Take a Step Back, and Reflect

Looking Backward

When looking backward in the past, I viewed writing as checking an assignment off a list. I wanted to just get assignments done, not thinking about the potential they could have. Once I decided to be a writing minor, that was when I saw a shift in my writing purpose. It was no longer me trying to cross assignments off my to-do list, rather it was me being excited over the assignments I was working on. Loving the process along with the end result that these assignments granted me.

Before this shift of focus, there were many challenges within my writing. They were extremely surface level and my voice was never heard within the pieces I was writing. It has become clear to me that most of the pieces I have picked for this portfolio are from my later years of college just for that very reason. I feel as though I wanted to revise my Persuasion piece because my voice was lost because this piece was written before I knew my creative writing voice.

Looking Inward

Reflecting inward, I feel as though I am my own biggest critique which I am sure a lot of people can relate to. Writing is something that I have a hard time sharing with others because I find it difficult to share something until it reaches perfection, which is something that hardly seems to happen. Through working on this assignment I have learned the importance of grace and seeing the importance of sharing work and revising work and revisiting work because it is what makes us as writers grow each and every day.

Risk-taking is done every day, big or small, but in the world of writing a step may feel like a leap, especially when it’s writing one share with the world, on a platform like Wix. This is definitely not something I would have been comfortable doing in the past, but I feel as though since I have now found my voice in writing, I feel more comfortable and confident in doing so.

Looking Forward

When looking forward, I hope to continue to let my voice grow and change as I do. I hope as a writer that I continue to understand the importance of collaboration and the revision process. It may be frustrating and stressful at times but that is what makes a good writer a good writer. Taking that jump. In future revisions, I would hope to play around with genre and audience, making the piece stronger and more influential.

Looking Outward

Obviously, any writer’s objective is to make their audience feel something, so through my pieces, I too hope that my readers feel something and have a deeper understanding of whatever it is that they are reading. I truly believe that one piece cannot define an individual as a writer, rather it is a collection of pieces that can encompass a writer. A writer is willing to take risks, try new things, explore new ideas, and be unapologetically themselves. These are all aspects that I feel as though are presented in my pieces which make me a writer.