As I reflect back on this class and what skills I will take with me into other tasks I am awed.
For starters, I am a mess with technology. I do my best and try hard to keep up. Using this format of online learning greatly increases my skills.
I am also low in the area of following directions sometimes. This class is nothing but following directions. This increases my skills and has increased my confidence in myself.
My whole college career has been mostly about facts. I started off in general education, then focused on business management. Then psychology. Then religious studies and history. It has been wonderful, but lacked creativity overall. I was a short story editor for my high school magazine in the 90's. I fancied myself to be a short story writer as well. But I quit writing as an adult. I lost a lot of knowledge of how to write. I drive myself crazy with my grammar and punctuation mistakes.
This class was helpful to show me where I lack skills, so I can improve them. It has showed me where I am strong. I am strong in creativity. I can tell a good story. I can see similar patterns in many genres of literature, myth, religion and life.
As far as writing goes, well, I have plenty of room to improve in grammar and punctuation. And good thesis statements will soon be a moot point. I cannot wait for that to cease. But I would like to pursue writing stories. I have some great ideas. I think maybe this summer (so I have time) I think I need to absorb a grammar and punctuation textbook and stop my bad behavior.
I remember when I was in high school and I was reading all the great writers and we would go over how they had their own peculiar styles. I really wanted mine to be okay with poor punctuation or spelling and I told my teacher once that is what I was doing in some paper I had turned in. She red-marked that paper like someone nearly bled to death on it. I told her it was my writing style. She told me I had to become a famous author before she would accept it. I wonder if she still looks for me as a famous author! I have secretly or not so secretly always wanted to be one. But I lacked the confidence.
Taking the courses that I have chosen while at OU have been wonderful. Latin has opened my eyes to what I did not even know about English. I am not good at either! But I have a better understanding of how it all works and gives me direction to focus on improvement. Writing a gazillion research papers in college, in Chicago style, APA, MLA, ASA, business proposals and business communications have given me a wide range of experience with writing. But I like short story telling the most. This class reminded me of that!
I really love reading books. It has been hard to squeeze time in to read for fun since I have been in college. This class was an opportunity to read so much fun stories. I also took the mythology and folklore class last semester, so I also count that class with this one as far as the selection of available readings. I love mythology but had not read it since I was a kid. These classes along with a few of my other classes have brought them back in a big way and I am in love all over again with the ancient world and myths worldwide.
Both of these classes have moved me out of comfort zones. I have read comic books, graphic novels which is something a bit new for me. Also, I had always avoided the Indian stuff because I could not pronounce the names. This class was amazing with that because I was reading the stuff as I listened to it being read aloud and now I can say those words easier. The epified movies also made an enormous difference with being able to say some of the words. I am no longer intimidated. I am so grateful for this!
I don't have any idea what lay ahead for me after I graduate in December. I try not to stress it. Long ago I have my life to a higher power who directs me to where I need to be. So I know that I will go where I am needed. But I really hope and want to work in a library. A place full of books and knowledge. So many great stories to be surrounded by....sounds like heaven. I have always been a library rat. I hope this rat gets the cheese!
Oh my gosh, La Dawn, you can imagine that reading this post MADE MY DAY. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences here. It made me remember all the doubts and frustrations and obstacles that kept me from seeing myself as a writer... until I discovered the Internet, where there is so much writing, so many writers, so many things to write about. I am really glad this is a space that has been a way for you to grow and reconnect and explore all the great stories and make stories of your own, and I love (LOVE) this metaphor at the end about the rat and the cheese. I hope you will get all the good biblio-cheese, nibbling on the knowledge non-stop. I've got your revision email there in the stack but if I don't get to that today, I wanted to comment on this post now. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here, and I am so glad I got to enjoy you (and your stories!) for these two semesters!!!
ReplyDeleteHi La Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading this post and hearing how people feel about this class. I think you and I have had some of the same feelings over the past two classes. I think this class has really helped my writing and encouraged me to use my creativity in a way that has not happened in any other college level class. I think from here the only way is up and you should not forget that! Thank you for sharing your experiences and stories in this class. I enjoyed them :)