This is my self assessment/introduction to my Writing 121 English Composition class. We were asked include some sort of description of good writing, bad writing, examples and explanations from our own writing, if we only write when prompted (such as for this assignment) and what we expect to get out of this college-level course. Hadn't posted in a while so I figured this would do =P
A piece of writing is “good” when it conveys a story in a way that is interesting to the reader. It is most likely not a cut and dry chronological telling of the event, but painted like a picture through the use of words. My most personally cherished work was created for/through Trista Cornelius’ Creative Nonfiction course this last term. At first I wouldn’t have found myself steering towards nonfiction, because it reminded me of textbooks and studies and dull reading, but the Trista’s class taught me the beauty of nonfiction through creativity. Following in an excerpt from the introduction to my midterm portfolio for the creative nonfiction class. I’m not saying that it - or the pieces of writing that it describes - is “good” or perfect writing, but I feel that it explains some aspects of good writing and qualities that I strive for.
In a few of the pieces, I worked hard to pull a raw truth from inside myself and the life I’ve lived, making a humble attempt to represent that in the words that filled the page. I feel that part of humanity is having an intimate relationship with the people in your life, and as a writer you must be able to build that relationship with people who you may never meet. When a reader stumbles across your blog, catches interest in your book that happens to be selling at the local store, or is assigned something that you wrote for a grade in their class, the reader must feel a connection to you - a bond built letter by letter, word by word, strengthening through each story.
Through writing this collection I have tried to experiment with different points of view as well as serious, playful, intimate and other tones. I have ‘played around’ with spoken vs. internal conversation, chronological vs. stream of consciousness, and personal experience vs. the world that we live in. My hopes were also to portray a wide variety in order to find my strengths and weaknesses so I may build upon them and continue forward with my passion for writing.
I believe the best writing comes from experience, practice, and experimentation. In most cases, a piece of writing that the author feels strong or passionate about turn out to be some of the best. My final thought on “good” writing is that if it deals with real life struggle and beauty and comes from real life experience, particularly the heart or strong emotions, it will be a piece that readers will enjoy.
Sometimes a writer, or someone who happens to be writing, will struggle to try something new or different, or a subject that they are not experienced or familiar with. In these cases, particularly when the writer feels like the pieces is just not flowing, flat, dull, missing something, or flat out just “not working,” it may be better to discard the piece and start fresh.
One way to get ideas for writing that is usually really effective for me is through prompts. I love prompts. However, sometimes prompts are the cause of a piece that just doesn’t sound right or work. I believe that either way, it is a good exercise practice to use to increase your writing skills. A lot of the times that I actually write are through prompts because, frankly, I don’t usually have time to just sit down and right. I wish I wrote a lot more than I do, and tend to keep scribbles for story ideas, scenes, or other related notes that pop into my head and demand to be written down. One thing that I wish I had more time for was writing and sometimes I struggle with that. That being said, it has encouraged me to take more classes in writing of all genres and inspired me in many ways. Without taking the writing classes (because I have to take classes to earn a degree, and it allows me to kill two birds with one stone) I would never have been subjected to completely new and interesting writing styles, ideas, and prompts. Just getting my mind into a creative and writing mode on a regular basis, with prompts that actually inspired me instead of leaving me tapping a pen on the paper while looking at the ceiling for ideas, made it so that I started thinking of writing and stories much more frequently. I am happy about this, a blessing and a curse because, you know, the time management thing.
From a college-level course such as this one, I expect to learn the basics of writing and expand on my current knowledge. I also enjoy reading others work and engaging in critical thinking, conversation, and debate. The past year I have been very successful in my courses. However, before that I had medical complications and personal crisis that caused me to fail WR 121 twice through on-campus setting and once online as well as the other classes I was taking. I am in a much better situation now and have taken ENG 106 Introduction to Poetry, WR 240 Creative Nonfiction, a year of journalism classes and writing for The Clackamas Print, as well as other classes that required a good deal of writing. I will say this, having taken WR 121 three times before to some extent or another, I find that it is always different, interesting, engaging, fun, and more. Academically, there was no reason for me to fail 121 and I am excited to see the course from one last viewpoint before I ace it and put it behind me!
I look forward to getting to know everyone this term and spending summer days writing under a shaded tree of down by the river!
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