored up, but because with all my writings I have
taken a simple thought or concept and through typing it out, a story develops
that I never knew existed. This is
the greatest satisfaction in writing, discovering a whole new world- the one
inside my own head.”
I feel like these two statements describe the exact
feelings that I would like to portray through my portfolio. I believe I have
taken on a new challenge and completed it to the best of my ability; and even
had a little fun learning about my abilities as a writer. However, I don’t
think I would attempt to write anything in the future that is more than just a
hobby.