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Saturday, January 28

creative writing

on the first day of school, i wrote about how infatuated i was with my creative writing class.

my teacher was basically a modcloth model straight from the website and completely wonderful and adorable and really, really enthusiastic (enthusiasm makes for the best kind of teachers). i can trust her.

two days in, i'm realizing how much of a challenge this class is going to be to get out of it what i really want out of it. every lecture, we're required to do the reading and instead of writing an analytical response as i'm so used to from my high school english classes, we are required to write a "fictional response". i didn't think this would be that difficult. however, it's proving to be extremely difficult. i can definitely get away with just mindlessly writing something that will work with a few good ideas, but i'm realizing i want more than that. i don't want to just effortlessly go through the motions in this class. i want to really push myself. for the past year and a half, i've journaled, i've blogged, and i've written a lot of non-fiction in various word documents hidden in folders on my laptop, but i haven't really dove into the whole "fictional" world. most of what i work with is from my own life and my own experiences so getting inside someone else's conscious that another author created is a little bit like a puzzle. and every single one of us has a different interpretation of every story which just illustrates the gaps and holes that the readers are supposed to fill. it's hard.

i'm realizing i know how to write about my own life. i know how to write an interesting story that happened to me. but i have no idea about the crafting of a fictionalized story that isn't about me. i have no idea how to convey my writing in a different way than i'm used to. i have no idea how to reveal a character story and create a character "arch" as they develop. i have no idea how to create a puzzle, revealing the pieces slowly. i have no idea how to pull back.

i've excelled in my english classes this far into my life but for the first time, i'm taking a class that isn't about a grade. i want to become a better writer. i want to learn how to write a character and i want to learn how to reveal that character (perhaps the most difficult task of all). reading these short stories for class and discussing them in a group has made me realize how many details there are in crafting a story and just being a good writer doesn't mean a lot. a good writer can be a good writer but can be terrible at crafting an intriguing story. 

my goal for this class is to listen and observe with wide eyes. i want to soak in every single thing modcloth model has to say and every single thing my classmates discuss about the stories we read. i want to push myself further than i've ever been expected to and learn what it takes to "craft" your writing. i'm at the point of desperation in my writing and i'm realizing that i do what to be heard. i want to write and write and write and write. i want my teacher to read everything i write and give me feedback. i want my classmates to read and figure out my own puzzle. 

this could be the best or worst attempt i've ever made in writing.

4 comments:

kylee said...

your infatuation with that class made me consider taking a creative writing my class next semester. i'm seriously thinking i might. hearing that the class is hard for you is sort of why i want to do it - i feel like it will be hard for me too. when we blog we talk about ourselves, our lives, our adventures, our ideas, our clothes, our likes... US. in a creative writing class it's entirely different. it's like you can't even write as you. and i sort of love that concept. forcing myself to write as someone else - to see the world through the eyes of another. to forget what i believe and think and instead feel, love & live as another. yeah, the more i think about it the more i want to take that class next semester. the fact that you WANT to do well in the class, you want to becme a better writer and you want to dive into the minds of others is exactly why the hard class is worth it. soap opera of a comment over.

Bethany Kellen of bunnypicnic said...

i wish you good luck. i know that feeling of wanting to be better, not just get a good grade. that's how i feel about my current photography class. i want to learn to talk about photography, and understand it. not just 'take a pretty picture' because that isn't even what i do with my 'art art'. i can't wait to see what you write.
you could always just change the names ;)

Shawnee said...

yes yes. i'm taking a creative&descriptive writing this semester...i was so so so excited to take it!! and two weeks into, i not only realize that i have to put more time into it, but i truly want to be the best writer that i can be. i want to push myself, be creative, and learn more! besides the required homework and papers, im hoping that this class will push me to write more for myself:)
good luck! xo

The Flightless Gal said...

I took a similar class my Senior year of high school called Senior Odyssey. Honestly, it was one of the best journey's and experiences I've ever had. Very cathartic and reveling. It really helped be understand what I'm writing, why I'm writing, and how much I enjoy it.

I hope you do well in the class!
xx

Ps. Do try and snap a pic of your Modcloth Model teacher? I'd love to see how she styles herself :) lol