Dear Gary,
When I decided to enroll in this creative writing course I came into it with a number of expectations, hopes and desires about what I would get out of it. My desire then and now is to someday be a published author. I greatly admire the writing of C.S. Lewis, Hemingway, and many others and hoped that this class would inspire me to write a piece of good fiction. Although the class did achieve that purpose, it also taught me that I can appreciate reading and writing poetry.
My most important takeaway from the class has been the experience of writing poetry. In all honesty, I have demeaned poetry most of my life and expressed a certain disdain for those who put a lot of stock in it. I had personally never written any poetry, nor read any of my own volition while professing my ignorance of it gladly. When we came to the poetry section of the class I figured that this would be my worst section, and the part of the work that I would just have to make it through. But it turned out to be the most rewarding part. Of the few poems I wrote, “My missing Brother” is my favorite, and I hope to really work on it until it is a well crafted piece. I look forward to your comments on the final version. I plan to share that poem, and my new respect for poetry in a speech at the MCC Toastmasters club. As you might recall from our first journal assignment, Toastmasters is one of the reasons I ended up taking this course in the first place.
The most valuable lesson I took away from the course came in the last module. The rewriting and revising of my work has always been the weakest link in my development. Reading the testimonies of authors and others in the textbooks was very helpful to pushing me towards revision. It was a fact of writing that I was aware of from other sources, but I there was some part of me that didn't believe it. I especially liked reading that chapter in “What If” when the author introduces this to their class. Rewriting will remain a weakness until I can apply myself to the discipline of doing it. The class has given me a reality check of sorts that this is an imperative part of writing, and I will never achieve a published work without becoming a master at it.
The textbooks for the course were very good, especially “What If.” Before taking this class I read several other books about writing, and what makes for good fiction. The exercises in “What If” were fantastic. Not only fun, but clearly helped to grow my writing abilities. I look forward to reading the rest of the book more closely and working through some of the exercises on my own. I am glad to own it.
There are only a couple of things I would change about this experience. First, I would not take the late start class. I was rushed in doing many of my writing assignments and wished I had more time. I had attempted to join the full class, but missed the deadline. I wanted more time to do the work properly, and really enjoy the experience. Second, I thought that doing the Blog at the end of the class was a distraction. I spent a lot of time editing the formatting of my blog posts because when I pasted it from my Word processor it did not paste properly. The Blog I used was also somewhat poor in its own editing and formatting which made the process difficult. I didn't think that it aided in my understanding of creative writing, because I spent a lot of time messing with the blog instead of revising and writing more. I would have preferred a different delivery method that did not involve figuring out the use of a blog space.
The class was helpful in motivating and refining the desire I have to someday be a writer. I look forward to using what I learned, and exploring the other exercises in the textbook to make myself a better writer. Also, when I finish some pieces of a work I am proud of I will have a Professor of creative writing to send it to for comment. So when you get my random email, you will have to remember who I am and if my prose is worth reading.
Thank you for your comments and feedback on the pieces I wrote in the class. It was a good experience, although a lot of work. I look forward to applying what I have learned.
I wish you the best in finding the right words,
RICH NESTLEN
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