UGP Reflection

While looking back on the time I spent working on my Unfamiliar Genre Project, I can see how far I have come. We as a class have come far! I think that while you're in the moment working on the little tasks that make up this Teacher as a Writer badge, you tend to get lost in the stress of finishing little details without remembering the bigger goal. For me, I know that was the case. Looking back now though, I am extremely happy with my genre I chose, and how I finally achieved my goal and got there.

My genre was short story, and little did I know that I would run into so many small (but confidence shaking) wobbles along the way. I found that once I finished all the pre-writing prep, that it was difficult for me to sit down and simply write it.  I was worried, and a little intimidated, and I kept putting it off. I wobbled with the should-be-simple task of how to begin. For some reason, sitting down and starting this project was most daunting. I think I was slightly intimidated by the genre I picked, seeing as I had never been successful at it in the past. One day, I decided that I needed to tackle it, and so I did. I went to my favorite coffee shop, sat down in a nice quiet (but not too quiet) corner, and wrote. Something that really surprised me was that my entire short story came out in one sitting! I guess the part that was stressing me out was the fact that all my ideas were swimming around in my head, and once I put them down on paper everything felt more organized. I enjoyed writing it, even though it was difficult at some points.

I wanted this short story to be able to be read by teachers and young students alike, so I strived to make it simple and shorter. I assumed that would be easier to do than trying to make it more complicated and lengthy, but I was wrong. After I got in the groove with my writing, I didn't want to stop. I also struggled with my vocabulary that I was using, because I tend to want to use bigger words, but when writing a short story for younger students, usually the big words need to be left at home. To include a full story inside a confined amount of three pages was hard because I then had to figure out a way to develop characters, conflict/resolutions, ect. all in three pages as well. Fitting a whole plot was hard to do, which surprised me. I had to keep my goal in mind the whole time - creating a short story that can not only be read by adults, but young students too.

Because it ended up being such a simple story, I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. When I read it over, I thought that it was far too simplistic, short, and easy. I thought it was decent, but no piece of art! After re-assessing and talking with my writing group about it, I came to the conclusion that it was completely fine to be all of those things, because they fit my purpose. I think we as a society put pressure on writing and writers to be "stunning, amazing, wonderful, perfect!", when in reality, a good writer simply needs to fulfill the purpose, goal, and task they have at hand.

I also wobbled with writing dialogue between my characters. I really didn't need much, but still it was necessary to include some. It was difficult because I have never been taught how before, nor have I ever attempted it. I knew that it was going to be difficult for me, but it was more than I expected. After my first attempt at creating dialogue, I had to delete what I had written, take a break, and start again. It was extremely frustrating in the moment, and honestly I am still not %100 percent thrilled with how it came out. At first, every line sounded far too scripted and cheesey; then it started to get slightly easier. The positive that came out of the dialogue experience is that now I know something I need to work on and learn more about. I want to grow in my writing abilities, and dialogue is an important aspect of that.

Overall, this project challenged me not only while writing in my genre, but it also challenged me to form and solidify certain opinions I have on the world of education. In my short story, I got the opportunity to get into the mind of a sixth grader. After spending so much time trying to develop my character, I began to sympathize with her. Participating in this project helped me to create an even stronger opinion and belief to back up my pre-existing touchstones on education that I am passionate about.