PART A: YOU THE WRITER:

What have you improved in as a writer:

1. Genre:

I did not have a specific genre in mind while I was writing. However, looking back I would say that a lot of my pieces were focused on realism, or expercines we all go through. I did not really delve into any other genres (except for the odd love piece’s I randomly scribbled down) however,  this is something I definitely want to do.

1.      B) Idea’s:

Usually my ideas came from the breadcrumbs that we did in class. A few came from the writers seminars and just randoms lines I heard here and there.

My voice through my pieces was mostly just narrations. I did not talk much in first person. It was just easier for me to narrate so that my pieces were more general and less personal.

My biggest advice would be to take emulations and breadcrumbs seriously. This is because some of my best ideas came from these works.

I plan on writing a lot more. Especially because the summer is here and I will have a lot more spare time. I also have a lot of breadcrumbs in my journal that I want to expand on.

PART B: YOU THE BLOGGER:

Positive:
I really do like the way my blog turned out. In the beginning, I spent countless hours changing my theme, images, and font so that I could have an aesthetic that I was proud of. Since I’m so picky when it comes to aesthetics, it took me a while but I do love the way it came out.
The pictures all flowed and did not clash with one another. They all represented and fit well with the post they were put with.

Need to improve:
I feel as though my blog would look more “loved” if it had more posts on it. As of right now it looks bare and a bit neglected. I definitely want to make it look a bit busier and used.

Blogs that really impressed me:
Eunice:
http://fragileheart.edublogs.org/

2) Hefseeba:
http://theshipwesail.edublogs.org/

3) Elena:
http://secretlycool.edublogs.org/

Bloggers I have explored:
A Muslim fashion blogger:
http://www.withloveleena.com/

2) Nat Geo:
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/

PART C: YOU THE STUDENT:

An “aha” moment:
This whole class has been an “aha” moment for me. I went into this class HATING writing. I disliked the idea of being on your own and just writing what came to your mind. I honestly think that the idea of being alone with just your thoughts scared me. But this class really showed me the peace that writing can bring you. I learned that I did not really feel alone when I was writing as I was connecting with a piece of me that had been so neglected. I am by no means a good writer but as I started writing I was shocked to see the power of words. I’m honestly surprised to say this but, being on my own now with a pen and paper sounds almost fun and exciting. I get the thrill of meeting and seeing myself through words.

What have you accomplished as a reader:
Unlike writing, I have always enjoyed reading. Being in this class gave me an excuse to read, and I loved that. I read and reread many novels. While they were all amazing I loved reading the Nightingale. It was such an emotional novel that did truly help me see the world, and the power of women, in a different way. My plan for this summer is to read as much as I can. This summer will be a laid back one for me and I cannot wait to pick up and read everything I see! Reading has also helped me with my writing. It has given me so many unique ideas and perspectives that I have effectively been able to include in my writing.

My steps to improve as a writer:
Because I have such a laid back summer this year I really plan on discovering myself. I really want to be able to get a better understanding as to who I am, especially before I start going to university. I know that reading and writing is going to help me with that. I want my writing to become more personal to me and less general. I want to write about my experiences so that I can look back and see if I have improved my character in any way. I want to read as much as I can so that I am exposed to different perspectives and scenarios. This will help me realize how I would respond to these situations and that will ultimately transform into my writing.

PART D: You the fan:

How has studying my published author change/improve my writing:

We choose to do Sia for our author. The things that Sia has gone through are very different than my own experiences and thus our writing styles and formats are very different. However, Sia should be that being vulnerable in your writing is often how your best pieces come about. I find that the things I write in my journal are more personal to me and show my vulnerability.

Are you glad you did your writer? Who else would you choose? Why?

I am glad that we choose Sia. I learned a lot about her and developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for her art. Other then Sia I would have liked doing Shel Silverstein or Robert Munsch. These two authors were ones I grew up reading and they greatly influenced me as a child. I would have loved to see how they are inspired and why they choose to write children’s books.

What genres have influenced you the most?

Realism. pieces that talked about the human experience and struggles of humans really appealed to me.

What did you learn from the writers:
To write down whatever comes to your mind
No idea is a bad idea.
Your writing does not have to be perfect or even good when you still planning.
Don’t spend too long thinking, just get writing.

PART E: You the Critic:

WORK #1:

https://zabu118.edublogs.org/2019/05/18/1000/

In this piece, I tried to allude to as many stories as I could. I have always loved reading stories in which different parts allude to different stories, as I feel like it adds a lot of dimensions.

THE DIFFERENT STORIES IN THIS PIECE:

• The Kite runner.

The repeated line “for you a thousand and ____ times over”

• The wizard of Oz

The ruby crested jewels, the tornado, scarecrow, and tinman.

• The 7 (former) wonders of the world

The fourth paragraph. This part was actually taken from an emulation we did from Billie Eilish’s song “six feet under” from the word “wonder.”

• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The fifth paragraph.

• The Cat and The Fiddle

  

The fifth paragraph.

• The Boy Who Cried, Wolf

The sixth paragraph.

• Pinocchio

The sixth paragraph. Also the last line.

A lot of the lines from this piece actually came from random thoughts and lines from my journal. Because of this, it did not take me to long to do. I was going to add many more stories but it did not seem to flow as well as I wished for it too.

 

Work #2:

https://zabu118.edublogs.org/2019/06/07/night/

Much of the explanation for this piece is already given in the explanation. This piece was inspired by the spoken word, as mentioned but also from the beauty of the night. The night sky has always been so peaceful to me and I love staying up late and just staring at the sky. One of the beautiful things about the sky is the stars. I wrote about the stars because I wanted to give their beauty a background story. It took me a while to write this piece and the final looks very different then what it started off as.

The last line is still one of my favorite lines.