Week 8 Growth Mindset

There are several dimensions to the growth that I have seen in this class, this semester, and in life recently, with some being good and some being bad. I really liked the list provided of the comparisons and contrasting dimensions of growth provided for me to gauge myself and my progress.

I would say that in this class and during this semester, I have pushed myself further and found motivation in working hard simply because that is what you do. I have tried new things, such as writing styles, topics, and even classes this semester, and been excited to learn what each has to offer. I would say that I have taken risks by doing so, but I have been rewarded thus far and discovered that choosing what may be harder but teaches you more is generally the best route. I have felt excited and ready for change, especially knowing that this is my last semester at the best university in the world, and fueled my work ethic with such energy. But it is a bittersweet emotion, so I have also felt very sentimental about all of the "lasts" that are sprinkled throughout the semester (like my last choir concert ever yesterday). I would say that overall my attitude towards working hard, being motivated, and being excited about the future have grown throughout this semester and class so far.

However, I have had trouble with being a perfectionist, feeling defensive about any mistakes made in my writings and schoolwork, and been very hard on myself for any shortcomings, whether academic, social, or emotional. I am usually anxious each time I post a story and it is difficult for me to willingly allow other students to read my work because I feel like theirs are always much better. This is an area that this class has challenged and pushed me in, though I still feel some of the anxiety if I try a new method for a story. I have also had to let go of being a perfectionist with so many stories and assignments this semester because then I would never truly be finished with any of them and the editing would never end! Since I have written so many essays and stories, I have gotten better about obsessing less and allowing my writing to naturally flow without forcing it.

Retraining my mind to follow this growth mindset has been a process and I still have much to go, but I am enjoying it and think it is really beneficial to my mental health. Especially when the stress of the semester hits and I can't do or participate in everything. To further these strengths and work on my weaknesses, I want to try even more storytelling styles and take bigger risks with my writing over the next few weeks. There are many methods I have not tried yet and I want to explore all that creative writing has to offer! 

(Retrain Your Mind from Pixabay)

Week 8 Reflections

As I read through my Reading Notes again as well as reviewing the instructions, I think my note-taking posts could use some work. I often get caught up in trying to remember the plot of the story and some of my notes simply seem like synopses, rather than ideas to write my own story. I always include pieces that I could see myself writing about and having fun changing, but I think I need to shift my focus so that those are the primary pieces of my notes. I can tell that I am trying to read like a writer by noticing small details and honing in on characters that I like, but I could definitely do it more. I have also found that I enjoy reading stories with many short tales and fables the most because I have an easier time adapting the story somehow when I don't have to trim length off as well. For future readings (that I will hopefully take better notes with), I am excited to read about specific Native American tribes, Celtic Tales, and Fairy Tales told by specific countries such as Italy or Russia. I am looking forward to these readings and hopefully unique stories to tell!

Looking back over my stories from the past semester, I am mostly satisfied with the works I have written. I can, of course, tell which stories I was less inspired by and which ones I had the most fun writing, though I am not certain what the readers can tell. I have had the most fun though when I try new styles such as the diary format or the script style, which are ways of writing that I do not usually use. Another challenge has been letting people read my writing- something I do not normally do- because I am usually embarrassed and shy about what I write. This class has allowed me to open up and be less fearful of people reading my pieces, which I appreciate. I am happy with my Storybook choice so far and I am excited for it to come to life when I write the stories to follow. I enjoy writing in the script format so I am glad I chose that, as well as a humorous topic, for my project. I have read through and outline which adventure I want each story to follow so I have a fairly good idea of how it will turn out and I am excited for my classmates to follow Don Quixote's journeys, especially since many are unfamiliar with him and some comments after reading wanted more details about him. The only part I am truly worried about is including images because I do not know how to create what I envision, but I am hoping it will be easier than I am anticipating.

I have enjoyed reading my classmate's stories so far this semester and I am often inspired by their creativity and unique approaches to stories that I never would have thought of! Sometimes, I am intimidated by reading them because I feel like my stories are far inferior, but it it still enjoyable and inspiring for me. The habits and tendencies I have noticed are primarily grammatical and spelling errors that make the story difficult to follow or even confusing. I think that is a result of hurrying and not taking the time to spellcheck and proofread, which is something I always try to do. I am never sure if I should give critiques about those elements in my feedback, so I have been giving substantial comments about the material and ideas itself as well as the presentation of the page. Perhaps I should talk about grammar errors, though.

Overall, as I am reflecting on the past two months in this class, I am pleased with the progress I have made as well as the stories and pieces I have written. I am really looking forward to my Storybook coming together and I can't wait until my blog is completely full of fun stories and posts!

(Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza)