● Look back at your mid-term story. Compare it to your final story.

How have you

improved? Support your answers with evidence from your work. (Or, to put it
another way, point to the differences.)
I believe that I have improved on letting myself write whatever the fuck I want. I was so
held back by what people would think of me or read into my writing. I think there is a
sense of freedom in this last piece that you don’t see in my other parts of writing. I also
feel as if this is the most cohesive piece of writing I have ever written. My midterm story
jumps around and has less structure to the overall feel of the story and I think this is a
strength of my final piece.
● What moves did you steal from stories that you read this semester? Point to some
moves you made in your final story, and tell me what story they came from.
I think I was most inspired by “Wildfire Johnny” and “The Joke.” “Wildfire Johnny”
made me want to write an unlikeable character like in my final story. I really enjoyed
doing this because it gave me the liberty to say some outlandish things. This was
probably the most fun I had writing a piece and I think it's because I wrote someone
who kind of sucked as a person, just like the main character in that piece. For “The
Joke” I admired her sense of irony and tried to incorporate that through my first person
depiction of someone who is kind of delusional. I really enjoyed playing around with
these ideas as a writer and hope they ring true in my work.
● Tell me about your self-concept as a writer. How do you feel about writing? How
has this changed from the beginning of the semester?
I feel a lot better about writing. I feel like now there is some validity to calling myself a
writer as I have been working so long and hard throughout this semester. I haven’t
changed, just my commitment to writing has changed and made me a better writer for
it. I think I am less afraid of it, if that makes any sense. Writing as a writer I think is
often daunting to some (myself included) and I think this was a hump that I had to get
over to truly believe that I am a writer. In terms of a self-concept I believe I am a literary
realist who wants to dabble in many different areas. I want to explore a lot of different
types of writing.
● How (and where and when) do you work best on creative projects? Describe your
ideal process & routine. Any changes or discoveries since the beginning of the
 semester?
I worked on my best creative projects when I was locked in and excited about a piece. I
would put my headphones in and keep writing without really thinking about it. It was an
enjoyable experience for me. I think my ideal process is being able to be alone and
without distractions (whether that’s people or devices). I also need to want to do the
things I am working on. If I am half-assing it, that’s not good for me or my writing. I
think I discovered that I like working on my writing when I am alone. That was
something I didn’t realize until about half way through the semester and that was when
I was really getting into writing my pieces.
● How do you think a "good writer" goes about writing? What does it look like for
that person? (And how has your answer changed since you thought about this at
the beginning of the semester?)
I think a good writer is intentional. They set aside time and energy for writing and
commit to themselves, not necessarily others in improving and learning in their writing.
My answer has definitely changed, to be a good writer is not necessarily about talent but
it is about commitment to the craft. I think that was a big barrier for me, thinking that I
did not have the talent. This “talent” is earned by writer’s through repetitive motions of
writing and creating. Being so removed from this process myself, I did not understand
that I was well within my own limits of being a “good writer” if I just committed my time
and energy to it.
● What's next for you—as a writer, a storyteller, a creative individual? How will you
apply what you've learned in this class?

I think next for me is to use the free time I have next semester to possibly draft a novel. I
want to apply the writing process and keep myself writing with the stamina that I have
built up this semester. I have really enjoyed the reflective aspect of writing and will at
the very least continue journaling. I really feel lighter after writing some thoughts down
on the page and that is something I really honed in on during this class.