Christine MacPherson

ENGL 2270
Professor Alva
ePortfolio Reflection
This class really helped me rediscover my love of reading and writing. I
loved the various forms and ideas we explored over the course of the
semester, doing different journal prompts, and giving/receiving feedback
during workshops. This class motivated me to write regularly, try new things,
and to ultimately create a few pieces of writing that Im proud of.
Over the course of the semester, we read many stories from published
authors that followed different forms. I enjoyed a lot of these stories; they
gave me a good idea of what different forms of storytelling look like, as well
as different methods for characterization, setting, themes, and other
essentials for fiction. For example, I felt that the characterizations in Donkey
Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched were very well done. When I wrote my own
realist story, I attempted to create strong characters through the same
methods, mainly dialogue and action.
As I wrote for this class, I pushed myself to explore new ideas and
methods of writing, like experimenting with my drafting process. In the past,
I have come up with an idea, and then I just started writing. After finishing
the first draft, I usually wouldnt change very much. However, I actually put a
lot of thought into the form, narration, and themes of these two stories. I cut,
scrapped, and replaced entire scenes (even a character or two), so what is
left is really just a tip of the iceberg. I think this new method of drafting
(heavy revising) was very effective for me and helped me flesh out my
stories.
One part of the class that helped me with drafting was the journal
prompts we did in class. Forcing myself to do a type of writing that I didnt
want to do, or didnt think I was capable of, helped sustain a steady flow of
new ideas. They made me explore different methods of writing that I

probably wouldnt have done on my own and gave me ideas to explore in the
future.
Only five of our classes were devoted to workshops, but they were a
central part of the course. Although I pretty much had a heart attack when
other people read my stories, I think that it was really good for me. Most of
the feedback I got from the instructor and from classmates was positive, and
the suggestions I was given helped improve my stories. For example, in my
first piece, classmates suggested that I expand on the scene with the fire,
which I did for the final draft. However, there was some feedback I ignored.
There were a few people who, it seemed to me, didnt like my second story
because of what it was or how I had written it. In that situation, I had to learn
that you just cant please everyone.
I cant fully express how glad I am that I took this class. It helped
solidify my decision to major in English. It gave me a lot of invaluable insight
into my writing process, as well as motivation to continue writing. I am
looking forward to incorporating what Ive written, read, and learned in this
class into future writing classes and beyond.