29 APRIL 2017

 

 

 

REFLECTIONS ON "NEWMAN CENTER"

 

 

Looking Back:
What previous knowledge about the topic did you recall?

My knowledge about the topic was personal and in depth. My knowledge of the genre, however, was almost nonexistent. I wrote this piece as an exploration into the genre of creative nonfiction, following the formatting styles of Joan Didion’s “The White Album”.

What problems or challenges did you encounter?

One of the main challenges with this was (and is) trying to sound personal, angry even, without sounding whiny. I don’t want to just complain, I want to write something with meaning. And I want that meaning to have significance to myself and to others. It’s a very fine line and I’m still not sure I pulled it off. Still, I think the genre allows for you to be more personal than you otherwise might.

 

Looking Forward:
What is something that you want to continue working on?

I could see myself writing more in this genre again. It’s a relatively new genre, to me that seems like it’s much more flexible. I could shape the genre as I went along, while it simultaneously shapes my writing.

 

Looking Inward:
What did you learn about writing working on this?

I enjoy trying writing in different genres, and I especially enjoy more creative writing. This was a new genre for me, a blend of creativity and reflection. Earlier in the class this was written for, we went around campus and asked people “What is writing?”. Many seemed to think of writing as a way to work through thoughts and emotions, the way you might imagine a diary. This was almost what this genre felt like, except maybe a little more serious. Writing this just showed me one more of a million things that writing can be.

What risks did you take?

The first risk I took was the genre itself. I had never even read creative nonfiction (at least while knowing that’s what I was reading), let alone tried to write it. I suppose the second risk was making it as personal as I did. The Newman Center is not just a building to me.

 

Looking Outward:
Was this piece similar to others like it?

This piece turned out to be similar to a couple poems I had written for Intro to Creative Writing, but those were a little more positive. It’s easy to talk about the beauty of pianos, and it’s also easy to talk about the frustration involved in playing them. This string has run through various writings for various classes through my college career.

What affect did you want it to have on your audience?

I wanted the audience to see a building (The Newman Center) in a way they might never have before. Buildings are interesting, we might drive by them every day and never know what actually goes on inside, and what goes on in each individual life of every person that enters that building. I think this gave a glimpse.

What about this piece makes you a writer?

The fact that this piece communicates an entirely different experience of an inanimate object than people might expect is what makes me a writer. I took an object (a building) and communicated an overall experience and a feeling that maybe someone can relate to, even if they have never even seen the Newman Center.