Writing Review Week

STEP THREE: Write up a blog post where you share some thoughts about the writing in the class so far. You can write about anything you want; the following are just some prompts to give you some ideas to think about as you write your post:

• What have been your greatest writing successes in the class so far this semester?

I think my most successful writing successes have been my storytelling assignments: Pat-A-Cake, Christine the Faithful and The Psychic and the Leopard.  I'm including this picture from my Pat-A-Cake story because it has been my most favorite story to write so far.  The story was inspired by my daughter, Mary, and her desire to bake all the time.

(Image information: Pat-a-Cake by Mary Brigid Barrett and Illustrated by LeUyen Pham)

• What writing goals do you have for yourself in the second half of the semester?

My writing goals are to complete more of the Reading Diary Assignments and spend more time on my Storytelling Assignments.

• As you look at your Storytelling posts, what do you think are some good strategies for coming up with good stories?

The best strategy for me is to use some ideas from my own life.  I always seem to write better when I have a personal connection to the story.

• Have you been able to get some good writing ideas from looking at the writing other students are doing?

I have been able to get some good writing ideas from other students, especially Stoffel, Allison, and Bria. They use a lot of actual character dialogue in their stories and I haven't quite perfected that technique yet.  I plan to use their techniques in the future.  I'm in no way saying that I'm not influences by the other students int he class.  I'm just saying that those students have made the biggest impression on me and my writing so far.

• Is the feedback you are getting from me and from other students helping you to improve your writing?

Yes, the feedback has been quite helpful in revising my stories.  They notice my grammatical and sentence structure errors when I don't.  I have also used suggestions about creating smaller paragraphs and will be adding character dialogue in my stories in the future.

• What kind of feedback is most helpful for you in your writing?

Any kind of constructive criticism is helpful to me.  I'm not a writer and I know it.  Any comment makes me into a better writer.

• Have you learned anything useful about yourself as a writer, about the writing process, about writing techniques, etc. from your work in this class so far?

Yes, I have learned that although I have more years under my belt in college than almost everyone else in this class, I am no where near as good a writer as some of the younger students in this class.  I'm learning a lot from everyone else in this class including the instructor.  

• What do you feel are the biggest challenges you face as a writer? What do you think could be most helpful to you in facing those challenges?

My biggest challenge I face as a writer is my own mind.  I tend to tell myself that I don't write well or I don't know how to put a creative spin on a story.  Sometimes I over-analyze myself and my ability to write.  The thing that has been the most helpful is seeing all the positive comments on the stories I have written already.  That helps a great deal.

• What do you find most inspiring as a writer? What do you find most rewarding? 

The most inspiring things to me are reading other people's stories and incorporating their writing styles into my own writing.  When I do incorporate other student's writing styles into my own, I get a lot more positive feedback.  That is definitely a huge reward for me.