Improvement as a writer

I think that my GUMPS especially have improved since taking this course. The rules and fine details of sentence structure were foreign to me to some degree; I did not even know how to use a semi-colon, but this course has taught me the nuances of the English language.

Adding on to that, my voice has greatly improved. Now that I know the structure of writing, I have been able to fully define a voice for myself, as well as a style. My ideas have come more naturally to me, the concepts for my smaller projects as well as my novels now available to build upon.

My voice, in summary, could be best described as proper, almost archaic in some instances, depending on the project I am working on. One of my signatures is to use lots of semi-colons, and to describe things in great detail. I oftentimes have to restrain myself from describing too much, as well as from adding too much detail about eyes; I like to tell emotions through the eyes, as I see them as the window into the mind, where you can not often hide what you truly feel.

My advice for new writers would be to just start. I did not get to where I am now by sitting around, wishing I could write a book; I just wrote the book. The first draft is going to be unsavory, filled with errors and terrible grammar, but the more you write, the better you will get. Also, do not be afraid to write what you want to. The best ideas are the ones you are too scared to share.

In the future, I would like to pursue writing as a part of my career, if not the main part of it. Film directing is my main goal, but writing is often involved in that process, especially if I feel like writing a film myself. Stage plays might also happen, as that art form fascinates me, but we will have to see what will come.

The blog

My blog is certainly not as extensive as it could be, I must admit. Most of my writing time is used on my larger projects, the current one being the sequel to the Plight of Steel, and my blog is usually just a little space for my little ideas. In the future, as I am planning to take Creative Writing again, I will definitely put more effort into the blog, as it would be better for me to open up and share the stories in my head.

Blogs that I have seen this year that truly impressed me were those of Jed and Pierce.

http://skyblueskies.edublogs.org/

http://piercethetaco.edublogs.org/

Jed has such a creative mind, and his posts are beautifully written, always just esoteric enough for my taste (Circus Clowns.) He is quite clearly never censored by his doubts, and his writing reflects that, often touching on topics that others might feel too uncomfortable to write about.

http://skyblueskies.edublogs.org/2019/05/16/clowns/

Pierce writes from his emotions, and like Jed, is unafraid to say what he wants. I respect and envy him in that, as I often am too worried about what might come of the ideas I have—not that they are disreputable, of course.

The student

Reading, you may be surprised to hear, is not one of my passions. When I have to do it, I will, and I often force myself to, as writing is nothing without reading, and writing a novel would have been impossible had I not read. Usually, I am very fastidious about what I am reading or watching, and stories need to be unique and fascinating for me to remain engaged. That is why I wander the library for far too long, searching the shelves thrice-over before finally losing faith and leaving with nothing.

What truly inspires me are small things that others might overlook. Colors are a large influencing factor in my creative process, as well as still images that bear lots of color. A sentence overheard or a sound might spark something in my mind; I never like to write without having an idea, and trying to force one to appear never works. The best concepts often come to me out of nothing, popping into my head, or conglomerating out of a cluster of small inklings and details that have been floating about for a while.

As a student, I feel that I could try to find some more motivation; getting me to focus on schoolwork is like trying to fell a tree with a plastic knife. There are certainly some areas that need improving, and I try to work on them every day.

The fan

Learning about other authors was one of the most valuable experiences I have ever gotten from school. Analyzing the way that they wrote, and continue to write, was a large factor in boosting my confidence about my own writing, as well as educating me on their ideas and inspirations. Personally, I find that writing is never something that can be right or wrong; it is about what the person feels is the artistically sound way to convey their ideas—as long as they know what they are doing, and are being intentional.

Tolkien was, among other things, a confirmation that at times when I feel I am describing too much, there is always someone who did ten times more with his own writing. He has always been an inspiration to me; my mother would read his stories to my brother and I when we were young, and his world has always been a part of my life: something I draw from, and something I come back to when I am feeling burned out. Presenting his life to the class was quite an honor, almost a full-circle sort of deal, and I felt that I could connect more with the man who, more or less, wrote my childhood.

the critic

Critiquing my own work… I do not have enough space on this page. When others tell me that I am my own worst critic, I know that they are correct, as every single word that I put down, regardless of where it is being put down, will go through various mental checks before I allow it through. If I could write the Plight of Steel over again for a third time, I gladly would, yet the story has grown quite repetitive, and writing the same content too many times sucks the creativity out of it.

First, I will talk about a newer post: Lacquer: A Collection.

https://atticsalt.edublogs.org/2019/06/06/lacquer-a-collection/

Now firstly, let me say that this piece was the result of a blank mind. I had no ideas, for, as previously stated, none had come to me. Instead of forcing something, which would end terribly, I decided to look around the room for some form of inspiration. There, on the wall, was the painting of a man done by a student; that image became the inspiration for the story.

It is a multi-layered, time-warping cluster, yet it does have a story to it. One of the storylines tells the tale of someone who has just found the painting in a house. They are searching for something, a hidden treasure being the original idea, and have been told that it would lie behind the painting. Eventually, this person finds that the art is living somehow. Second, there is a sailor on a boat that has just begun to sink. He is searching for the painting, perhaps to salvage it, yet he is knocked out by the captain, who has gone mad, killing his crewmen; the last image is of the protagonist drowning with the painting. Lastly, someone tries to buy the painting from a store, but ends up being hit by a car once the purchase is made. The painting is somehow cursed, and the dialogue portions interspersed between the descriptions reveal the conversation between the two sisters, one of whom painted, then magicked the piece.

Second, there is The Rose.

https://atticsalt.edublogs.org/2019/05/10/the-rose/

I wrote this after watching a television show—I do not remember which—where someone had some sort of bungled flower delivery. As I was watching, I began to wonder: what if someone grew a rose in their backyard for however long it takes to do that, just to give it to someone. As with most of my writing, however, a perfect ending would be boring, so I twisted it a little. This is one of the only poems I have written that I find decent enough, which makes it one of my favorite.

 

In summary, this year has been wonderful. I was trying to fall asleep one night when I suddenly thought back to the beginning of the year; I lay awake for a long while, perplexed at how drastically I had changed since then. The person I was then is a wholly different kid than the one I am now, and I credit that to joining the wonderful arts community in this school. If I had never done it, I would never have published a book, I feel, nor would I have gotten up on stage once during high school. I must thank everyone involved for helping me realize who I am, as without Creative Writing and Drama, I would not be writing this now.