[Week 9] Essay - Reflection on my Writing

(Image of a frustrated tortoise from Oskarl Kettunen. I feel like this tortoise.)

I’d like to use this essay assignment to reflect on how my writing has changed throughout the semester. When I first started I was anxious because I hadn’t written anything (creatively) in so long. I quickly became more comfortable and felt like I had all kinds of fun ideas waiting to come out of my head. But then I suddenly lost that inspiration and I don’t know what to do now. I feel like my writing has become worse than ever and it’s pretty upsetting.

                

There are a couple of things I think I could attribute this lack of inspiration to. I’ve been feeling particularly stressed out lately and I’m not really sure why. Whenever I feel overwhelmed like that I tend to just break down and stop working like I used to. I also haven’t been reading stories that really appealed to me. Usually as I read a story will pop out to me and yell, “Write me!” But lately that hasn’t been happening.

                

I’ve been wondering how I can get myself out of this rut. I think to begin with I need to work up a little more confidence. I tend to put myself down for every sentence I write and it really slows me down. I should also start looking over the reading units more carefully to make sure the stories are something I’ll be interested in. In addition, digging through others’ stories and reading more in general would probably help. My peak in inspiration took place during a time in which I was reading a lot every day so there’s probably a connection.

               

Another factor for me will be figuring out how to manage my time better. At beginning of the semester I thought I’d be getting things done early. But instead I feel like I’m just barely getting by. I need to figure out how to prioritize and juggle my other classwork. Also I have to figure out how to not fall into a senioritis slump!