Mikaela's Creative Writing Blog ❤️

  Portfolio Submission General Reflection on Growth This Semester This semester has been transformative and difficult for me as a writer, particularly in my understanding of sound, imagery, and revision. At the start of the semester, my creative process was just me writing without an end goal in mind. I would write based on ideas that felt meaningful, but I struggled to convey those ideas with clarity or a purpose. At last though, I learned to approach writing with a more critically, focusing on stuff such as sound, structure, and imagery to enhance the core message of my work. In poetry (which I liked the best), I saw significant growth in my ability to use sound devices like alliteration, and rhythm to amplify meaning. For example, in my revised poem Sound Riot , I focused on using sound to create a provocative and confrontational tone that matches the poem’s critique of societal systems. In fiction, I learned to ground abstract concepts in sensory-rich details, as seen in ...

Revision I wanted to revise this poem to sharpen its antagonistic tone, enhance the use of sound devices to amplify its core message, replace abstract imagery with vivid, concrete details, and ensure the poem's message is loud and clear. This was my original poem:  Sound Riot The world is straight hell      The press don’t want to hear your story      [LA1]   They keep us as numbers in excel     [LA2]   commit crimes? Them laws are written in a spell,      Prosecutes more worried about their glory     [LA3]   But who’s worse? Which admin can we compel?    How much drugs “we” gotta sell?    Sheeple people, Pigs and people, Screw the category [LA4]   , Politicians lie but who we gonna tell?   We all know activists will dwell,    Burned by laws in fire like a holy matrimony   The facts are buried but who the hell wi...

  Sunday Dose (revised) Image poem  Tiny white package, big and strong , You bring my relief like cloudburst in drought, Living in the palm of my hand, Your shell is smooth between my fingers, Guardian of groggy mornings, your home will be in my mouth later   Dissolving deep in my throat Bitter medicine results in my calm, A thief of pain , Plucking the weight from behind my eyes,  Massaging   my throbbing temples and veins.   Early in the morning, You call my name, Sweet and salty acetaminophen, Your promise written on a package, Small and mighty, potent when active In revising this poem, I focused on clarity, the emotion, and consistency while maintaining the original essence of the work. Feedback highlighted specific areas for improvement, such as refining word choices and demonstrating emotion through imagery rather than direct statements. For instance, I replaced "prosecutor" with "guardian" to better align w...

Reading Unwired by Richard Goodman highlights the very unique qualities of literary nonfiction compared to fiction. Unlike fictional stories that create imaginary worlds, this piece grounds its narrative in reality, using a simple object a Hemingray glass insulator, to explore personal memories and historical context. For instance, Goodman vividly describes the insulator’s “Chagall blue” color, connecting its beauty to both art and nostalgia. This grounded approach creates a more relatable and reflective reading experience if fiction is not your thing.  The historical details in Unwired , such as how insulators were repurposed from leftover glass, are seamlessly woven with personal recollections, like watching them from a car window as a child. These elements evoke a sense of human ingenuity and loss, giving the story emotional and intellectual depth. In contrast, fiction might explore similar themes but through invented scenarios with strong story elements.  Goodman’s reflec...

  In Susan Glaspell’s short story, “A Jury of Her Peers” and the one act play by the same author, “Trifles”, Glaspell highlights the differences in two genres that aim to do the same thing, which is tell a story. One of the main differences that show up dialogue is used for character portrayal. In the play, the dialogue has to carry the entire story, since the visual elements on stage that will convey mood and setting. This is seen characters Mrs. Hale in Mr. Peters express their thoughts directly in conversation instead through the internal reflection that a short story would. For instance, in the play, Mrs. hale's remarks “I'd hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing,” this line shows the protective feelings towards many but without the need for narration. In the short story, this sentiment is instead developed through Martha's internal reflection over not visiting Minnie, it is way less direct but it builds a deeper that sense of her empat...

  Learning Meter and How I Struggled...  Analyzing meter in poetry is difficult. There is no need to beat around the bush for that one. This was my first time doing it, hopeful my last, but I am doubtful. What made it difficult is the fact that poetry is already difficult to understand, but now there has been math thrown into it. I think Ill try it in my poetry, but it won’t be a mainstay for me anytime soon. For example, I read Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night". That poem was a difficult read until I finally figured out it was a Villanelle, which is a fixed-form poem that consist of 19 lines, and they are organized into 3-line stanzas (five tercets) and end in a four-line stanza (a quatrain). I won’t sit here and lie and say I fully understand the meter.   My mind just doesn’t register it. Regardless, I did like the theme of the poem, though it sounds rough, the theme is about dying; dying in a sense you will not be forgotten. I rather liked the the...