#the transitions between elements need more refining but who cares i love this program

[erinaonice]

WHEN I TELL YOU I GASPED HOW THAT FIRST AXEL MATCHED PERFECTLY TO THE MUSIC

this is a beautiful program and I'm so happy I watched it

[hustlebonezzzz]

Capstone Introduction

Hello and welcome to my online portfolio!

My project showcases five pieces that I feel are representative of my versatility and strongest skill sets in writing. I have included a deep dive, a profile, a short story, and some personal narratives. I wanted to present pieces that I had the most passion for and enjoyed the most. 

The overall intention in compiling this collection is to engage readers with fun pieces on a variety of different subjects. The subjects represent my own personal interests and experiences, and I hope that readers would get a strong sense of who I am and the type of writing to be expected from me. When thinking about the way I wanted to represent myself through this project, I naturally wanted to pick pieces that aligned with my interests. Personal narratives tend to be my go-to oftentimes, however, I wanted to show that this is not the only form of writing I am capable of completing. So, I included a short story to expand and give more variety to my portfolio as a whole. 

When creating this portfolio, the biggest hurdle I encountered was actually sitting down and cracking down on writing. I’ve had a healthy dose of procrastination throughout my entire academic career, but this semester has truly been something else. I believe this was mainly due to leaving campus and switching to a fully online platform. I also became bored with my own style of writing, and the passion felt like it was fizzling out. Writing a brand new piece that could be anything I wanted it to be sounded fun and easy, but later turned out to be more difficult than I previously imagined. I felt that I had a lot to say, but didn’t know how to put it on the page in a way that is palpable, organized, and fun to read. 

Further, I think what affected the quality of my writing the most was creating pieces knowing that I would have the chance to revise, and not giving my all the first time around. In the end, this was very counterproductive to myself and the quality of my finished products. There was a lot of time allotted between each assignment, and I didn’t use that time as efficiently as I should have.

Despite these hurdles, I believe that I have created pieces that have a lot of relatable qualities. I don’t think my way of thinking is very different compared to others in my age bracket, and I feel that most of my pieces are targeted at those around my own age for the most part. I believe my writing works in this way. 

Additionally, I really like putting myself on the chopping block. I don’t think that I am particularly extraordinary compared to the rest of the 7 billion humans on the earth, but I feel that is where a lot of the appeal comes in. I enjoy reading works from people that are raw and unfiltered, and I take a lot of inspiration from that. I hope that shines through in my portfolio. 

Naturally, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Sometimes, I feel I slip into conversation mode too hard at some points. The inner monologue of my mind doesn’t always translate well onto the page. This leaves the grammar and verbiage of my work to sound awkward, verbose, and less refined. I have plenty of ideas running through my head, but when it comes to putting it into words, it can become lost and jumbled. This also had led me to struggle with finding effective ways of transitioning from point to point. Many times, I use the basic transitional words instead of weaving in thoughts to connect ideas. 

I also have a tendency to repeat the same words and phrases over and over. For instance, I love overusing the words “just” and “really.” This is a habit I am still trying to break to make my writing sound tighter and cleaner. 

Needless to say, a lot of the downfalls in my writing come from not seeking help when I needed it. There were many fantastic resources available to me, and I did not utilize them the way I should have. I believe this would have turned some of the pieces that are good into something great. 

Additionally, I tend to base a lot of my work on my own personal experiences. I think this method is effective in a lot of instances, but sometimes I felt that I needed to step away and reconsider formatting everything from my own worldview. Questions I asked myself particularly with my newest piece were: So what? Who cares?  And who would read this? I take great pleasure in writing about things I find interesting, but sometimes I struggle to find the overarching purpose of the narrative. I don’t want my pieces to be specifically about me, but more to use myself as an example. 

In the end, I have learned that my personal writing style leans towards being more relaxed and conversational. My personal voice remains a strong part of many of the pieces I create. I like writing about pop culture and my own experiences with it, and I hope to expand beyond that as I grow as a writer. I have also learned that I can have tunnel vision with my own pieces, meaning that readers might perceive my work differently from the way I do. With that said, I think I have a better understanding now on how to write for a bigger audience outside of just myself. 

Being a part of the writing certificate program has allowed me to discover and hone in on what writing I love to do the most. I was initially terrified that there would be no place for me here and that my writing was mediocre at best. With the help of the extremely encouraging professors and instructors in this program, I realized that this was not the case. The course that had the greatest impact on the direction and perception of my writing was “The Art and Craft of Writing for New Media” taught by Bryn Lovitt. The workshopping section of this course is a strong example of how workshopping should operate in the classroom. Presenting and reading your piece aloud to your peers is nerve-wracking, but I can say that we were all taught how to respectfully give constructive criticism that is actually helpful and thought-provoking. 

With that said, having the opportunity to explore avenues of short stories, poetry, screenwriting, and new media writing, has also aided me in discovering where I fit in the writing landscape. Participating in real workshops and getting constructive feedback from peers and instructors helped me see my writing in a different light. It can be difficult to imagine how others will perceive your own work, or at least be perceived as the way one intends. The workshopping element in many of these courses has refined that way that I access my own writing, and I think I am more aware of my own personal shortcomings. Not only that, but I am more aware of how to address and rework aspects of my writing that I feel fall flat at times. Before, I never knew where to start or what was even wrong with my essays. 

The most important takeaway from this program is that writing is whatever you want it to be. For a long time, I have crafted pieces based on prompts and specific format guidelines. Writing feels much more boundless and freeing now than it ever has.