Writing Review Week

As much as I really enjoy reading, being able to write creatively has been my favorite part of the class, by far. When I was younger, I wanted to be an author. I used to think of stories, but only in their climax. I never had the patience to build the rest of the story. So even though I loved the idea of writing, I pretty much gave it up after the fourth grade. But I've really enjoyed the chance to retell stories in my own way. I was never able to come up with my own ideas for stories. This way, I get to still write and I don't feel as though it's any less of a skill! The stories have my own spin to them.

The best stories, I think, come from being interested in what you're writing about. That being said, you should pick a storytelling topic based on what piques your interest. Whether something made you laugh or made you want more, use that to make it how you want. This is basically like glorified fan fiction! We can tell the stories in our own way, so that they turn out how we would want them to.

I really appreciate being able to hear everyone's feedback, but so far the comments have all been really nice. Which, of course, makes me happy and flattered. But some constructive criticism would be nice, too! Often times we're afraid to tell the truth because we don't want to hurt people's feelings. But I would really enjoy hearing both the strong and the weak points of my writing. Even if you liked it as it was, was there a point that could have used more dialogue? More detail? Sometimes I think I don't work as hard at my stories as I should, and I'd like to know how I can improve them more!

The most rewarding part of writing so far has been having people tell me that I took the story and changed it in a way that they never imagined possible. If I can evoke emotion somehow, good or bad, then I feel like I've done a decent job. While writing can be an outlet for the author, I think it should also be enjoyable for the reader!

A beautiful forest. (Source)

 

This picture above was used for my Week 2 storytelling post, "The Girl of the Forest". It is one of my favorite that I've used in my posts, by far. I really lucked out in finding it, because I think it perfectly depicts the Eden-like forest that Soorpanaka loves so dearly. It can be frustrating trying to find a picture that is labeled for reuse. So many good ones don't have any indication of whether they can be used or not! But, again, this picture was just what I wanted.