Week 1 Journal 1

           During this writing process, I noticed a significant change in my grammar and vocabulary. Additionally, writing every day made my confidence increase and reveal what I believe without worrying about judgment. My writing is also also also getting longer each time. I often write now to get an idea onto the computer for future assignments.

Week 1 Journal 2

Miller                                                                                                              Creative Writing

 

Character Inventory: Anahita

 

Hobbies? Watching fish

Likes? God, Eels, Angel cake, and all bodies of water

Dislikes? Following her father’s advice

Drugs NA

Favorite: NA

Foods/booze/phrases? Angel cake/NA/”Maintaining every body of water is not boring.”

Family? God

Any secrets they take to the grave? NA

What makes them most unhappy? When any sea creature is hurt.

Ticks? Anyone saying she is as calm as a river.

Past loves? NA

Embarrassments? Learning their storm creating finger is considered inappropriate

Where they live? A hidden kingdom in the Bermuda triangle

Work? Maintain every creature and body of water

Car? NA

Interesting anatomy? Can move any finger without her other fingers moving

Faults? She blocks her other feelings

Skills? Great concentration

Biggest fear? Being seen as weak

Desires? Company

Where does your character see themself in 5 years? Sitting on a throne, doing her job

Week 2 Journal 1

Therefore, in “A&P,” what is:

  1. implied but not necessarily stated about Sammy before the story begins?

Before the story begins, it is implied that Sammy is a teenager.

  1. The inciting indecent/event that sets the story into motion?

The inciting indecent is when Lengel starts criticizing the three girls.

  1. The rising action/tension making action?

The rising action is when Lengel makes the three girls leave due to being indecent.

  1. The crisis?

The crisis is when Sammy quits his job for the three girls.

  1. The falling action?

The falling action is when Sammy folds his apron and quits completely.

  1. Sammy’s reflection/realization/epiphany?

Sammy’s reflection is he quits for the three girls; he realizes he’s alone now.

  1. Implied but not necessarily stated about Sammy after the story ends?

After the story, we are implied that Sammy’s life will become difficult.

Week 2 Journal 2

           I have read the reviews on my story, and I will explain how the story will go. The first review I read was about the character Anahita, and what type of person she is. The suggestion was to give Anahita inner dialogs, so I did, but when she received her name. I picture that the goddess wasn’t allowed to speak until she received a name; this is because a name confirms her existence in that specific reality. I will also have a flashback before the story explaining that God is her father, how Anahita learns to use her powers, and what a name is. The next review questioned what the story’s plot is and if I have the story planned out. My answer is, yes, there is a plot that includes a personal royal guard. The conflict will be about some merpeople wanting power, trying homemade potions, and becoming sirens who attack the kingdom. Anahita will fall in love with her personal royal guard Eelisa who will be killed by a siren, and Anahita will be killed and overthrown by this siren. The story will end in a semi-happy note, but I’m going to stop here, so I don’t reveal anything else

Week 3 Journal 1

           After reading “The Drownings” by Brenda Peynado, I want to say that I liked the story, but it is not a people pleaser. There were so many dark moments, but there were also moments where children would be sitting in science class where the teacher taught science, not only to the children but also to the readers. Reading the scientific facts reminded me of my middle school years. I also appreciated the emotions in the story and how the story was playing with you in a way. I chose to read a short story named The story was about Drowning, but to a vast extent, and when I read the summary, I expected the story to be about a killer who drowns their victims, but what I read was much worst emotionally. The story was about children in seventh grade and their friend, who was known to be the best diver, drowns, and survives from CPR. However, this took a dark turn; the children wanted to know what it was like to drown, so they attempted to drown themselves whenever possible. The child who almost drowned became a motivational speaker, telling people to live their life to the fullest, but the children do not listen.

           Later a girl named Rosa joins the friend group, and the kids immediately take her to the pool, but Rosa can’t swim. Rosa decides to have a swim party despite the fact that she can’t swim, and neither could her brother; this results in Rosa’s brother drowning. Reading this made me annoyed and depressed because the children are like, “we already forgot about your brother.” “Why can’t you?” The children were so insensitive when anyone drowned. They were still drowning themselves, and because of this, Zach, a leading person in the friend group, drowned himself. The kids did not react and even got the girl Rosa, who actually cared, became insensitive.

Week 3 Journal 2

“The Drownings” described with one sentence: This is the story of swimming and drowning.

“Anahita” described with one sentence: This is the story of a water goddess.

Week 4 Journal 1

           After reading “First Thought, Worst Thought,” I found a few points very helpful. I highly appreciated the writer’s advice on how the poem should flow with a rhythm to have a musical aspect, and poetry should have an unexpected element. I tend to write poems with a swing included for every verse, but I found a sudden turn to be helpful. I also enjoyed reading about one other value on the list because it explained how you should use all five senses to describe the story’s factors unless it is a small detail with no importance. I make this mistake most of the time, which is why I found this important. As for the list itself, one quality was missing. The list should add guidance on how much time others should take during a break and finish before a deadline. Other than that, the conditions of a good poem are of great value.

Week 4 Journal 2

           After reading “The name of the air,” I found that the line breakage connects the poem itself, and the old dog. The line with the fewest words makes you feel sorry for the dog because the dog walks up to ask for help, which the dog needs, only to forget the question entirely, leaving the dog in an unhealthy state. The dog tries to get an answer on why they are having trouble breathing, this to me shows that the dog is scared. The poem and breakage go hand in hand; the lines are not enough to give the poem a feeling of panic or concern. However, if the two are combined, it helps you understand the mood more. That is why the style is an essential aspect of the poem.

Week 5 Free Poem #2

Tea

Mouth dry feeling faint I look around the house
Sick of drinking water I think of something else
Water and lemonade once a perfect drink
I’ve grown tired of this taste

Ordering a new beverage that will hopefully suffice
Hours pass Lightheaded I lay down on the couch
A headache and nausea I really need a drink
One knock I answer the door

Opening the bag I see five flavors of tea
Unscrewing the bottle I start to drink the drink
One second passed the liquid now consumed
I favored this new drink

Week 6 Journal

Over the past few weeks of the Creative Writing course, I picked up techniques and advice that I believe will help throughout this class. It is essential that you keep up with your work, do not procrastinate, and get stuck on an assignment. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Reading was the hardest part of the course for me as an auditory learner. As I struggled to read the first sentence, hours would pass, and I would panic and freeze as I stared at the page. Don’t wait too long to ask for help. If you have a parent or anyone willing to read to you, then use it. You are not perfect, and you never will be, trying to prove yourself is not as vital as taking help, which is more important than your pride. Another piece of advice is when writing a poem, you should not be afraid to write about unique topics. I wrote a poem about how absurd a dream can be, and two of the lines used were “Why is there a flying cantaloupe?” and “Spider-Man gave me a high five” people like to hear about the truth with a twist or complete fiction. I hope this was helpful advice, and I wish everyone in this class. Good Luck.