12 thoughts on “Week 2 Takeaways”

  1. I liked the kitchen essay prompt and the way that having a checklist of things to incorporate actually helped a lot with the details and beats of the story. My high school video production class was structured the same way (where we’d have to make something like: experimental narrative genre + dream sequence element + subtitle scene + use the words “Never say ‘I’ll be right back.”) It really helps to develop ideas!

  2. I want to explore the usage of all our senses more when reflecting on past images or places. I realized this when doing the kitchen exercise. I kid of struggle with being extremely descriptive so I’m excited to challenge myself and do more!

  3. I really loved the excercises that we have been doing in class. It is the first time that I had a strict moment to dedicate myself to writing. I found the prompts very interesting and challenging. It makes me so excited to keep practicing.

  4. I have enjoyed and appreciated the safe space we have created within the classroom for others to share their works of writing. It is very nice to be able to feel like we are all in different places and learning different writing skills, and still very supportive of fellow writers. I also have learned a great deal about the importance of descriptive words and their importance in writing, terms like ‘transporting a reader’ have been used to describe how your work should feel and I think that is exactly what I want to do with my work. I think descriptive word choice greatly contributes to this goal.

  5. This week was interesting. I learned so much about the importance of writing, even when I’m not sure where I’m going with it, and how fun it is to write just to write. I enjoyed listening to my peers’ writing. I was touched by many of their pieces. I learned the significance of avoiding clichés. As we started working on our non-fictional pieces, I never thought about how a cliché can ruin the power of a good story.

  6. This week I felt like I learned about the importance of small details in creative writing. It has been really interesting to have to dig deeper into my memories to find those details in order to be able to include them in my work and thus make it more engaging and sensory. I’m excited to continue to learn about how best to employ the use of details in my writing!

  7. I’m really interested by the variations I’ve seen in the quick in-class responses we’ve been doing–both across people’s work and within my own writing. It’s really fun to see how we all take the same prompts and end up in such different places, with such lovely and distinct voices. In my own work, I’m noticing that sometimes the short off-the-cuff writing feels successful and sometimes it feels like I wasn’t able to effectively communicate my ideas within the parameters, so I’m excited to do more of those exercises and figure out what works and what doesn’t work for me.

  8. I have really enjoyed having the space and time to dedicate to creative writing practice. I found myself digging through lots of old memories for the written assignments, and also enjoyed the readings! In class, I have appreciated the prompted journaling and the opportunities to share my work and get feedback. I have been thinking much more about different writing styles and voices because of these exercises, and look forward to the rest of the course!

  9. I was extremely nervous about sharing work, especially writing on the spot, but this has been a very open environment where sharing is integral to doing the exercise, and everyone has something unique to add.

  10. I thought this week was very substantive. Personally, I really have no experience with creative writing so it was really nice to start to get into that space. I also really liked hearing everyone’s storytelling voices; they are all so unique!

  11. The exercise of writing about a moment of travel using sensory details and writing from second person were both incredibly formative for me, providing me more specific ways to write. I also loved the readings and have tried to take what I’ve learned from those into my own writing!

  12. Between the readings, the class discussions, and various writing exercises this week, I’ve come to a deeper understanding of how POV can deeply impact and improve the transportive quality of an essay. In my past writings I’ve typically stuck to one POV, one voice, for an entire piece, not giving it too much mind. Readings like “The Green Room” that change the POV and voice in a way that enhances the experience, immersion, and understanding of a piece of writing demonstrated to me how POV can be used to elevate an essay. Exercises like the 2nd person POV direct address and the kitchen piece challenged me to push past personal boundaries and try something new with my writing, presenting me with a new perspective and approach to writing that I plan to explore in more depth.

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