Self-evaluation
1) This is a hard question for me— I haven't written anything too spectacular that I would instantly declare my "best work", however, I didn't mind the way my short story, "Mon Soleil", turned out just because it was such a big ordeal for me. I don't write short stories so much any more (I used to when I was little), so even just coming up with an idea/plot for my short story was a hugely difficult task. Besides various excerpts I find myself slightly proud of (the description of Tam), I think the reason I like this work the best is because of the effort I put into it. Also, though the average reader may not pick up on it, there is massive symbolism in "Mon Soleil"— so much that I almost grew tired of writing it in. Other than that, I've enjoyed certain daily journal entries and I absolutely loved having the opportunity to write about Paul Simon for my narrative short-fiction piece.
2) Overall, I've learned so many new techniques and terms because of this class that I feel I have all these new tools to choose from when I sit myself down to write. I think I've developed the ability to create a certain mood or emotion in both poetry and longer works more efficiently than I had before taking this class. When we worked on pacing, it was such a new concept to me— I never even knew there was a name for it. I had a lot of fun being able to manipulate my story by adding more commas or words with more syllables in order to slow or quicken the way the reader would digest it. I also think I have a much better grasp on point of view and like to play around with how it can affect a story or poem.
3) Since I am not very technologically savvy, the first thing I did to create this portfolio was just mess around a little with how Weebly works. After I got the hang of it, I tried out various theme ideas (including "Stages of the Moon", "Words in the Wind", and "Words in Full Color") but finally settled upon "Words in Motion". The hardest part for me out of the whole assignment was trying to come up with works other than poetry since I rarely write anything else— well, that and trying to fit what I have written along with the sub-themes, which was harder than I had expected.
4) I think generally one of the greatest weaknesses I have as a writer is that I do not veer far from what feels comfortable to me— I do not expose myself on my own time with a wide range of genres or formats, going against Garrison Keillor's great advice. I have, though, grown to enjoy other types of writing and have been anxious to write them. Going along with this, when I write poetry, it all sounds very similar to me and I don't want to be stuck with a certain way of writing or with typical imagery to fall back on.
5) Since I tend to stick with poetry, it is very hard for me to step out of that comfort zone and write something in another format— say like a dialogue or a whole entire short story. This class has helped me try out new formats and discover the fun in other realms of writing. Because of this, I feel as if I have grown and expanded my idea of what is "safe" to write and what isn't. Even though I love poetry, and will continue to always write and read it, I am very thankful for the exposure this class has given me to different ways of writing in which I wouldn't have been comfortable writing otherwise.
6) It's hard to say what grade I think I deserve— I enjoyed Writer's Workshop very much and worked at completing my assignments and doing well. Of course I'd like to see an A or a B, but it's whatever you see fit. Like I've mentioned, I've learned so much from this class and have put this new knowledge to good use both in assignments involving the class and on my own time. Though I put forth great effort in trying to do well, there were times where I did not finish on time, forgot to turn things in, and so on.
2) Overall, I've learned so many new techniques and terms because of this class that I feel I have all these new tools to choose from when I sit myself down to write. I think I've developed the ability to create a certain mood or emotion in both poetry and longer works more efficiently than I had before taking this class. When we worked on pacing, it was such a new concept to me— I never even knew there was a name for it. I had a lot of fun being able to manipulate my story by adding more commas or words with more syllables in order to slow or quicken the way the reader would digest it. I also think I have a much better grasp on point of view and like to play around with how it can affect a story or poem.
3) Since I am not very technologically savvy, the first thing I did to create this portfolio was just mess around a little with how Weebly works. After I got the hang of it, I tried out various theme ideas (including "Stages of the Moon", "Words in the Wind", and "Words in Full Color") but finally settled upon "Words in Motion". The hardest part for me out of the whole assignment was trying to come up with works other than poetry since I rarely write anything else— well, that and trying to fit what I have written along with the sub-themes, which was harder than I had expected.
4) I think generally one of the greatest weaknesses I have as a writer is that I do not veer far from what feels comfortable to me— I do not expose myself on my own time with a wide range of genres or formats, going against Garrison Keillor's great advice. I have, though, grown to enjoy other types of writing and have been anxious to write them. Going along with this, when I write poetry, it all sounds very similar to me and I don't want to be stuck with a certain way of writing or with typical imagery to fall back on.
5) Since I tend to stick with poetry, it is very hard for me to step out of that comfort zone and write something in another format— say like a dialogue or a whole entire short story. This class has helped me try out new formats and discover the fun in other realms of writing. Because of this, I feel as if I have grown and expanded my idea of what is "safe" to write and what isn't. Even though I love poetry, and will continue to always write and read it, I am very thankful for the exposure this class has given me to different ways of writing in which I wouldn't have been comfortable writing otherwise.
6) It's hard to say what grade I think I deserve— I enjoyed Writer's Workshop very much and worked at completing my assignments and doing well. Of course I'd like to see an A or a B, but it's whatever you see fit. Like I've mentioned, I've learned so much from this class and have put this new knowledge to good use both in assignments involving the class and on my own time. Though I put forth great effort in trying to do well, there were times where I did not finish on time, forgot to turn things in, and so on.