Reflective Essay Draft
Throughout my undergrad career I focused on analyzing texts and writing critical analysis of my readings. When it came to my writing I stayed within the parameters of fiction and enjoyed the creation of new worlds and new characters that could convey a personal message in a fictional world. When this course began I was both intimated and intrigued by the prospect of speaking to an audience from my prospective about personal experiences. I did not (and mostly still don't) enjoy writing about myself. For years I've tried to keep a journal and failed at it because writing in the first person about my experiences, even though I was the only one reading it, felt unnatural.
I love to write and this course exposed me to a new genre of writing that before felt too foreign. I developed an understanding of creative non-fiction and have since written pieces I am very proud of. What helped make it easier for me to write was to choose topics that I really cared about. For my first two long essays in particular I chose to write about events in my life that have shaped me to be the person I am. Throughout the course I learned how to be more detailed about these experiences and how much reflection was necessary in order to have the reader understand what my focus was.
From writing these essays I learned how to use my personal perspective to tell a story that has meaning beyond just a retelling of what happened. I didn't know what creative non-fiction was at the beginning of the semester but now I am confident in my writing within this genre and it is something I wish to explore further.
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