Here are the three major pieces of writing I completed in the Minor in Writing Capstone course. This includes the two required artifacts for the portfolio as well as my Annotated Bibliography, which serves as a good example of reflective writing. I am very pleased with the results and am very thankful to professor Shelley for giving us the time and guidance to complete each one to our upmost ability. The background image is a bird's eye view of mackinac island, which I think represents this over-arching view of my Minor in Writing Capstone experience. After reading the reflective writing below, feel free to click the image or title to take a look.
I am so proud of this story, and thankful that I was given the opportunity to write it. I've been interested in UFOs since I was ten years old and would regularly watch the X-files with my family. Since then, I've done lots of research simply out of interest and I find it very intriuging that there is evidence in real life to support the mystery.
This short story of a little over twenty pages not only captures my passion about the topic, but also showcases my first attempt at writing a piece of fiction. I used Dan Brown as a model for the story, which is apparent in the prelude section that includes real UFO information in order to spin a fictional tale. I spent many hours researching the most relevant and convincing UFO info for that section, and made sure to consider it while writing the story in the most realistic way I could.
I also drastically revised the story three times, after feedback from professor Shelley, my fiction mentor Kodi Scheer, and my classmates. I think this final version includes many of their suggestions, including an introduction that starts in the middle of the action, more in-depth characters, and a plot description that fluidity weaves together UFO information and aspects of a future climate crisis.
This story has taught me a lot about writing fiction, which I think can help in many other avenues of writing that incorporate narratives while utilizing real information.
Feel free to click the photo or title above or the the link below to read the story.
This essay highlights some of the most important pieces of writing I have created since I started as a student at U of M. Most importantly, it tells a narrative story about how my desire to write largely comes from a desire to improve the world around me and to help other people. I called this idea social conciousness.
Many times I have written about music as well, which I believe is because it is an art form that allows me to express my anxieties and frustrations about social issues while also providing an emotional release as well. This is thoroughly explained in the essay, which starts with one of my first English papers titled "The Power of One Song," that directly talked about the stress and anxiety I was feeling after I moved to Ann Arbor by analyzing a Jason Mraz song called "Living in the Moment." It concluded with a revelation I learned from the song which was: happines comes form "living in the moment." The paper also describes other important pieces of work related to music including the repurposing and remediation project that can be found on the "Academic" page of this Eportfolio.
In the final paragragh, I noted how social conciousness not only plays a role in my writing, but also in my direction in life. As described on the Home page, I enjoy working with a non-profit currently, and plan on seeking similar work in the future that gives me a sense of fullfillment, and allows me to work toward a happier future for all.
Please click the photo or title above or the link below to read the essay.
I decided to include this as my artifact of choice because I know I will enjoy looking back on this list of some of my favorite and most important assignments. It also points out how social consciousness has played a part in ten different pieces of writing I have made. This will continually serve as a good reminder as to 'why I write,' and where I need to go in the future.
Aside from school assignments, I also named a few pieces of writing that were not made for purely academic purposes. One example of this is the children's book I wrote before coming to school here, about a brother and sister who discover a flying bed that takes them to India. I also mentioned a blog post I wrote about a free movie screening of the movie "Inequality For All." I noted how this post was another example of my desire to educate and involve myself with social issues.
Finally, I am glad that I decided to make a bulleted list below each artifact of the "through-lines" that I found. This really helped me to see the less obvious themes that seem to present themselves in my writing. Some of these were, "genuine voice," "social consciousness," "introspection," "mass media," "art and music" and more.
Please click the image or title above or the link below to read it.
Writing Minor Capstone