ENGL 224: The Creative Process

Professor Kate Bligh

Second Portfolio

Ha Phuong Ngo

40119623

8/13/2020

*Note to students – Please ensure that you copy and paste all elements from your first
portfolio into the correct sections below.

**Reminder – If you missed any elements from the first portfolio, please be sure to include
them here in the correct sections below, or you will be penalized a second time.

1
2
Contents

Second Draft of Your Manifesto.................................................................................................................5

First Draft of Your Manifesto......................................................................................................................8
Drafts.........................................................................................................................................................11
3rd Prose Piece – Hydrangea (2nd draft - extra).................................................................................11
3rd Prose Piece - Hydrangea (1st Draft - extra)..................................................................................13
2nd Prose – Three Wishes (2nd Draft).................................................................................................14
2nd Prose – Three Wishes (1st Draft)...................................................................................................18
1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (3rd Draft)..............................................................................22
1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)...........................................26
1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (1st Draft – from first portfolio).............................................29
2nd Poem - Days (2nd Draft)...............................................................................................................31
2nd Poem – Days (1st Draft)................................................................................................................33
1st Poem – The Escape Effect (3rd Draft)............................................................................................34
1st Poem – The Escape Effect (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)..........................................................35
1st Poem – The Escape Effect (1st Draft – from first portfolio)...........................................................36
2nd Dramatic Scene - Heaven (2nd Draft)...........................................................................................38
2nd Dramatic Scene – Heaven (1st Draft)............................................................................................39
1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (3rd Draft).....................................................40
1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)..................47
1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (1st Draft – from first portfolio)....................52
Genre Focused Exercises..........................................................................................................................58
Lesson 7................................................................................................................................................58
Lesson 8................................................................................................................................................62
Lesson 10..............................................................................................................................................65
Lesson 11..............................................................................................................................................67
Poem: The escape effect......................................................................................................................67
Lesson 12..............................................................................................................................................69
Lesson 13..............................................................................................................................................70
Process Record.........................................................................................................................................71

3
 First 6 lessons of the course.................................................................................................................71
Total number of words: 3769...................................................................................................................81
Second half – seven lessons of course.................................................................................................81
Process Record Summaries....................................................................................................................101
First 6 lessons of the course...............................................................................................................101
Second half – seven lessons of course...............................................................................................103
Critiques..................................................................................................................................................105
6th Critique 2nd Drama – “Blackbird” by Susan Lori-Parks’s...............................................................105
5th Critique 2nd Poem - "Many Have Written About Blackberries" by Stephanie Bolster's................106
4th Critique 2nd Prose - "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway.......................................107
3rd Critique 1st Drama – “Angels In America” by Tony Kushner.........................................................109
2nd Critique 1st Poem – “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson..........................110
1st Critique 1st Prose - “The Eight Pre-conditions for Creativity” by Cherry Potter............................112

4
Second Draft of Your Manifesto

1. Disciplinary is important

In order to create the best result and to have a balanced life, we should have a schedule to
adhere to. Three days ought to be spent for experimental writing process. Set up a realistic
timetable. Set up a detail calendar, including the time and the day when the writing is to
begin and expected to be finished. To be explicit, drafting work could be done on Friday,
while Saturday is the day to work with the real composition and on Sundays, reflection and
last changes will be made. The other days of the week are for doing exploring, discovering
motivations as assets for the work.

2. Take a break whenever needed

Working continuously without balancing with daily activities may result in poor worse
performance. So, make sure to give yourself breaks whenever necessary. Include
activities that are helpful to clear your mind. Exercising, listening to music, hanging out at
a local café with friends, pacing in your room, whatever makes you comfortable with.
Most importantly, you must continue with the creative process right after you finish the
activities to make sure that the activities don’t distract you from the creative work but
help you to stay more focused. Go jogging in the morning, listen to some of your
favorite songs before starting to write. Take a break once every 30 minutes after 1 hour
and a half writing in order to clear your thoughts.

3. Motivation is the key, you need it

5
It's a logical inconsistency that we writer know very well: needing to compose with each fiber
of our being, yet inadequate with regards to the fundamental motivation to begin as well as
continue onward. Anyway, what are we to do when imaginative inspiration is deficient?
Essentially keeping an eye out for motivation to strike is anything but a practical alternative,
yet nor is driving something onto the page only for composing. We're left with no decision:
we need to assume control over motivation and search it out ourselves. Motivations can
emerge out of numerous sources: from day by day occasions occurring around you, the
melody you tune in to, your preferred individual, and so on. Whatever it is, it requires your
imagination and ability to concentrate. Try to read, observe, and feel every aspect of life, you
may find something useful and motivating.

4. Think outside the box

Try not to be frightened away by something that you are inexperienced with. Whenever
you feel you are intrigued by something, don’t resist trying it out. Remember that
inspirations can be anything that is around you, so don’t hesitate to give your ideas a
chance. And eventually, the ideas turn out to be successful, as long as you put effort into
trying new ideas, even if it means breaking the barriers. Remember that writing is not a
short run, and creativity is always something that needs practice and is willing to adjust to
new ideas.

5. Never write without inspiration

You can't write when you are not inspired for doing it. Inspiration is the key for creative
writing. If you feel distracted or unmotivated for writing, stop and take a break. Do
something else to freshen mind, but make sure to come back to the writing whenever
you feel you are ready. Don’t ever force yourself to write. Writing should be done with
pleasure, not torture. You will be amazed by how the work elevate if you let your heart
guide you, and not trying to force yourself to write.

6
 6. Be open to conclusions for development, yet don't let them control you

Recall that writing requires sequential improvement, and the most ideal approach to
propel your abilities is to gain from each other. In order to improve your writing, be open
and listen to opinions from others. Other people may have a more objective point of
view on your work and they can point out mistakes that you may not pay attention to, as
well as give out suggestions that may be useful to your work. You should be open to
others’ opinion in order to find solutions to improve your writing. However, you should
not let the opinions control you. Remember that people’s opinions may vary, not every
opinion can be applicable to your writing style or your work. So, show that you are
willing to listen to constructive opinions, try your best to take all of them but choose what
is good for your work.
7. Always reflect on your work

Whenever you face a failure is an opportunity for you to learn in order to improve your work
in the long run. Recollect that you should learn from your mistakes to develop yourself, so
don't attempt to distance yourself from the failure. Regardless of whether you get a negative
critique or didn't figure out how to put out something that arrives at your desires, you ought
to reflect on your work, discover the reasonings behind your failure and attempt to overcome
them. You need to investigate the mistakes that you made, consider techniques and plans
that can assist you to overcome them. Not a single failure should be missed out, reflect on it
in order to help you improve yourself as a better writer in the long run.

7
First Draft of Your Manifesto

1. Set up self-disciplinary
In order to produce the best outcome, as well as to maintain a balanced lifestyle; we
must have a timetable to stick to. Three days should be spent for creative writing
process. Set up consistent schedule. Set up consistent schedule, including the time and
the day when the writing is started and expected to be done. To be specific, drafts for
the work shall be planned on every Friday, while Saturday is the day to work with the
actual writing and on Sundays, reflection and final changes shall be made. The rest of the
week is for doing research, as well as finding inspirations as well as resources helpful for
the work.

2. Take a break whenever needed

Working consecutively without balancing with daily activities may result in a worse
performance. So, make sure to give yourself breaks whenever necessary too. Include
activities that are helpful to clear your mind. Exercising, listening to music, hanging out
at a local café with friends, pacing in your room, whatever makes you most comfortable
with. Most importantly, you must continue on with the creative process right after you
finish one of the activities, so make sure the activities don’t distract you from the creative
process and help you to stay more focused. Go jogging in the morning listening to
some of your favorite songs before starting to write. Take a break once every 30
minutes after 1 hour and a half writing in order to clear your thoughts.

8
3. Always seek for inspiration
It’s a contradiction that we writers know all too well: wanting to write with every fiber of
our being, but lacking the necessary inspiration to get started and/or keep going. So,
what are we to do when creative motivation is lacking? Simply waiting around for
inspiration to strike isn’t a viable option, but neither is forcing something onto the page
just for the sake of writing. We’re left with no choice: we have to take inspiration into our
own hands and seek it out ourselves. Inspirations can come from many sources: from
daily events happening around you, the song you listen to, your favorite person, etc.
Whatever it is, it requires creativity and willingness to study more. Try to read, observe,
and feel every aspect of life, maybe you will find something that is useful.

4. Think outside the box

Don’t be scared off by something that you are not familiar with. Whenever you feel you
are intrigued by something, don’t resist trying it out. Remember that inspirations can be
anything that is around you, so don’t hesitate to give your ideas a chance. And
eventually, the ideas turn out to be successful, as long as you put effort into trying new
ideas, even if it means breaking the barriers. Remember that writing is not a short run,
and creativity is always something that needs practice and is willing to adjust to new
ideas.

5. Never write without motivation

You cannot write when you are not motivated for doing so. Motivation is the key when
it comes to creative writing. If you feel distracted or unmotivated for writing, stop and
take a break. Do something else to freshen yourself, but make sure to come back to the
writing whenever you feel you are ready. Don’t ever force yourself to write. Writing

9
should be done with pleasure, not torture. You will be amazed by how the work
elevated if you let your heart guide you, and not trying to force yourself to write.

6. Be open to opinions for improvement, but don’t let them control you
Remember that writing requires consecutive improvement, and the best way to advance
your skills is to learn from one another. In order to improve your writing, listening to
opinions from others will be a great choice. Others will have a more objective point of
view on your work, so that they can point out mistakes that you didn’t pay attention to,
as well as give out suggestions that are beneficial for your work. You should be
responsive to others’ opinion in order to find out solutions to improve your writing.
However, you should not let the opinions control you. Take note that people’s opinions
may vary, not every opinion can be applicable to your writing style or your work. So,
show that you are willing to listen to constructive opinions, try your best to take in all of
them then also choose what is the best for you.

7. Always reflect on your work

Anytime you face a failure is a chance for you to learn more, and achieve more success
in the long run. Remember that you must learn from your mistakes in order to improve
yourself, so, don’t try to avoid failure. Even if you receive a negative critique or didn’t
manage to put out something that reaches your expectations, you should always go
back to the work, find out the reason for your failure and try to resolve the matter. You
need to take a look at the mistakes you made, think of strategies and plans that can
help you to overcome this matter. Not a single failure should be missed out in order to
help you improve as a better writer in the long run.

10
Drafts

Prose

3rd Prose Piece – Hydrangea (2nd draft - extra)

"Catch the demons!"

"Kill the guard, capture the witch and bring him to the church!"

"Burn them alive!"

The shouts of the residents repeated behind us, drawing nearer and closer.

I embraced him and fled in the woods. His breath was getting heavier and heavier, the light
from his stick was just similar to a fire reaching a conclusion. My enchantment power was
going to run out, the blood from the injury continued streaming out.

"Enpalian, leave me here and run."

He murmured. I didn't reply, and kept on escaping with as long as I can remember, however
they were drawing nearer and closer. In the evening glow, I could just run forward, to ensure
him.

Behind the backwoods was a field of green hydrangeas. I despite everything recalled when
he said he enjoyed hydrangeas, since it was as wonderful as me. Despite the fact that I felt
that it would have fit better on the off chance that I were a young lady, since I saw nothing in
like manner for a guardian like me to be associated with a wonderful bloom. Nonetheless, I
despite everything adored hydrangeas for his words.

"There they are, get them!"

11
They were drawing nearer and closer.

My blood streamed down interminably, making the blue blossoms turn splendid red.

"Hello, Hiparius, you recall what the main spell a witch's protector could utilize was?"

His face turned white

"No way, you can't use it!"
"When a squire signs a contract with a witch, he will be given the power to use a single spell,
the spell that takes his soul to destroy enemies and protect his master."
"No! As your master, I forbid you to do so!"
I'm sorry, Hiparius.
I knew it was reckless, but nothing else could be done.
Since the duty of the bodyguard is to protect his master until the last minute.
I embraced him one final time, put a kiss on his temple. In the blossom field, in the full
twilight, I murmured him "farewell", at that point confronted the group behind us.

"The moon is extremely excellent today."

I span the stick in my grasp - simply like how he generally does, at that point thumped it hard
on the ground. A light radiated, astonishing, in a split second. At that point everything
vanished.

Blood splattered from my body, from my throat, mouth, eyes and chest, enough to color the
fix of blue hydrangeas into ruby.

In my last moment on this world, I collapsed in front of him, touched his cheek lightly. His
face was wet with the warm, transparent liquid oozing from his pupils. He was still so
beautiful. Fortunate of me to still have him by my side.

"Gratias cara, te amo in aeternum"

12
Number of words = [458]

3rd Prose Piece - Hydrangea (1st Draft - extra)

“Catch the demons!"
"Kill the guard, capture the witch and bring him to the church!"
"Burn them alive!"
The screams of the villagers echoed behind us, getting closer and closer.
I hugged him and ran away in the forest. His breath was getting heavier and heavier, the light
from his cane was only like a flame coming to an end. My magic power was about to run out,
the blood from the wound kept flowing out.
"Enpalian, leave me here and run."
He whispered. I did not answer, and continued to flee with my whole life, but they were
getting closer and closer. In the moonlight, I could only run forward, to protect him.
Behind the forest was a field of green hydrangeas. I still remembered when he said he liked
hydrangeas, since it was as beautiful as me. Though I felt that it would have fit better if I were
a girl, since I saw nothing in common for a bodyguard like me to be affiliated with a beautiful
flower. However, I still loved hydrangeas for his words.
"There they are, catch them!"
They were getting closer and closer.
My blood flowed down endlessly, making the blue flowers turn bright red.
"Hey, Hiparius, you remember what the only spell a witch's bodyguard could use was?"
His face turned white
"No way, you can't use it!"
"When a squire signs a contract with a witch, he will be given the power to use a single spell,
the spell that takes his soul to destroy enemies and protect his master."
"No! As your master, I forbid you to do so!"

13
I'm sorry, Hiparius.
I knew it was reckless, but nothing else could be done.
Since the duty of the bodyguard is to protect his master until the last minute.
I hugged him one last time, placed a kiss on his forehead. In the middle of the flower field, in
the full moonlight, I whispered him "goodbye", then faced the crowd behind us.
"The moon is really beautiful today."
I span the cane in my hand - just like how he usually does, then knocked it hard on the
ground. A light emitted, dazzling, in the blink of an eye. Then everything disappeared.
Blood splattered from my body, from my throat, mouth, eyes and chest, enough to dye the
patch of blue hydrangeas into crimson.
In my last moment on this world, I collapsed in front of him, touched his cheek lightly. His
face was wet with the warm, transparent liquid oozing from his pupils. He was still so
beautiful. Fortunate of me to still have him by my side.
“Gratias cara, te amo in aeternum”

Number of words = 444

2nd Prose – Three Wishes (2nd Draft)

You wouldn’t be interested in my story, so I would be precise: I was dead, only to end up
reincarnated as a genie.
Now that may be something you will be excited about. How I died, how I became a genie,
who offered me the job. And to be dead honest, I have no clue. One thing I am assured of: I
had to grant whoever found me 3 wishes.

And by “anyone”, this includes someone who have hurt you in the pass. Which is why I am in
fury right now.

14
Above 7 billion people coexisting in this planet, why does it have to be him? Thomas, the
bully from high school, who drove my life into the first steps of misery. He may have even
forgotten who I am. But for me, it’s perfectly fine. Well, whatever. After all, I certainly am lying
if I said I wouldn’t take this personal.

For his first wish, he asked for money. Well, then why won’t you work? I get what his financial
state is like, he lives in a small apartment on welfare, barely making ends meet. He has been
trying to look for a job but for some reasons he always got rejected. Guess employers
nowadays have a view on an applicant’s deadass personality just from a glance? On the other
hand, I find some entertainment enjoying his state at the moment, watching karma do the
work. However, I must still grant him what he wanted.

“What about a job?” I asked. His eyes were filled with joy, tears coming out as he kept on
thanking me. You must have been that pathetic when you’re grateful for a shitty job at
minimum wage. Not that I’m slacking off, I’m just doing it my way. I gave him a job, so he can
get money as he wanted. So yeah, basically it still counts.
On his first day of work, he was exhausted. And to be quite honest, that was quite a scene. I
was contractually obligated to stick around as long as he had the lamp, so I amused myself
by watching the jerk hobble around, barely able to keep up. I wonder where was the energy
that he used for bullying me before. Well, what a view I’d say.
Until when his shift was finally over, I kept on wondering why he didn’t return home, instead,
he turned to another road and hit the hospital. I know this hospital by heart, this is where my
dear mother got her treatment at. I really wondered how my mother was doing, or if she was
even alive; but things were not going my way as the bastard left the lamp inside the locker
right after when we entered the hospital. It took longer than expected though, isn’t 5 hours at
the hospital just for some casual business like visiting someone too long? Maybe he was lucky

15
enough to find some kind of chick around here and currently is messing with her. This kept
going on every single day: Working from 9 to 5 and then at least 5 hours at the hospital.
It took him a long time after his first wish. There was one thing that I was always concerned
about, which is about his money, like where it went. I always thought he would wobble his
money around bars and hookups, but accordingly as I followed him every single day, that
was not the case. Then what was the case anyways? Maybe because of that chick at the
hospital that he spent time on every single day? I never knew, since I wasn’t able to follow
him when he entered the hospital. It crossed my mind that he did that to avoid my
observation, but whatever. It would still remain my hobby of watching him struggling to make
ends meet. Other than that, everything else is not of my preference.
Things kept on like that until one day, he asked me if I could grant people their health. “I
could, but it depends on the case”, I told him. Much as I loved torturing him, I still don’t want
to drag others who are not involved in my business with him. For the first time after months, I
saw a spark in his eyes.
“Go with me then, Genie”. He said while for the first time, he brought me into the hospital.
Was he heading to where his chick may be? He must be really dedicated to this hookup.
When he turned off on the third floor, I grew still and quiet. He must have made a mistake,
took the wrong floor… I quickly turned myself invisible when he entered section 4 of the floor,
heading right back to the room at the back of the floor.
Which was declared by a sign of ownership, telling which patient was in there.
No… That can’t be.
Written on that, was my mother’s name.
“Genie, I wish for this woman’s disease to go away.”
“Why did you do that!?” For the first time, I started talking to him properly, in shock.
“Well, I owe her an apology, I’d say”. He replied. “After when her son passed away, she was
left with no one aside. She was suffering the same disease that I am bearing, and I thought
that was the best thing I could do for her other than supplying her with little to no money…” I

16
was about to cut into him, but was interrupted by a nurse. I was dead frozen when I heard
her words.
“Patient Thomas Parks, please show up for your chemotherapy treatment.”
Of course I freaking know what that was: a treatment for whoever had cancer. And guess
where we were at the moment: the freaking cancer ward of the hospital. This bastard has
always been loaded up by his medical loans for his condition, while working that shitty job
and still taking care of my mom and himself. Now that I have linked everything together, I
finally pictured what was going on. No, that can’t be happening, I murmured. For that, I felt
bad about myself.
Thomas asked the nurse to wait for him a few minutes, while watching me begging for him to
ask for his own health. He just put up a smile. Instead, he asked what would happen if he
asked for the genie’s freedom.
“They will be freed from their job, and they will participate in reincarnation as a human” is
what I knew and told him, but who cared about that anymore? “I’m sorry Thomas, I made
everything difficult for you. Please just ask for your life, I can easily grant you that. Please
Thomas, let me make up to my mistake. I owe this to you”.
“Nah. In fact, I owe this to you. I never got the chance to apologize to you properly, for what
I’ve done.”
… He knew it was me the whole time?
“It was my fault that your mother ended up like that. And you named it, karma hit me hard. I
got punished too for what I’ve done. I would consider this a consequence for my doings.”
No…
“Anthony, this is my last wish.”
Please…
“I wish for your freedom.”
Right after that, I was immediately sent away. The last thing I remembered was his smile,
before everything turned into bright lights that blocked my sight.

17
… I’m sorry, Thomas.
Number of words = 1239

2nd Prose – Three Wishes (1st Draft)

You wouldn’t be interested in my background story, so I would be precise: I was dead, only
to end up reincarnated as a genie.
Now that may be something you will be excited about. How I died, how I became a genie,
who offered me the job. And to be dead honest, I have no clue. One thing I am assured of:
Now that I had become a genie, I had to grant whoever found me 3 wishes.

And by “anyone”, this includes someone who may have hurt you in the pass. Which is why I
am in fury right now.
Above 7 billion people coexisting in this whole planet, why does it have to be him? Thomas,
the bully from high school, who drove my life into the first steps of misery. He may have
forgotten how I look like, or even who I am. But for me, it’s perfectly fine. Well, whatever.
After all, I certainly am lying if I said I wouldn’t take this personal.

For his first wish, he asked for money. “I need a lot of money”, he said. Well, if you want the
money, then why won’t you work? I get what his financial state is like at the moment, he lives
in a small apartment on welfare, barely making ends meet. He has been trying to look for a
job but for some reasons he always got rejected. Guess employers nowadays have a view on
an applicant’s deadass personality just by a glance? On the other hand, I find myself some
entertainment enjoying his state at the moment, watching karma do the work. However, I
must still grant him what he wanted.

18
“What about a job?” I asked. His eyes were filled with joy, tears coming out from his eyes as
he kept on thanking me. You must have been that pathetic when you’re grateful for a shitty
job at minimum wage. Not that I’m slacking off, I’m just doing it my way. I gave him a job, so
that he can get his money as he wanted. So yeah, basically it still counts.

On the first day of work, he was exhausted. And to be quite honest, that was quite of a scene.
I was contractually obligated to stick around as long as he had the lamp, so I amused myself
by watching the jerk hobble around, barely able to keep up. I wonder where was that energy
that he used for bullying me before. Well, what a view I’d say.

Until when his shift is finally over, I kept on wondering why he didn’t return home, instead, he
turned to another road and hit the hospital. I know this hospital by heart, this is where my
dear mother got her treatment at. I really wondered how my mother was doing, or if she was
even alive; but things were not my way as the bastard left the lamp inside the locker right
after when we entered the hospital. It took longer than expected though, isn’t 5 hours at the
hospital just for some casual business like visiting someone too long? Maybe he was lucky
enough to find some kind of chick around here and currently is messing with her. This kept
going on every single day: Working from 9 to 5 and then at least 5 hours at the hospital.

It took him a long time after his first wish. There was one thing that I was always concerned
about, which is about his money, like where it went. I always thought he would wobble his
money around bars and hookups, but accordingly as I followed him every single day, that
was not the case. Then what was the case anyways? Maybe because of that chick at the
hospital that he spent time on every single day? I never knew, since I wasn’t able to follow
him when he entered the hospital. It crossed my mind that he did that to avoid my
observation, but whatever. I would still remain my hobby of watching him struggling to make
ends meet. Other than that, everything else is not of my preference.

19
Things kept on like that until one day, he asked me if I could grant people their health. “I
could, but it depends on the case”, I told him. Much as I loved torturing him, I still don’t want
to drag others who are not involved in my business with him. For the first time after months, I
saw a spark at his eyes.

“Go with me then, Genie”. He said while for the first time, he brought me into the hospital.
Was he heading to where his chick may be? He must be really dedicated to this hookup.
When he turned off on the third floor, I grew still and quiet. He must have made a mistake,
took the wrong floor… I quickly turned myself into invisible when he entered section 4 of the
floor, heading right back to the room at the back of the floor.
Which was declared by a sign of ownership, telling which patient was in there.
No… That can’t be.
Written on that, was my mother’s name.
“Genie, I wish for this woman’s disease to go away.”

“Why did you do that?” For the first time, I started talking to him properly, in shock.
“Well, I owe her an apology, I’d say”. “After when her son passed away, she was left with no
one aside. She was suffering the same disease that I am bearing, and I thought that was the
best thing I could do for her other than supplying her with little to no money…” I was about
to cut into him, but was interrupted by a nurse. I was dead freeze when I heard her words.
“Patient Thomas Parks, please show up for your chemotherapy treatment.”

Of course I freaking know what that was: a treatment for whoever got cancer. And guess
where we were at the moment: Freaking cancer ward of the hospital. This bastard has always
been loaded up by his medical loans for his condition, while working that shitty job and still
taking care of my mom and himself. Now that I have linked everything together, I finally

20
pictured what was going on. No, that can’t be happening, I murmured. For that, I felt bad
about myself.

Thomas asked the nurse to wait for him a few minutes, while watching me begging for him to
ask for his own health. He just put up a smile. Instead, he asked what would happen if he
asked for the genie’s freedom.

“They will be freed from their job, and they will participate in reincarnation as a human” is
what I knew and told him, but who cared about that anymore? “I’m sorry Thomas, I made
everything difficult for you. Please just ask for your life, I can easily grant you that. Please
Thomas, let me make up to my mistake. I owe this to you”.

“Nah. In fact, I owe this to you. I never got the chance to apologize to you properly, for what
I’ve done.”
… He knew it was me the whole time?
“It was my fault that your mother ended up like that. And you named it, karma hit me hard. I
got punished too for what I’ve done. I would consider this a consequence for my doings.”
No…
“Anthony, this is my last wish.”
Please…
“I wish for your freedom.”
Right after that, I was immediately sent away. The last thing I remembered was his smile,
before everything turned into bright lights that blocked my sight.
… I’m sorry, Thomas.
Number of words = 1274

21
 1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (3rd Draft)
"5 hours left until the apocalypse. Residents, please be assured."

Jamie murmured as he saw the scene before his eyes. What might you expect for the end of
the freaking world? Dread? Strain? Frenzy? Stress? What you expected to see from an
apocalypse would be directly in front of Jamie's eyes: People running, freezing. Some cried,
expressing that they would not like to pass on now, that couldn't be it. It resembled mulling
over about something that is unchangeable. Pitifully slithering for survivability may have been
of human instinct's, Jamie thought.

"What's the point sobbing for help?" Jamie states.

The scene was loaded up with just wretchedness. It was the end, and that's all there is to it.

To be very reasonable, Jamie had no aim of grumbling or at all. He is by no means

vulnerable. He is assertive, he is ruthless and he didn’t even try to act as if he was trying to
hide his grudge for the messy scenery in front of his eyes. He didn't carry on with a cheerful
life: He was a normal salaryman, he’s in tuition debt. His parents passed away a long time
ago and he scarcely had any companions. On the off chance that there was distress for the
end of the world, he would be the last one to grieve about it. He would be more than glad if
there was a conclusion to his hopelessness. Can say he’s a pessimist, after all.

All things considered, one thing that continued annoying him. He never got an opportunity
to appropriately make companions, in this manner not so much associated with such a
genuine relationship. Yet, he wouldn't give two damns about that until further notice, that
everything was going to end and he could stop about agonizing over his credits for once

22
and for eternity.

"You appear to be quiet. Not out of the ordinary for the apocalypse."

A voice sliced through his musings. It was a warm and smooth voice. Jamie discovered a lady
at her twenties, taking a gander at him and grinning at him. For a second, Jamie was
enchanted by her blue eyes looking straight into him, and her light hair which is a duplicate
of the sun of sunrise.

"What is the purpose of contemplating at any rate?" Jamie argued, recovering his detects.

The young lady grinned back at him.

"My apologies, where are my habits? Apologies, ought to have presented myself all the more
appropriately."

"Don’t mind that. I don't believe it's vital any longer, taking into account that we just have five
– no – under five hours left."

"All things considered, how’s chit-chatting for a bit? Only for killing the time, 'cause you said
it yourself, not a great idea for panicking given that we actually get no opportunity to reverse
the situation whatsoever."

Jamie appeared to be uninterested, however his psyche recounts to an alternate story.

Indeed, it might be a smart thought. What's more, he gestured.

The young lady grinned back at him, and plunked down right close to him.

23
…

It's odd, he thought. By one way or another, he felt cap there was a synchronization among
him and her. Her inquiries and talks were not the best things on the planet, they were
generally "futile realities" that he never at any point makes a big deal about.

5 minutes before the apocalypse.

They made some extraordinary memories talking together, just to understand that they didn't
have a lot of time left.

"Have you at any point been remorseful? For this to occur?"

All things considered, there's one, he thought. For the time being.

"Imagine finding the adoration for your life a couple of hours before your fate, that would be
unexpected. However, that bonehead is me. I wonder on the off chance that you felt the
equivalent."

Jamie remained quiet. He didn't deny what the young lady says.

2 minutes before the apocalypse.

"Wait. Is it past the point of no return currently to request your name?"

"I thought it was pointless for you?" She grinned. "Sarah, and yours?"

24
"Jamie" He replied. "In a different scenario that if there was actually a chance, perhaps I would
have asked you out."

"Be that as it may, we had not any more possibility." Jamie alarmed, just for his lips to be
moved by Sarah's finger.

"We never realize what will anticipate us. Possibly on another opportunity? Possibly in
another life? We will never know. Be that as it may, if there was an opportunity, I despite
everything need to be brought together with you. In this way, we should simply implore and
seek after the best."

1 minute before the apocalypse.

"Sure. In another life, it would be ideal if you go out with me."

Jamie grinned.

30 seconds before the apocalypse.

"Sunset will come, and the first light despite everything fall. Jamie, how about we end this
together." Sarah brought up her hand towards Jamie, for him to get it."

Jamie grinned, looking towards Sarah.

"Much obliged to you."

5 seconds before the apocalypse.

25
4

0.

Number of words = 848

1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)
“5 hours left until the end of the world. Citizens, please be assured.”
Jamie sighed as he saw the scene in front of his eyes. What would you expect for an
apocalypse? Fear? Tension? Panic? Stress? What you expected to see from an apocalypse
would be right in front of Jamie’s eyes now: People running, panicking. Some cried, stating
that they didn’t want to die now, that couldn’t be it. It was like contemplating about
something that is unchangeable. Hopelessly crawling for survivability may have been of
human’s nature, Jamie thought.
“What’s the point crying for help?” Jamie states.
The scene was filled with nothing more than misery. It was the end, and that’s that.
To be quite fair, Jamie has no intention of complaining or whatsoever. He didn’t live a happy
life: He’s an average salaryman, he’s in tuition debt. His parents passed away a long time ago,
and he barely had any friends. If there was sorrow for the apocalypse, he would be the last
one to mourn about it. He would be more than happy if there was an end to his misery.

26
Well, one thing that kept on bothering him. He never had a chance to properly make friends,
therefore not really involved in any sort of serious relationship. But he wouldn’t give two
damns about that for now, that everything was going to end and he could stop about
worrying about his loans for once and forever.
“You seem calm. Not to be expected for the end of the world.”
A voice cut through his thoughts. It was a warm and smooth voice. Jamie looks up to find a
woman at her twenties, looking at him and smiling at him. For a moment, Jamie was charmed
by her blue eyes looking straight into him, and her blonde hair which is a replicate of the sun
of dawn.
“What is the point of panicking anyways?” Jamie talked back, regaining his senses.
The girl smiled back at him.
“My apologies, where are my manners? Sorry, should have introduced myself more properly.”
“Don’t bother that. I don’t think it’s necessary anymore, considering that we only have five –
no – less than five hours left.”
“Well, would you like to have a quick chat? Just for killing the time, ‘cause you said it yourself,
no time for panicking when we literally have no chance to turn the tables over.”
Jamie seemed uninterested, but his mind tells a different story. Well, it may be a good idea.
And he nodded.
The girl smiled back at him, and sat down right next to him.
“So, what do you think about cats?”
…
It’s strange, he thought. Somehow, he felt hat there was a synchronization between him and
her. Her questions and talks were not the best things in the world, they were mostly “useless
facts” that he never even bothers about.

5 minutes before the end of the world.

27
They had a great time talking together, only to realize that they didn’t have much time left.
“Have you ever been regretful? For this to happen?”
Well, there’s one, he thought. For now.
“Imagine finding the love of your life a few hours before your doom, that would be ironic. But
that idiot is me. I wonder if you felt the same.”
Jamie stayed silent. He didn’t deny what the girl says.
2 minutes before the end of the world.
“Wait. Is it too late now to ask for your name?”
“I thought it was meaningless for you?” She smiled. “Sarah, and yours?”
“Jamie” He answered. “If there was a chance, maybe I would have asked you out.”
“But we had no more chance.” Jamie startled, only for his lips to be touched by Sarah’s finger.
“We never know what will await us. Maybe on a second chance? Maybe in another life? We
will never know. But if there was a chance, I still want to be reunited with you. So, let’s just
pray and hope for the best.”
1 minute before the end of the world.
“Sure. In another life, please go out with me.”
Jamie smiled.
30 seconds before the end of the world.
“Dusk will come, and the dawn still fall. Jamie, let’s end this together.” Sarah pointed out her
hand towards Jamie, for him to grab it.”
Jamie smiled, looking towards Sarah.
“Thank you.”
5 seconds before the end of the world.
4
3
2
1

28
Number of words = 738

1st Prose – A Moment Before The End (1st Draft – from first portfolio)
“5 hours left until the end of the world. Citizens, please be assured.”
Jamie sighs as he sees the scene in front of his eyes. What would you expect for an
apocalypse? Fear? Tension? Panic? Stress? What you expected to see from an apocalypse
would be right in front of Jamie’s eyes now: People running, panicking. Some cried, stating
that they didn’t want to die now, that couldn’t be it. It’s like contemplating about something
that is unchangeable. Hopelessly crawling for survivability may have been of human’s nature,
Jamie thought.
“What is the point crying for help?” Jamie states.
The scene was filled with nothing more than misery. It’s the end, and that’s that.
To be quite fair, Jamie has no intention of complaining or whatsoever. He didn’t live a happy
life: He’s an average salaryman, he’s in tuition debt. His parents passed away a long time ago,
and he barely had any friends. If there was sorrow for the apocalypse, he would be the last
one to mourn about it. He would be more than happy if there was an end to his misery.
Well, one thing that keeps on bothering him. He never had a chance to properly make
friends, therefore not really involved in any sort of serious relationship. But he wouldn’t give
two damns about that for now, that everything is going to end and he could stop about
worrying about his loans forever.
“You seem calm. Not to be expected from the end of the world.”
A voice cuts through his thoughts. It was a warm and smooth voice. Jamie looks up to find a
woman at her twenties, looking at him and smiling at him. For a moment, Jamie was charmed
by her blue eyes looking straight into him, and her blonde hair which is a replicate of the sun
of dawn.
“What is the point of panicking anyways?” Jamie talks back, regaining his senses.
The girl smiles back at him.
“My apologies, where are my manners? Sorry, should have introduced myself more properly.”

29
“Don’t bother that. I don’t think it’s necessary anymore, considering that we only have five –
no – less than five hours left.”
“Well, would you like to have a quick chat? Just for killing the time, ‘cause you said it yourself,
no time for panicking when we literally have no chance to turn the tables over.”
Jamie seems uninterested, but his mind tells a different story. Well, it may be a good idea.
And he nodded.
The girl smiles back at him, and sat down right next to him.
“So, what do you think about cats?”
…
It’s strange, he thought. Somehow, he feels that there was a synchronization between him
and her. Her questions and talks were not the best things in the world, they were mostly
“useless facts” that he never even bothers about. They have a great time talking together,
only to realize that they don’t have much time left.
“Have you ever been regretful? For this to happen?”
Well, there’s one, he thought. For now.
“Strangely enough, I somehow feel attached to you. Imagine finding the love of your life a
few hours before your doom, that would be ironic.”
Jamie stays silent. He doesn’t deny what the girl says.
2 minutes before the end of the world.
“Wait. Is it too late now to ask for your name?”
“I thought it was meaningless for you?” She smiled. “Sarah, and yours?”
“Jamie” He answered. “If there was a chance, maybe I would have asked you out.”
“Well, I’m even more than glad to hear.”
“But we had no more chance.” Jamie startled, only for his lips to be touched by Sarah’s finger.
“We never know what will await us. Maybe on a second chance? Maybe in another life? We
will never know. But if there was a chance, I still want to be reunited with you. So, let’s just
pray and hope for the best.”

30
1 minute before the end of the world.
“Sure. In another life, please go out with me.”
Jamie smiled.
30 seconds before the end of the world.
“Dusk will come, and the dawn still fall. Jamie, let’s end this together.” Sarah pointed out her
hand towards Jamie, for him to grab it.”
Jamie smiled, looking towards Sarah.
“Thank you.”
5 seconds before the end of the world.
4
3
2
1

0.

Number of words = 730

POEM

2nd Poem - Days (2nd Draft)

Flying mists

To the old woods

Blinding lights

Holing up behind the block

31
Has day passed

Or day has not arrived?

Days sitting tight for somebody

Somebody to pick you home

In the evenings

We see the sky

On the days

We quit waiting

Has day passed

Or day has not arrived?

Days sitting tight for somebody

Somebody to pick you home

Glancing around

Everyone seems are in a hurry

32
Glancing back

Someone has left, too far away

Has day passed

Or day has not arrived?

Days waiting for someone

Someone to pick you home.

2nd Poem – Days (1st Draft)

Flying clouds
To the old forest
Blinding lights
Hiding behind the block

Has day passed

Or day has not arrived?
Days waiting for someone
Someone to pick you home

In the nights
We see the sky
On the day
We stop waiting

33
Has day passed
Or day has not arrived?
Days waiting for someone
Someone to pick you home

Looking around
Everyone seems are in a hurry
Looking back
Someone has left, too far away

Has day passed

Or day has not arrived?
Days waiting for someone
Someone to pick you home.

1st Poem – The Escape Effect (3rd Draft)

We all have reasons to smile
For that we are able to hide.
Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were
Looking at our surroundings
No one of acquaintance we found.
How to find out
That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

34
Who came first, yet who followed after?
Who was the one that imitated who?
I have no clue,
I don’t know where I am going.
My old memories kept on flowing
Feeling the same as I am.
Leaving my adolescence behind, at least I didn’t find nonsense.
Haven’t figured out something’s that agape,
May have been the escape.

Leaving my adolescence behind, there’s nothing to hide

Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were

How to find out

That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

1st Poem – The Escape Effect (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)
We have reasons to smile
For that we are willing to hide.
Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were
Figuring on the figures around

35
None of acquaintance we found.
How to find out
That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

Who came first, yet who followed second?

Who was the one that imitated who?
I have no clue,
I have no idea about where I am going.
My old memories kept on flowing
Feeling the same as I am.
Leaving my adolescence behind, at least I didn’t find nonsense.
Haven’t figured out something’s that agape,
May have been the escape.

Leaving my adolescence behind, there’s nothing to hide

Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were

How to find out

That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

1st Poem – The Escape Effect (1st Draft – from first portfolio)
We have reasons to smile
For that we are willing to hide.
Look back at the path we have walked,

36
Look where we are
Look where we were
Figuring on the figures around
None of acquaintance we found.
How to find out
That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

Who came first, yet who followed second?

Who was the one that imitated who?
I have no clue,
I have no idea on where I am going.
My old memories kept on flowing
Feeling the same I am.
Leaving my adolescence behind, at least I didn’t find nonsense.
Haven’t figured out something’s that agape,
May have been the escape.

Leaving my adolescence behind, there’s nothing to hide

Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were

How to find out

That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

37
 DRAMA

2nd Dramatic Scene - Heaven (2nd Draft)

Christine walks into the room. Her daughter, Hannah, was sitting on the bed.

Christine: Hannah, if you get sick again, what do you want us to do?

Hannah: Anything, but the hospital.

Christine: You know that do you? Even if that means you will go to heaven?

Hannah: I do Mom. I just hate chemotherapy, I hate the nauseous feeling that it brings post-
treatment every time. I hate the hospital.

Christine: Right. So what you mean is, if you get sick again, you want to stay home. And you
also know that you will go to heaven, leave us behind, is that it?

Hannah: (nods)

Hannah: But I won’t be alone. I know that Mommy and Daddy will join me later. I just don’t
know how long that would take.

Christine: You’re right. And we will be watching over you.

Hannah: Are there people like me? Who goes to heaven earlier than their grandparents?

Christine: Sometimes there are people like you, even babies. We never know when we will go
to heaven, as it is inevitable.

Hannah: Will anyone go with me?

Christine: Probably not honey. Sometimes people go to heaven on the same time,
coincidentally or together. Most of the time, they go on their own. Does that scare you?

Hannah: No, heaven is good. But I’m scared that I will be lonely without you and Daddy. I
don’t want to die just yet.

38
Christine: I know, that’s the hard part. The part of “dying” is not that scary let alone, when we
know that we will end up in heaven. But we are left with too many burdens behind us,
especially the ones we love. It hurts so bad to learn that the ones you cherished will be filled
with sorrow because of you. We will miss you so bad.

Hannah: It’s okay. I will learn to deal with it. I won’t be alone.

Christine: I know, my girl is strong. I love you. Whatever my girl chooses, I believe that she will
overcome it.

Hannah: I love you. Thank you, for everything.

2nd Dramatic Scene – Heaven (1st Draft)

Christine: Hannah, if you get sick again, what do you want us to do?
Hannah: Anything, but the hospital.
Christine: You know that do you? Even if that means you will go to heaven?
Hannah: I do Mom. I just hate chemotherapy, I hate the nauseous feeling that it brings post-
treatment every time. I hate the hospital.
Christine: Right. So what you mean is, if you get sick again, you want to stay home. And you
also know that you will go to heaven, leave us behind, is that it?
Hannah: (nods)
Hannah: But I won’t be alone. I know that Mommy and Daddy will join me later. I just don’t
know how long that would take.
Christine: You’re right. And we will be watching over you. Will you do the same?
Hannah: I will.

(Hannah goes silent for a minute)

39
Hannah: Are there people like me? Who goes to heaven earlier than their grandparents?
Christine: Sometimes there are people like you, even babies. We never know when we will go
to heaven. But the term is inevitable. You will go one day, but you will never know when.
Your grandparents may join you later, or even we will as well. It's cruel to think about it
though, when you never know when it would come for you.
Hannah: Will anyone go with me?
Christine: Probably not honey. Sometimes people go to heaven on the same time,
coincidentally or together. Most of the time, they go on their own. Does that scare you?
Hannah: No, heaven is good. But I’m scared that I will be lonely without you and Daddy. I
don’t want to die just yet.
Christine: I know, that’s the hard part. The part of “dying” is not that scary let alone, when we
know that we will end up in heaven. But we are left with too many burdens behind us,
especially the ones we love. It hurts so bad to learn that the ones you cherished will be filled
with sorrow because of you. We will miss you so bad.
Hannah: It’s okay. I will learn to deal with it. I won’t be alone.
Christine: I know, my girl is strong. I love you. Whatever my girl chooses, I believe that she will
overcome it.
Hannah: I love you. Thank you, for everything.

1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (3rd Draft)

Albert is a British businessman that comes to Japan for a business trip, with Kento as his
translator and assistant. In the middle of the busy Tokyo, where roads are packed, flows of
cars going one after another, the two encounters an old homeless man. The man was lying
at the pavement, with a lifeless face and little to no personal belongings.

Albert: Kento, can you check on that man over there? He doesn’t look fine.

40
Kento: Let me take a look at him sir.

Kento proceeds to check on the man.

Kento: Sir, he may have passed out. I cannot be so sure of what may have happened, but I
can assume that he became like this because of hunger and dehydration. We need to get
him to the nearest medical center.
Albert: Alright, let’s do as you said.

Kento calls the ambulance. Minutes later, there was an ambulance car coming to them. The
old man was immediately sent into the hospital. Albert and his assistant Kento decided to
follow him.

Albert: We need to follow him, I’m afraid he has no one to take care of him.

In the hospital, after the man was taken into care.

Albert: Say, Kento. This is your hometown, do things like this happen a lot?
Kento: I’m afraid that’s a positive, sir. Homelessness rates have been skyrocketing lately. I wish
it was something like GDP per capita that is increasing, though.
Albert: And why do you think is the reason for this?
Kento: I think the answer is quite obvious for you, sir. Stress level in Japan is high, and not
everyone is able to cope up with it. In this world, the weaker gets eliminated.
Albert: And who do you mean by ‘weaklings’?

Old man: Sadly, it’s us. People like me. You know the drill – old, homeless, no chance of
surviving in this demanding world.

41
Both Albert and Kento seems surprised. The man has been wide awake ever since, and has
heard everything they’ve said. He speaks up in a fluent English accent.

Kento speaks in Japanese.

Kento: You understand what we’re saying?!

Old man replies in English.

Old man: Yep, in fact I do.

Albert: How, and why?

Old man chuckles.

Old man: I knew that I would get this question. You see, I used to be head of a foreign trade
company in here. I remember is as clear as it was just yesterday. Long story short, I got
married to a beautiful lady, but we were at rock bottom of the society. We had no money.
Also born in a poor family and wanting to turn my life to a new page, I worked hard from
different jobs to opening up my own company. We got into the trade market, and you may
have guessed: The road to success is never covered in rose petals. Well, I assume you would
know this too, since you certainly also share this same experience as mine.
Albert: How can you tell?
Old man: The answer is obvious. This young man beside you calls you “Sir”, and he looks
remarkably respectful towards you. That was the look that I used to receive from my
subordinates. You are a businessman traveling here for a business trip, and this young man is
your assistant. Am I wrong?

42
Albert nods his head. Kento replies with a “No, sir.”
Old man: Anyways, back to my story. After working hard, I was on top of success, my
company’s business was flourishing. I had with my wife a son. Isn’t it beautiful? A man finally
achieving his dreams is considered a man who got his happy ending. But life can be full of
surprises.

The man falls to silence.

Kento: Sir, how did things end up this way for you? Why did you end up on the streets?
Old man: You remembered me mentioning my family, didn’t you?
Kento: Yes sir, and that’s what making me want to ask What happened to them? Why didn’t
your family take care of you?
Old man: Young man, like I said: You will never know what future has for you. You see, for a
success business, I had to work hard. I sacrificed my time for my family to invest on my
business. I rarely showed up at home before 9PM for dinner. But back then, I still tried my
best to spend more time with my family. On weekends, I would still take my son Kei out for
basketball practices, and take my beautiful wife Aya out for dates. We didn’t have much to
spare, so they were just simple dates at the lakeside or parks anyways. But I still remembered
that I loved her, and I cherished her. We were both happy back in the days. But it didn’t last
long. I got swallowed by the pressure from work, so I began to lose more time for my family.
More than that, I started to lose myself: My feelings, my emotions, my sympathy. Everything. I
started to forget about Aya and Kei, or anybody else. I traded them for my success.

The old man takes another deep breath.

Old man: Finally, I got what I wanted. But I started to wonder my feelings towards Aya. And I
did what you would have guessed.

43
Albert: You neglected her?
Old man: Worse.
Albert: You cheated on her?
Old man: As expected from someone who is on the same boat. You see, when you are on
top of success, you will start looking down on everything else, since you set your standards
up higher and you tend to despise everything else below you. I started to wonder why I had
to be stuck with an old, unpretty woman like her, while I could have as many young and
beautiful girls as I wanted. So, I did it. I forgot where I came from, I forgot about the reasons
why I wanted to push myself further. I made lies to her, and I got hooked into the taste of
glory, and then I forgot about my own family, nor that I felt any sympathy towards them.
During the times that I neglected her, I never knew she was getting weaker and weaker. She
was having cancer, but she never told me since she was afraid that she would disrupt me.
And then one day, she passed away.
Albert: We’re sorry to hear that.
Old man: It’s okay, please don’t pity me since I deserved that. By that moment, I knew it was
a wake-up call for me, and that I had to pay more attention to what I had. So, I took more
care of my son Kei. Little did I know, that he despised me ever since, and he was always
waiting for a chance to have me backfired.

Albert and Kento couldn’t say anything.

Old man: He tricked me into retirement and handing him the company and my property. He
then kicked me out of the company. But he didn’t kick me out, I chose to leave on my own.
Kento: Because you despise him?
Albert: Kento, I don’t believe so.
Old man: My friend, you’re right. I don’t hate him. In fact, I know that I deserved this. I should
have known this would happen. I left for my guilt, my dignity, which was considered a

44
payment for his hatred towards me. Remember when I told you about me not having any
sympathy? Simply, I forgot where I came from – a poor student from the countryside wanting
to challenge himself in the crowded Tokyo. I felt no sympathy for “rift rats, street rats”. And
now, I received the same treatment from passersby, who gives me disgusted looks every
single time. This is what I deserved.

Kento: I’m sorry to hear this, but I couldn’t stand your son! This is horrible, how could he do
this to his own father?
Old man: You should ask me the same question: “How could you do this to your own
family?”

Kento falls into silence.

Old man: Young man, thank you for caring about me. But as I told you, this is my karma.
Please don’t think too bad of Kei, since all he wanted was revenge for his mother. I was the
reason why he never experienced a truly happy family, and the main reason why he lost his
mom. And he took the company for his mother’s sake. Aya always told me she wanted to
open up a charity home for the homeless, but I was too busy on myself to even remember
fulfilling that for her. But Kei did it for her. He sold the company away and opened up a
charity home with Aya’s name on it. If he hated me that much, he would have also banned
me from visiting, but he didn’t. He even sent me some money back into my bank account
every month. He stated that this was his mother’s wish, and he just did what she wanted. I
take the money, but never visited the charity home once. I’m afraid to face him, nor I wanted
to be a burden for him.

Albert: But you have to face him. All he wants is a talk with you, and I’m sure he still at least
cares about you.

45
The man stays silence.

Old man: Thank you, I will consider that. I cannot be assured of it, but I think I won’t. I am a
coward who cannot face his mistakes, after all.
Kento: I never knew… I shouldn’t have judge you from your appearance.
Old man: It’s understandable. You are young, and you barely experienced anything like this.
Let me give you an advice: Life is never easy, you can take a downturn at any moment. So be
cautious about whatever decisions you make, and most importantly never hurt the people
you love. Whatever comes will be the consequences of your actions.

The man then stands up.

Old man: I owe both of you gentlemen this time. Please give me your bank account details,
so that I can pay you the treatment fee. Thank you for listening to me.
Albert: Please sir, you don’t have to.
Old man: Then I owe my life to you. Find me at that same corner in Tokyo whenever you
want me to pay up. I’m a coward, but I have my own dignity. Well then, good day to both of
you.

The man stands up, and takes his leave.

Kento seems to feel uneasy, Albert sighs and pats Kento’s shoulders.
Both Albert and Kento then bows to the man who just left.

46
 1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (2nd Draft – from first portfolio)
Albert is a British businessman that comes to Japan for a business trip, with Kento as his
translator and assistant. In the middle of the busy Tokyo, where roads are packed, flows of
cars going one after another, the two encounters an old homeless man. The man was lying
at the pavement, with a lifeless face and little to no personal belongings.

Albert: Hey Kento, can you check on that man over there? He doesn’t look fine.
Kento: Sure sir, let me take a look at him.

Kento proceeds to check on the man.

Kento: Sir, he may have passed out. I cannot be so sure of what may have happened, but I
can assume that he became like this because of hunger and dehydration. We need to get
him to the nearest medical center.
Albert: Alright, let’s do as you said.

Kento calls the ambulance. Minutes later, there was an ambulance car coming to them. The
old man was immediately sent into the hospital. Albert and his assistant Kento decided to
follow him.

Albert: We need to follow him, I’m afraid he has no one to take care of him.

In the hospital, after the man was taken into care.

Albert: Say, Kento. This is your hometown, do things like this happen a lot?
Kento: I’m afraid that’s a positive, sir. Homelessness rates have been skyrocketing lately. I wish
it was something like GDP per capita that is increasing, though.

47
Albert: And why do you think is the reason for this?
Kento: I think the answer is quite obvious for you, sir. Stress level in Japan is high, and not
everyone is able to cope up with it. In this world, the weaker gets eliminated.
Albert: And who do you mean by ‘weaklings’?

Old man: Sadly, it’s us. People like me. You know the drill – old, homeless, no chance of
surviving in this demanding world.

Both Albert and Kento seems surprised. The man has been wide awake ever since, and has
heard everything they’ve said. He speaks up in a fluent English accent.

Kento speaks in Japanese.

Kento: You understand what we’re saying?!
Old man replies in English.
Old man: Yep, in fact I do.
Albert: How, and why?

Old man chuckles.

Old man: I knew that I would get this question. You see, I used to be head of a foreign trade
company in here. I remember is as clear as it was just yesterday. Long story short, I got
married to a beautiful lady, but we were at rock bottom of the society. We had no money.
Also born in a poor family and wanting to turn my life to a new page, I worked hard from
different jobs to opening up my own company. We got into the trade market, and you may
have guessed: The road to success is never covered in rose petals. Well, I assume you would
know this too, since you certainly also share this same experience as mine.
Albert: How can you tell?
Old man: The answer is obvious. This young man beside you calls you “Sir”, and he looks

48
remarkably respectful towards you. That was the look that I used to receive from my
subordinates. You are a businessman traveling here for a business trip, and this young man is
your assistant. Am I wrong?

Albert nods his head. Kento replies with a “No, sir.”

Old man: Anyways, back to my story. After working hard, I was on top of success, my
company’s business was flourishing. I had with my wife a son. Isn’t it beautiful? A man finally
achieving his dreams is considered a man who got his happy ending. But life can be full of
surprises.

The man falls to silence.    

Kento: Sir, how did things end up this way for you? Why did you end up on the streets?
Old man: You remembered me mentioning my family, didn’t you?
Kento: Yes sir, and that’s what making me want to ask What happened to them? Why didn’t
your family take care of you?
Old man: Young man, like I said: You will never know what future has for you. You see, for a
success business, I had to work hard. I sacrificed my time for my family to invest on my
business. I rarely showed up at home before 9PM for dinner. But back then, I still tried my
best to spend more time with my family. On weekends, I would still take my son Kei out for
basketball practices, and take my beautiful wife Aya out for dates. We didn’t have much to
spare, so they were just simple dates at the lakeside or parks anyways. But I still remembered
that I loved her, and I cherished her. We were both happy back in the days. But it didn’t last
long. I got swallowed by the pressure from work, so I began to lose more time for my family.
More than that, I started to lose myself: My feelings, my emotions, my sympathy. Everything. I
started to forget about Aya and Kei, or anybody else. I traded them for my success.

The old man takes another deep breath.

49
Old man: Finally, I got what I wanted. But I started to wonder my feelings towards Aya. And I
did what you would have guessed.
Albert: You neglected her?
Old man: Worse.
Albert: You cheated on her?
Old man: As expected from someone who is on the same boat. You see, when you are on
top of success, you will start looking down on everything else, since you set your standards
up higher and you tend to despise everything else below you. I started to wonder why I had
to be stuck with an old, unpretty woman like her, while I could have as many young and
beautiful girls as I wanted. So, I did it. I forgot where I came from, I forgot about the reasons
why I wanted to push myself further. I made lies to her, and I got hooked into the taste of
glory, and then I forgot about my own family, nor that I felt any sympathy towards them.
During the times that I neglected her, I never knew she was getting weaker and weaker. She
was having cancer, but she never told me since she was afraid that she would disrupt me.
And then one day, she passed away.
Albert: We’re sorry to hear that.
Old man: It’s okay, please don’t pity me since I deserved that. By that moment, I knew it was
a wake-up call for me, and that I had to pay more attention to what I had. So, I took more
care of my son Kei. Little did I know, that he despised me ever since, and he was always
waiting for a chance to have me backfired.

Albert and Kento couldn’t say anything.

Old man: He tricked me into retirement and handing him the company and my property. He
then kicked me out of the company. But he didn’t kick me out, I chose to leave on my own.
Kento: Because you despise him?

50
Albert: Kento, I don’t believe so.
Old man: My friend, you’re right. I don’t hate him. In fact, I know that I deserved this. I should
have known this would happen. I left for my guilt, my dignity, which was considered a
payment for his hatred towards me. Remember when I told you about me not having any
sympathy? Simply, I forgot where I came from – a poor student from the countryside wanting
to challenge himself in the crowded Tokyo. I felt no sympathy for “rift rats, street rats”. And
now, I received the same treatment from passersby, who gives me disgusted looks every
single time. This is what I deserved.

Kento: I’m sorry to hear this, but I couldn’t stand your son! This is horrible, how could he do
this to his own father?
Old man: You should ask me the same question: “How could you do this to your own
family?”

Kento falls into silence.

Old man: Young man, thank you for caring about me. But as I told you, this is my karma.
Please don’t think too bad of Kei, since all he wanted was revenge for his mother. I was the
reason why he never experienced a truly happy family, and the main reason why he lost his
mom. And he took the company for his mother’s sake. Aya always told me she wanted to
open up a charity home for the homeless, but I was too busy on myself to even remember
fulfilling that for her. But Kei did it for her. He sold the company away and opened up a
charity home with Aya’s name on it. If he hated me that much, he would have also banned
me from visiting, but he didn’t. He even sent me some money back into my bank account
every month. He stated that this was his mother’s wish, and he just did what she wanted. I
take the money, but never visited the charity home once. I’m afraid to face him, nor I wanted
to be a burden for him.

51
Albert: But you have to face him. All he wants is a talk with you, and I’m sure he still at least
cares about you.

The man stays silence.

Old man: Thank you, I will consider that. I cannot be assured of it, but I think I won’t. I am a
coward who cannot face his mistakes, after all.

The man then stands up.

Old man: I owe both of you gentlemen this time. Please give me your bank account details,
so that I can pay you the treatment fee. Thank you for listening to me.
Albert: Please sir, you don’t have to.
Old man: Then I owe my life to you. Find me at that same corner in Tokyo whenever you
want me to pay up. I’m a coward, but I have my own dignity. Well then, good day to both of
you.

The man stands up, and takes his leave.

Kento seems to feel uneasy, Albert sighs and pats Kento’s shoulders. Both Albert and Kento
then bows to the man who just left.

1st Dramatic Scene – Confession Of A Homeless Man (1st Draft – from first portfolio)
Albert is a British businessman that comes to Japan for a business trip, with Kento as his
translator and assistant. In the middle of the busy Tokyo, where roads are packed, flows of
cars going one after another, the two encounters an old homeless man. The man was lying

52
at the pavement, with a lifeless face and little to no personal belongings.

Albert: Hey Kento, can you check on that man over there? He doesn’t look fine.
Kento: Sure sir, let me take a look at him.

Kento proceeds to check on the man.

Kento: Sir, he may have passed out. I cannot be so sure of what may have happened, but I
can assume that he became like this because of hunger and dehydration. We need to get
him to the nearest medical center.
Albert: Alright, let’s do as you said.

Kento calls the ambulance. Minutes later, there was an ambulance car coming to them. The
old man was immediately sent into the hospital. Albert and his assistant Kento decided to
follow him.

Albert: We need to follow him, I’m afraid he has no one to take care of him.

In the hospital, after the man was taken into care.

Albert: Say, Kento. This is your hometown, do things like this happen a lot?
Kento: I’m afraid that’s a positive, sir. Homelessness rates have been skyrocketing lately. I wish
it was something like GDP per capita that is increasing, though.
Albert: And why do you think is the reason for this?
Kento: I think the answer is quite obvious for you, sir. Stress level in Japan is high, and not
everyone is able to cope up with it. In this world, the weaker gets eliminated.
Albert: And who do you mean by ‘weaklings’?

53
Old man: Sadly, it’s us. People like me. You know the drill – old, homeless, no chance of
surviving in this demanding world.

Both Albert and Kento seems surprised. The man has been wide awake ever since, and has
heard everything they’ve said. He speaks up in a fluent English accent.

Kento speaks in Japanese.

Kento: You understand what we’re saying?!
Old man replies in English.
Old man: Yep, in fact I do.
Albert: How, and why?

Old man chuckles.

Old man: I knew that I would get this question. You see, I used to be head of a foreign trade
company in here. I remember is as clear as it was just yesterday. Long story short, I got
married to a beautiful lady, but we were at rock bottom of the society. We had no money.
Also born in a poor family and wanting to turn my life to a new page, I worked hard from
different jobs to opening up my own company. We got into the trade market, and you may
have guessed: The road to success is never covered in rose petals. Well, I assume you would
know this too, since you certainly also share this same experience as mine.
Albert: How can you tell?
Old man: The answer is obvious. This young man beside you calls you “Sir”, and he looks
remarkably respectful towards you. That was the look that I used to receive from my
subordinates. You are a businessman traveling here for a business trip, and this young man is
your assistant. Am I wrong?

54
Albert nods his head. Kento replies with a “No, sir.”
Old man: Anyways, back to my story. After working hard, I was on top of success, my
company’s business was flourishing. I had with my wife a son. Isn’t it beautiful? A man finally
achieving his dreams is considered a man who got his happy ending. But life can be full of
surprises.

The man falls to silence.    

Kento: Sir, how did things end up this way for you? Why did you end up on the streets?
Old man: You remembered me mentioning my family, didn’t you?
Kento: Yes sir, and that’s what making me want to ask What happened to them? Why didn’t
your family take care of you?
Old man: Young man, like I said: You will never know what future has for you. You see, for a
success business, I had to work hard. I sacrificed my time for my family to invest on my
business. I rarely showed up at home before 9PM for dinner. But back then, I still tried my
best to spend more time with my family. On weekends, I would still take my son Kei out for
basketball practices, and take my beautiful wife Aya out for dates. We didn’t have much to
spare, so they were just simple dates at the lakeside or parks anyways. But I still remembered
that I loved her, and I cherished her. We were both happy back in the days. But it didn’t last
long. I got swallowed by the pressure from work, so I began to lose more time for my family.
More than that, I started to lose myself: My feelings, my emotions, my sympathy. Everything. I
started to forget about Aya and Kei, or anybody else. I traded them for my success.

The old man takes another deep breath.

Old man: Finally, I got what I wanted. But I started to wonder my feelings towards Aya. And I
did what you would have guessed.

55
Albert: You neglected her?
Old man: Worse.
Albert: You cheated on her?
Old man: As expected from someone who is on the same boat. You see, when you are on
top of success, you will start looking down on everything else, since you set your standards
up higher and you tend to despise everything else below you. I started to wonder why I had
to be stuck with an old, unpretty woman like her, while I could have as many young and
beautiful girls as I wanted. So, I did it. I forgot where I came from, I forgot about the reasons
why I wanted to push myself further. I made lies to her, and I got hooked into the taste of
glory, and then I forgot about my own family, nor that I felt any sympathy towards them.
During the times that I neglected her, I never knew she was getting weaker and weaker. She
was having cancer, but she never told me since she was afraid that she would disrupt me.
And then one day, she passed away.
Albert: We’re sorry to hear that.
Old man: It’s okay, please don’t pity me since I deserved that. By that moment, I knew it was
a wake-up call for me, and that I had to pay more attention to what I had. So, I took more
care of my son Kei. Little did I know, that he despised me ever since, and he was always
waiting for a chance to have me backfired.

Albert and Kento couldn’t say anything.

Old man: He tricked me into retirement and handing him the company and my property. He
then kicked me out of the company. But he didn’t kick me out, I chose to leave on my own.
Kento: Because you despise him?
Albert: Kento, I don’t believe so.
Old man: My friend, you’re right. I don’t hate him. In fact, I know that I deserved this. I should
have known this would happen. I left for my guilt, my dignity, which was considered a

56
payment for his hatred towards me. Remember when I told you about me not having any
sympathy? Simply, I forgot where I came from – a poor student from the countryside wanting
to challenge himself in the crowded Tokyo. I felt no sympathy for “rift rats, street rats”. And
now, I received the same treatment from passersby, who gives me disgusted looks every
single time. This is what I deserved.

Kento: I’m sorry to hear this, but I couldn’t stand your son! This is horrible, how could he do
this to his own father?
Old man: You should ask me the same question: “How could you do this to your own
family?”

Kento falls into silence.

Old man: Young man, thank you for caring about me. But as I told you, this is my karma.
Please don’t think too bad of Kei, since all he wanted was revenge for his mother. I was the
reason why he never experienced a truly happy family, and the main reason why he lost his
mom. And he took the company for his mother’s sake. Aya always told me she wanted to
open up a charity home for the homeless, but I was too busy on myself to even remember
fulfilling that for her. But Kei did it for her. He sold the company away and opened up a
charity home with Aya’s name on it. If he hated me that much, he would have also banned
me from visiting, but he didn’t. He even sent me some money back into my bank account
every month. He stated that this was his mother’s wish, and he just did what she wanted. I
take the money, but never visited the charity home once. I’m afraid to face him, nor I wanted
to be a burden for him.

Albert: But you have to face him. All he wants is a talk with you, and I’m sure he still at least
cares about you.

57
The man stays silence.

Old man: Thank you, I will consider that. I cannot be assured of it, but I think I won’t. I am a
coward who cannot face his mistakes, after all.

The man then stands up.

Old man: I owe both of you gentlemen this time. Please give me your bank account details,
so that I can pay you the treatment fee. Thank you for listening to me.
Albert: Please sir, you don’t have to.
Old man: Then I owe my life to you. Find me at that same corner in Tokyo whenever you
want me to pay up. I’m a coward, but I have my own dignity. Well then, good day to both of
you.

The man stands up, and takes his leave.

Genre Focused Exercises

Lesson 7

Betty Plum: Undertake the Betty Plum exercise on behalf of each one of the characters in one
of your own dramatic scenes or as per the ‘extra instructions provided. Please provide the
responses to the Betty Plum questions ("My name is...", "I am your...", "I want you to..."), for
each character. Do this for at least three ‘rounds’, as demonstrated in the filmed versions of

58
the exercise. Following this, discuss what, if anything, you discovered about the characters
and the dynamics between them as a result of this exercise.

The play I am working with is “Confession of a Homeless Man”, since my other play “Heaven”
only consisted of 2 characters, which will not be sufficient for this exercise. My three
characters are Albert, Kento and the Old man.

Round one starts with Albert.

Albert to Kento:

Albert: Hello, my name is Albert.

Kento: Hello, my name is Kento.

Albert: I am your boss.

Kento: I am your subordinate.

Albert: I want you to help me check on the old man, and listen to his story to understand his
circumstance.

Kento: I want you to be present with me while the old man is telling his story.

Albert to Old man:

Albert: Hello, my name is Albert.

Old man: Hello, I don’t have a name since the author specifically made it for me to be
remembered for my background.

Albert: I am a passerby to you.

Old man: I am a passerby to you.

Albert: I want you to tell me your story, and I want to offer you some help.

59
Old man: I want you to listen to my story, and that’s it. I don’t want or need your help.

Round two starts with Kento.

Kento to Albert:

Kento: Hello, my name is Kento.

Albert: Hello, my name is Albert.

Kento: I am your subordinate, and I look up to you.

Albert: I am your boss, and I view of you as my son.

Kento: I want you to be present with me while the old man is telling his story, and give me
your thoughts as well as your advice.

Albert: I want you to help me check on the old man, and listen to his story to understand his
circumstance. I also want to comfort you and give you some advice from the old man’s story.

Kento to Old man:

Kento: Hello, my name is Kento.

Old man: Hello, I don’t have a name since the author specifically made it for me to be
remembered for my background.

Kento: I am a passerby to you.

Old man: I am a passerby to you.

Kento: I want to listen to your story. I also want to learn something from your story.

Old man: I want you to listen to my story, and I want to give you some advice.

And lastly. Round three starts with Old man.

Old man to Albert:

60
Old man: Hello, I don’t have a name since the author specifically made it for me to be
remembered for my background.

Albert: Hello, my name is Albert.

Old man: I am a passerby to you, and I view of you as my “colleague”. We are on the same
boat and I feel that you will feel the same way as I do.

Albert: I am a passerby to you, and I respect you.

Old man: I want you to listen to my story, and that’s it. I don’t want or need your help, since I
still have dignity left in myself, also I don’t deserve your help as my circumstance is my
punishment.

Albert: I want you to tell me your story, and I want to offer you some help.

Old man to Kento:

Old man: Hello, I don’t have a name since the author specifically made it for me to be
remembered for my background.

Kento: Hello, my name is Kento.

Old man: I am a passerby to you. But I see resemblance between you and my son.

Kento: I am a passerby to you. I didn’t have sympathy for you, but I’ve changed my mind
after listening to your story.

Old man: I want you to listen to my story, and I want to give you some advice.

Kento: I want to listen to your story. I also want to learn something from your story.

Discussion on this exercise: By doing this, I have finally discovered all the dynamics between
my characters. I can definitely see that by doing the exercise below, the relationships between
the characters in my story has been extended, as I have also discovered some of the small
details that I thought about, but never actually implied in my drafts. The exercise also helped

61
me add depth to my draft, as it answers all the questions that the readers are left unclear. For
instance, through this exercise I realized that I never mentioned how the character Albert
views Kento more than just a subordinate, but a son. By doing this, it is an explanation for
Albert’s comforting words and advice to Kento. Also, for the old man to give Kento advice,
it’s because not only he is trying to be nice and continue the conversation, he also finds
resemblance between Albert and his son as well. I also added a little bit more interaction
between the two characters, for example: Kento trying to make jokes showing but still
addressing Albert as “sir” shows that although Kento has a lot of respect to Albert, they are
not distanced by any means as Kento is close enough to make a joke with Albert in the
middle of a business trip (and in front of his boss). Doing this also makes me acknowledge
that I should add more details and interaction between the characters, so that my drama
piece will turn out more concise and comprehended. Overall, this is a beneficial exercise that
helped me figure out more details on my drama.

Lesson 8
Show, Don’t Tell: please provide your re-write for the sentences provided below (at least any
three of them, but you can do four, or all five, if you prefer.) Use the ‘Show, Don't Tell’
approach of combining description with action, as explained in the Genre Focused Exercise
lecture. Then, discuss (briefly) what you learned from practising this technique.

Can you re-write these short paragraphs in order to communicate the same information in a
more elegant and skillful manner?

1. The young man was hung over. The kitchen was freezing. He ate his breakfast of
oatmeal and coffee slowly, and without much enthusiasm.

62
Charles woke up. His head was completely blank, as he had no recollection of anything that
was around him. He then closed his eyes for a little bit more sleep, but still couldn’t resist that
malicious headache that he had been bearing ever since he opened his eyes.

He eventually gave up, getting up just to realize that it had already been 10AM and he had
missed out his yoga session for the day. “Screw it, I guess” – he murmured as he picked up all
the clothes that were scattered around his room. Never get hung over on a Saturday, he
noted himself.

Charles then reached out to his kitchen on the other side of his apartment, where he found
out that he had literally little to nothing for breakfast. Again, Charles noted himself to never
get hung over on a Saturday ever again, since he completely forgot to do his shopping for
the following week.

“Guess it’s cereal and coffee again. As usual.” Charles sighed. He had been wanting to make
himself a proper breakfast for the whole week. So he sat down and poured out some
oatmeal, heated some water for his coffee. Since he missed yoga for today, he had nothing
to do other than going shopping for some groceries. He then sighed and finished his coffee.
A long and boring day, again.

2. It was a sunny late-winter morning, there was still snow on the ground in the park,
and the small children being herded along the sidewalks to daycare strained towards
the greying mounds.

A beautiful day in the heart of Montreal.

The sky was glimmering as it had been clear from that last night snow storm, the sun was
shining bright pouring its essence down to the lands. Snow was still stuck on the trees, on the
leaves, and on the cars. Last night’s snow was heavy, so it couldn’t be blamed. As you walked
through the aisle, you saw children running and talking. There must be some events

63
happening at the park near your apartment. Even though it wouldn’t be a good idea to head
into that place, you still needed some fresh air.

You decided to take a stroll to the park. There were herds of children gathering at his favorite
park, seems like they were attending a market fair on the mounds over the hills of Mont-
Royale.

3. He had always disliked having to give up his seat for others on public transport. An
elderly woman limped along the bus towards him, and soon his sense of disapproval
from the passengers around him led him to stand, unsmiling, and allow her to claim
what she clearly felt was her due. Still, she did not thank or even acknowledge him.

Chris hated this. He was never a fan of any of these actions.

Call him a bastard, a son of a bitch, whatever as he did not give two damns. He would not
ever give away his seat on public transport to anybody.

Please feel for him first. He never enjoyed how entitled people could be. He hated the fact
that whenever he offered anyone anything, they would take it for granted without showing
him any gratitude. Which is why he didn’t stand up. For the lady that had been staring at him
ever since she stepped foot inside the metro.

Much as he said – though, no one would enjoy being stared at by dozens of people in a
common space. Some looked at him and shook their heads, some nagged at him, some just
silently watched. He just couldn’t stand it. He wanted to end it. So he stood up for the
woman.

At least they stopped – he thought. And just as he imagined, the woman just sat down as if it
was her due. No “thank you”s, nothing.

64
He just hated that.

Discussion of this exercise: By far, this is the most eye-opening experience for me! I tried out
the method “Show, don’t tell”, which basically implied that actions are more vital than words.
Instead of just listing things out, giving a full description as well as developing a whole story
based on the characters’ emotions and actions would be functional for readers to approach
to the story by better means.

Lesson 10
Levels of Articulation or Exercises in Speech Patterns: for this week's Genre Focused Exercise,
you have the choice of trying either

B) the Exercises in Speech Patterns

Should you choose the Exercises in Speech Patterns, please copy your selections (one for
love and one for war) along with your monologues.

Exercise 1: Try writing a short monologue on love for one (1) of the following different
people. Be sure to write about your thoughts and experiences on this exercise in your
Process Record.

This person is very precise. She always finishes her thoughts. Very clear. Lots of periods. I
hope you get my meaning. It is important to be exact.

Setting: Tina and her girlfriend and soon-to-be wife was nagged by a straight male when
they kissed in the café. Tina defended her girlfriend and herself.

Tina: Excuse me? But what did you just say to us? “Get lost you disgusting lesbians?”

God may have BLESSED you with a functional human male body with a generic heterosexual
love interest; just for you to get them wasted in vain with your deteriorated and vague
mindset of homophobia. I ain’t buy into any of your fucking unnecessary – unwanted –

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unrequited discrimination. This girl right here is my fucking FIANCÉ, and I will be real to you: I
would rather kill someone other than seeing her get hurt by little scums who know nothing
about their places like you. I love her more than you will ever love your girlfriend, your wife,
and even your mom. And trust me, I may be blunt but my words will long last more than all
your quick-witted trite and hollow clichés could ever last.

We fought for our places in this café. We have all the rights and we are proud to show our
affection to our partners just like how y’all straight couples do. And now I hope I made myself
clear. It ain’t your business. Get lost and don’t ruin our date.

Exercise 2: Try writing a short monologue on war for one (1) of the following different people.
Be sure to write about your thoughts and experiences on this exercise in your Process
Record.

This person talks like a tidal wave

(I’m not sure what you meant by ‘war’, so I went for a war-themed monologue)

Chris tells his men that they have one chance left to make it out alive from the enemy.

Chris: If we make it past that certain hill, we can make it to the forest. It will buy us time! We
need to attempt since they've nearly got us confined. We can in any case still make it to that
rock and work our way past that certain point, however we don't have a lot of time. Then we
have to shoot out of this and make it to that rock! It's our solitary shot. Then we push on to
the woods and will be way safer there and can reposition ourselves.

Tune yourselves out to my words! I know that y’all are scared shit at this moment, however
we will fucking die worthlessly here. Would you like to live? Would YOU like TO LIVE?! We
remain around here, trust me, we will be butchered like pigs. God pushed us to this path and
gave us the one sole lament, would you take it or you die?

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Is it accurate to say that y’all are with me? Courage! Get insane! Everyone, prepare cause
we're returning home. We're returning home boys.

Let’s go, now!!

Discussion of this exercise:

By “roleplaying” as the character to write a monologue on, I realized how effective the
procedure was to actually understand the character and give out necessary dialogues.
Characters should only speak for a reason. A reason that you, the writer, should be very
aware of. Speech should have a purpose: even if this is not explicit to the reader or the
audience. You need to know what the goal or objective of your character is: even if the
character doesn’t know it him or herself. A monologue should be earned, justified, caused -
otherwise it can be boring. Let it be a relief, a purgation, or a reward for the audience or the
character to finally have the information in the speech spoken out loud or the realization
arrived at. Be specific is compulsory. Who is this person speaking to - God, herself, the
audience, an absent friend? We shouldn’t confuse the readers.

Lesson 11
Poetry - What Remains: follow the instructions explained in this week's Genre Focused
Exercise lecture (Poetry, What Remains) to help edit and/or further develop one of your
current poem drafts. Please provide your reworked poem below.

Poem: The escape effect

We all have reasons to smile
For that we are able to hide.
Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were

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Looking at our surroundings
No one of acquaintance we found.
How to find out
That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

Who came first, yet who followed after?

Who was the one that imitated who?
I have no clue,
I don’t know where I am going.
My old memories kept on flowing
Feeling the same as I am.
Leaving my adolescence behind, at least I didn’t find nonsense.
Haven’t figured out something’s that agape,
May have been the escape.

Leaving my adolescence behind, there’s nothing to hide

Look back at the path we have walked,
Look where we are
Look where we were

How to find out

That we are daydreaming daydreamers?

Discussion of this exercise: Doing this exercise makes me realize that it was is compulsory to
remove unnecessary words. I can improve my poem just by cutting out a few lines since
certain words were unnecessary and they didn't fill any need in the poem. I chose to cut and

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still have a fitting poem. Likewise, I was roused to do as such after in class practices about
altering when we talked about that the primary thing that should be possible when altering a
draft is to cut a few words in the start of the draft and, at that point, different words in the
remainder of the draft.

Lesson 12
Developing a Character: for this week's Genre Focused Exercise (Developing a Character),
you have the choice of either

A) to further develop a character that you have already featured in your drafts (as explained
in Lecture 1 of Lesson 12

Should you choose option A, be sure to use the long list of Characteristics that is provided
under Other Required Reading(s). If you feel your character has a quality that does not
appear in the list, you are welcome to include it.

Please include the results of this exercise (the re-developep character) notes below.

I chose the character Jamie from my draft “A Moment Before The End” to further develop
him.

The scene was loaded up with just wretchedness. It was the end, and that's all there is to it.
To be very reasonable, Jamie had no aim of grumbling or at all. He is by no means
vulnerable. He is assertive, he is ruthless and he didn’t even try to act as if he was trying to
hide his grudge for the messy scenery in front of his eyes. He didn't carry on with a cheerful
life: He was a normal salaryman, he’s in tuition debt. His parents passed away a long time
ago and he scarcely had any companions. On the off chance that there was distress for the

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end of the world, he would be the last one to grieve about it. He would be more than glad if
there was a conclusion to his hopelessness. Can say he’s a pessimist, after all.

Discussion of this exercise: Usage of characteristics has been something that I had never
actually taken notice of, however, after when I tried it, I was completely convinced that this is
one of the ways to elevate my writing, my characters to be exact. For example, even with just
a little bit touch on Jamie’s personality, I myself can see more of Jamie as a pessimist – which
was something that I never mentioned on my first two drafts. By adding more characteristics
to my character, I feel that they have been more realistic and closer to how a human would
react.

Lesson 13
The Don DeLillo Technique: now that you have seen an example of the Don DeLillo editing
technique, apply it to a page of your own prose fiction (300-350 words), taken from one of
your drafts.

The prose I chose was from my prose draft “Three Wishes”.

You wouldn’t be interested in my story, so I would be precise: I was dead, only to end up
reincarnated as a genie.
Now that may be something you will be excited about. How I died, how I became a genie,
who offered me the job. And to be dead honest, I have no clue. One thing I am assured of: I
had to grant whoever found me 3 wishes.

And by “anyone”, this includes someone who have hurt you in the pass. Which is why I am in
fury right now.

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Above 7 billion people coexisting in this planet, why does it have to be him? Thomas, the
bully from high school, who drove my life into the first steps of misery. He may have even
forgotten who I am. But for me, it’s perfectly fine. Well, whatever. After all, I certainly am lying
if I said I wouldn’t take this personal.

For his first wish, he asked for money. Well, then why won’t you work? I get what his financial
state is like, he lives in a small apartment on welfare, barely making ends meet. He has been
trying to look for a job but for some reasons he always got rejected. Guess employers
nowadays have a view on an applicant’s deadass personality just from a glance? On the other
hand, I find some entertainment enjoying his state at the moment, watching karma do the
work. However, I must still grant him what he wanted.

“What about a job?” I asked. His eyes were filled with joy, tears coming out as he kept on
thanking me. You must have been that pathetic when you’re grateful for a shitty job at
minimum wage. Not that I’m slacking off, I’m just doing it my way. I gave him a job, so he can
get money as he wanted. So yeah, basically it still counts.

Discussion of this exercise: This method was something that I never actually thought of, and
to my surprise, it worked. Don DeLillo’s technique was basically separating questions out, and
focused on one in order to remove unnecessary words. This method helped me a lot in order
to make my drafts more concise, as for my own drafts I have removed unnecessary words
but still could keep the work’s full conveyance of message.

Process Record
Please include all your process record entries below.

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*Reminder – A suggested structure for your process record entries is made available under
the resources page of the course portal. Note it is only a suggested structure, and not a
required structure.

First 6 lessons of the course

Week 1

Took the class on 5th May 2020, home

1st entry

Warm-up: We were introduced to warm up exercises – which consisted of techniques that

will help us to relax physically and mentally before going into the process of writing. Before
starting this class, I did not know how to be ready mentally for a creative writing. I did not
have any habits or exercises that would help me for writing. For this first lesson, our activity
was to count in our heads, before writing, any ideas out. Such practices were very valuable
for me as it was the very first time that I did any exercises before writing. It was really good, I
found that counting in my head helped me to concentrate and prepare myself better for the
creative writing process. As I sometimes find it hard to focus, this method helped me to calm
down and give my brain a break, and for my imagination to break freely. I felt very relaxed
after counting in my head, and I was ready to start my writing session.

What your writing intention was for this session? This is my first time taking a creative writing
class. Although I did some creative writings before, I don’t know how to start with the process
effectively. For this course, I hope to improve my writing skills as well as lean useful
techniques that will improve my creative writing.

What you ended up writing: I planned a manifesto which would be beneficial for my writing.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session: By the end of
this class, I finally understood what the important factor of the creative process is. Most
importantly, I also learnt that we don’t have to be good at it – I mean that we don’t have to
be born being remarkably talented to do creative thinking, we just need to learn how to find
what is suitable for us and put our creative writing process into practice. By doing the warm-
up exercises, I found them helpful to my creative writing process. I started to see that it is
something that I can achieve, which help me be more defined in my piece of writing for the

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first class. This is something that I will definitely put into practice. I am more than motivated to
learn and improve my creative writing skills.

Week 2:

2nd entry

Date, time, place: 12th June 2020, home in Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 2 hours of writing during this class

Warm-up exercises: We also did warm up exercises in this class. We learnt about different
techniques for relaxation, which I found extremely useful. Specifically, I found breathing
exercises and eye closing exercises helpful me to set my mind for creative writing. The idea of
“pink elephant” is both funny and amusing at the same time. It may seem irrelevant I would
say, but it helped me relax and be ready for the creative process. Also, I learnt that we should
consider what is the best for us as warm up exercises, as not everything is suitable for one to
follow.

What your writing intention was for this session? I tried to retain as much information as
possible on how to properly practice creative writing beforehand. This class focused on self-
recognition and finding what is mostly suitable for me, specifically, what should my writing
style be, what my ‘characteristic’ for writing should be, and most importantly, which are the
rituals that I should use.

What you ended up writing? I finished my first draft for my personal manifesto. Also, I tried to
conduct more creative writing, and I tried to write some small paragraphs based on the
manifesto I just finished.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. I noticed that I
was finally able to feel comfortable about writing. I felt more attached to my writing, and it
was much more improved compared to my first attempt last week. The warm-up exercises
really helped me as they made me concentrate on the creative process. To me, this “ritual”
helps my mind shift into creative mode and allows me to write much more than when it is in
normal mode. Furthermore, I learnt that avoiding the repetition of words is crucial, that in
order to not confuse the reader you must be clear about the subject of the poem, that you
should have all the information that is important at the beginning, and that if you end up
unsatisfied, you can try to rearrange sentences or phrase and change the proportion of your

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rhymes. Definitely, it is a very valuable advice that I’ll surely keep in mind when I start with my
drafts.

3rd entry

Date, time, place: 13th May, 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): Today, I decided to deviate from the exercises the teacher have showed
us and have my own warm up exercise that I felt was good for me. Personally, listening to
any kind of music has proven to be helpful for any assignments or exercises. Therefore, I
listened to music for 20 minutes before I started my writing. Throughout the warmup, I tried
my best to relax and started to direct my thoughts into what I’ll be writing today.

What your writing intention was for this session? This session I formed ideas for my first draft.
I decided to write a poem, which is something that I had never tried before. I planned to do
some research, took notes and thought about ideas for my poem. I also wanted to make a
critique.

What you ended up writing? This is my first attempt on a poem, which seemed to be a little
bit more on the challenging side. However, I still managed to sketch out ideas for my poem
by doing a little bit of research and doing the rituals. I also got some help for my creative
process by listening to some music. I find music inspirational and I can convert a lot of ideas
from the lyrics that I listened to. Instead of following a strict structure, I managed to jot down
whatever I thought of first, choose from them, and then piece them together afterwards. The
ideas I had were still a mess though, as I was not still able to organize my ideas effectively
into a proper poem. Then I decided to stop to save the work for later. Also, I wrote my first
critique.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. Poetry was
something that I had wanted to try, however, it was quite a challenge. I have never written a
poem before, even in my mother tongue. So, starting with something that I have never done
would require some investment and research. I learnt a little bit about how to conduct a
poem, as well as how to jot down ideas beforehand. I tried to relate to what I am most
familiar with, and then came up with ideas for my poem. I decided to wait until the next class,
when we will actually learn about poems themselves. Again, I got a lot of help by listening to
music, I decided that listening to music while walking should be my new ritual. As I was able

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to sync with the songs, I found music extremely helpful for my creative process (I was able to
jot down ideas for my poem).

Week 3

4th entry

Date, time, place: 19th May 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 2 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): Before starting I shifted myself into creative mode by walking around
listening to music for about 10 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: For this session, I wanted to continue with
the poem that I was working on, since I did not finish it last week.

What you ended up writing? I had my previous ideas saved on my computer. However, as I
mentioned, I still found my draft unsatisfying since my draft was basically just ideas being
jotted down randomly and not a proper poem, so I tried to work on it for a bit more as this
was the class when we were taught about poems. After having learnt how a poem should be
written, I put all of my ideas together to make a complete version of my poem to post for
feedback.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. I found out that
poetry was something that catches my attention, although it is not something that is in my
comfort zone. Initially, it was a big challenge for me to write one. To start with, I made use of
useful links provided by the teacher. Specifically, I found the video “You do not have to be
good” very inspirational. Then, I decided to use music as my source of inspiration. Music
helped me a lot with the creative process as I mentioned in my last entry. I followed that by
listening to some of my favorite songs. For a long time, I have always wanted to cover the
subject of feeling lost inside this world. I found the song “Home” by Machine Gun Kelly, X
Ambassadors and Bebe Rexha. For some reason, the music helped me to feel related to what
I am aiming at: Feeling lost. The feeling when you feel lost right inside of your home, when
you are unsure of what to do. I felt extremely motivated after listening to the song, and now
that I have more information on how to create a poem, I could finally put out a final draft for
my work.

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 5th entry

Date, time, place: 21st May 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 2 hours writing.

Warm up exercise: Instead of doing the ritual, I went straight into writing since I felt I had the
energy to do so.

What your writing intention was for this session? My work consisted mostly of adding
finishing touches to my poem.

What you ended up writing? I gave my poem a structure, and connected everything together
to make a complete poem. As most of work have been done, all I had to do was to check if
there were any mistakes, and then finally post it.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session:

I felt that it became easier to write and finish my draft when I have pieces of main ideas
written on the paper. Specifically, I don’t have to invent any brainstorm ideas. Instead, I
connected all the ideas I had beforehand. All that was left was to use them to finish the
poem. I was reluctant and afraid to finish it at first, since this was my first time writing poem.
However, it turned out to be not as bad as I imagined. Of course, there is always room for
improvement and I am looking forward to it. I am eager to get the feedback from my peers
in order to improve my writing.

Week 4

6th entry

Date, time, place: 27th May 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm-up rituals consisted of listening to music for 20 minutes, and
having a nice cup of coffee before starting the work.

What your writing intention was for this session? Writing a drama is a new experience to me. I
was a little bit confused and didn’t know where to start, since this was something that I am
not familiar with. In addition, after hearing all the points that are required in one dramatic

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scene, I was a little bit reluctant on starting it. I had no idea on where to begin. However, I felt
like I should give it a try and I was motivated to do it.

What you ended up writing? I haven’t completed my dramatic scene, however I did manage
to make the characters, the scene and the environment for the drama itself. I intend to use
these to finish my drama at a later date. I felt like this method would work best for me after
in-class Skyping with Daliso Chaponda, when he shared that he would make drafts of all his
ideas and later come back to piece them all together into a new work. I also wrote my next
critique.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. This was my
first time writing a dramatic scene, so I knew that I had to do preparation and planning since
this requires more research. I decided to go visit Shakespeare’s play in order to get
familiarized with the writing techniques used in dramatic writing. I was amazed by how the
world-famous “Romeo and Juliet” play grabbed our attention, as well as how Shakespeare
successfully built his characters and settings for the audience to get a better understanding at
it. His plays give us the great sense of the value of human life; of how people live; of how
people love and of the importance of human relationships.  Shakespeare's work is still
relevant today because we can relate ourselves to the characters. His works from a long time
ago can still be relevant and talking about the plays can possibly build friendships. The
technique he used makes the audience feel related to the work, which is important if one
wants to make their work relevant. That is where I got inspired from: How fiction can be
related to reality.

7th entry

Date, time, place: 28th May 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm-up rituals consisted of listening to music for 20 minutes, and
having a nice cup of coffee before starting with the work.

What your writing intention was for this session? I plan to finish and submit my drama.

What you ended up writing? I put together the ideas that I came up with in the last section.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. By doing
research and making a full list of things that will be included in the piece, I found the process

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of writing a dramatic script easier. Inventing a scene from scratch without a proper plan is
really difficult. I was dreaded by writing it at first, but after this exercise, I am now more
comfortable.

Week 5

8th entry

Date, time, place: 4th June 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm-up rituals consisted of listening to music for 20 minutes, and
having a cup of tea before starting with the work.

What your writing intention was for this session? This session I wanted to create my first draft
for a short story. For this class we studied about short stories, so I decided to write one. More
precisely, I decided to draft important notes about this short story. Later, I would be able to
piece them together and revise them.

What you ended up writing? For a while I’ve always wondered what would happen if you
found love right in the middle of the apocalypse. It was an interesting idea, so I decided to sit
down and write a short story about it. However, I could only copy down whatever that comes
to mind and wrote three paragraphs: the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. I
felt like this method would help me focus on the more important parts of the story and help
me piece my ideas together afterwards.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. I did my
“ritual” to set myself to creating and utilized all the tips and guidelines given by the teacher
that I’ve gone through in the previous entries. It allowed me to come closer to my own work
and be comfortable with it. I wasn’t able to write a full story but managed to come up with
bits and pieces that I will use to create the full story later.

9th entry

Date, time, place: 5th June 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

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Warm up exercise(s): Before beginning to write I set up my brain into the creative process by
listening to music and walking around the room for 20 minutes, and drank a cup of tea.

What your writing intention was for this session? For this session, I wanted to finish the short
story that I started the previous week.

What you ended up writing? I got most of the components for my short story ready. So, I
only had to put the pieces together and make a final draft of my story.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. My intention
was not to confuse readers, so I tried my best to make everything as clear as possible. I
avoided repeating a word too many times and used the “Thesaurus” application on the
internet to find synonyms. I feel like this is very helpful in raising the quality of the writing and
making it more enjoyable to read. I learnt an important thing today, which is: it is a very good
idea to read through your work again before submitting to pick out mistakes that you’ve
made. Thus, I plan and finish my assignment ahead of the deadline to give me time for
reviewing and editing my work in a day or two.

Week 6

10th entry

Date, time, place: 11th June 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm-up rituals consisted of listening to music for 20 minutes, and
having a cup of tea before starting with the work.

What your writing intention was for this session? I was not so happy with how my short story
for the last class ended up. For this session, I was also attempting for another short story. I
was aware that I was not following the designated syllabus and I had a feeling that I should
produce a better story this time; and should do it as soon as possible. For the new story, I
would like to improve my skill in writing short story: how to develop realistic dialogues, as well
as how to write a captivating story. I also looked at my peers’ feedbacks on my last work and
formed ideas on how to improve my previous drafts. Specifically, I tried to look for
grammatical mistakes, and I tried to find sentences as well as ideas that confused my peers. I
also looked for ways to improve my wording – by visiting Thesaurus and Oxford Dictionary in
order to find synonyms for my work.

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What you ended up writing. I went on Reddit and found some really interesting writing
prompts, one of them is about becoming the genie of your bully in high school. So, I wrote a
short story about that topic. After I finished writing this draft, I turned off my computer and
decided to wait until the next day to edit it before submission. I also jotted down some notes
to improve my earlier 3 drafts.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. At this point, I
already had a general and basic idea about my creative writing skills and what works for me
and not. Learning from my mistakes, I came back to the feedback of my peers. I received
some very valuable feedback on my work. My team helped me see where the weak points
were in my work, and I use them to improve both my work and my creative writing skills. To
go into further details, in my work I focused too much on dialogues and conversations but
failed to express any emotions or feelings. The scene lacked details and as a result, confused
the readers. This is something that I try to avoid for this next writing.

11th entry

Date, time, place: 12th June 2020, home

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): Instead of doing ritualized warm up exercises, I came straight to writing
since I felt an urge that I needed to do it as soon as possible.

What your writing intention was for this session? Today was everything about drafts – I
wanted to come back to the drafts to add finishing touches, as well as tried to finish the final
draft for my latest story. Also, I wanted to write a critique.

What you ended up writing? I ended up editing my earlier drafts, and finished the second
story. Specifically, I cleared out grammatical mistakes, cut down on unnecessary sentences
and changed the wording of some of the words. I noticed that on all of my first three drafts, I
made some grammar errors and my peers were confused at some of my sentences. So I
worked with it and updated my revision of the first three drafts. Also, specifically on my third
draft (my first prose), I noticed that my prose contained too many dialogues, some of which
are a little bit too wordy and unrealistic. So, apart from modifying my drafts, I also took that
as an experience to improve my fourth draft – where I would limit dialogues and focus more
on the setting of the story. Also, I finished writing my critique.

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Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session. After receiving
all the feedback, I decided that I should cut back on dialogues, so I shortened and even cut
some sentences and made them more formal. This will add some “reality” to the characters
and the scene itself. I found out that sometimes too many dialogues can backfire: A story
with too many dialogues will make it less incorporated, and the readers will feel lost,
sometimes confused and bored with the events happening. And as I noticed, some of my
lines in the story are not practical in real life, which will make it feel less realistic. By that, the
story would fail to be realistic, which will drag the audience away from feeling relatable to the
plot. By removing unnecessary and wordy dialogues, it helps the story to feel more realistic,
and make it more concise. In conclusion, those are the points I find most important and
would definitely be of use in my second portfolio and even for future scenes that I write.

Total number of words: 3769

Second half – seven lessons of course

Week 7

13th entry

Date, time, place: 15th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 2 hours writing.

Warm up exercises: My warm-up exercises consisted of walking and listening to music for 30
minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: Before starting to work with my second
portfolio, I wanted to check up on the feedback I received from my professor. Then I planned

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to get my first portfolio fixed by looking back to my mistakes. Also, I wanted to write a
critique.

What you ended up writing: I ended up making changes to my first portfolio. Also, as I
realized that I have not been following the critique’s guidelines, I decided to rewrite a
completely new critique and completed this week’s genre focused exercise. I chose to write a
critique on Cherry Potter’s ‘The Eight Pre-conditions for Creativity”.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: I realized that not only did I not follow the
instructions for the critique, for the last portfolio I found out that my points were not clear
enough. As my writing was not descriptive enough, I know that this is something that I would
need to improve. Potter’s text, “The Eight Pre-conditions for Creativity '' repurposes Arieti’s
work in the context of film writing. It’s quite appropriate for the first reading of the course, as
it establishes some ground rules for how to approach writer’s block or lack of inspiration.
Searching for inspiration through the work of others was something that was not mentioned,
but I feel as though this could be the creative spark that a struggling writer may very well
need.

14th entry

Date, time, place: 19th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 4 hours of writing at home.

Warm up exercise(s): For the warm up exercises I wanted to choose something different
today. After completing the first half of the courses and acquiring an understanding about
what kind of warm up exercises worked for me and what didn’t, I decided to supplement my
usual exercises (listening to music) by going to the gym before writing.

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What your writing intention was for this session: After I completed my first portfolio, I wanted
to compose new bits of experimental writing. In particular, I wanted to write poems, dramatic
scripts and prose that would be not quite the same as the past drafts. Furthermore, I would
utilize a similar way to deal with exploratory writing as the last time: right off the bat,
compose a draft, at that point, the following day change it and submit it. It worked for me in
my past drafts and I needed to do a similar technique onwards starting now and in the
foreseeable future.

What you ended up writing: I ended up writing the first version of my second poem (1 st
draft). I always enjoyed the idea of an abstract piece of poem, revolving around life and
youth. After relieving myself with some workout, I felt extremely relaxed, which helped me to
navigate my mind to develop new ideas.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: After everything that I had achieved, I
already had a general and fundamental idea regarding my experimental writing aptitudes
and what works for me and not. In my case, I needed to try different things with my
experimental writing process so as to improve my composing abilities, discipline and to
discover what else can and can't work for me during my creative process. In particular, I did
physical activities, working out and running, before starting my writing. I was affected to do
so by knowing about Haruki Murakami and his creative process, where he stated that he
would run outside for a certain measure of time toward the beginning of the day prior to his
composing meeting. Furthermore, the professor revealed to us that physical activities help
the mind to concentrate on experimental writing. I chose to test this method myself since I
felt this can work for me also. At long last, I saw that this ceremonial assists with setting up
my psyche for experimental writing. Additionally, working out helped me to dispose of all
terrible and negative contemplations that I aggregated during the day. I had the opportunity
to sit and compose my thoughts onto the paper. Nothing was diverting me by then. I need

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to proceed with this custom as frequently as could reasonably be expected. Indeed, this can
demonstrate hard given tests and tasks that I would have during the remainder of the
semester. Be that as it may, I can believe this to be a test that I would need to survive.
Numerous imaginative scholars during introductions had their difficulties and
disappointments. A considerable lot of them had the option to conquer them. I ought to do
likewise. Regardless of whether, it would concern my composing aptitudes or my innovative
procedure. At the point when I began composing my new poem, I saw that I needed
inspiration for that. I returned to my collection of books and began scratching through a
couple of pages from them. At last, I found a book by a Vietnamese writer Zelda called "From
the End of The World '', which follows the main character Nam with an "ordinary" to
exhausting life. I was promptly persuaded with the character's perspective, while he sees
things coming up as a lot for him to take a hold of, and he felt lost in the jam-packed city. I
am open to composing poems, yet in addition it is something that I enjoy doing and this
procedure moves me to keep finding new composing methods and styles to improve my
composition. I think that it’s an impactful and drastic improvement from knowing nothing
about poems like I used to be.

15th entry

Date, time, place: 20th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 1-hour writing.

Warm up exercise(s): Firstly, I went working out in the afternoon and, then, I listened to the
music for 10 minutes. Afterwards, I started writing.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to complete this week’s genre
focused exercise. I also wanted to edit and finish my first draft of the second prose that I
stated yesterday. Lastly, I wanted to start my second critique.

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What you ended up writing: I ended up finishing the exercise and finishing editing my 2 nd
poem (2nd draft). Also, I finished writing my 2 nd critique. For my 2nd critique, I chose Tony
Kushner’s drama “Angels in America”

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: At the point when I began editing my
poem, I saw that despite the fact that my poem was abstract, I felt that it was still somewhat
ambiguous. I revised grammatical mistakes and a few words and expressions that didn't work
for this specific poem, additionally I attempted to rearrange my wording. Be that as it may, I
left the style and line structure unchanged. I needed to know assessments of others from my
group. In particular, I would not like to cut sentences or words immediately. Here and there, I
can alter words, expressions and thoughts that I considered pointless yet others see them as
basic to a given poem, writing or dramatization. As I would like to think, this would incredibly
add to my creative process later on. I saw that the second poem was way more simple to
compose that at this point, I knew about numerous artists and their poems and what
propelled them to compose (ex: Rupi Kaur). Along these lines, it was easier to start, write and
alter the poem. I feel better doing it now and in the foreseeable future. For Tony Kushner’s
drama, I found it very intriguing that the writer was able to describe such extraordinary
events in his writing. The stage directions really helped construct a vivid image in my head. It
is apparent that all the characters in this story are struggling with their sexuality and with
what’s socially accepted as right and wrong. Prior’s encounters with the angel can be seen as
a difficult battle that ends with acceptance and joy; as depicted when the room lit up with
very bright and numerous colors after Prior experiences an overwhelming joyous sexual
feeling.

By doing the Betty Plum exercise, By doing this, I have finally discovered all the dynamics
between my characters in my play. I can definitely see that by doing the exercise below, the
relationships between the characters in my story has been extended, as I have also

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discovered some of the small details that I thought about, but never actually implied in my
drafts. The exercise also helped me add depth to my draft, as it answers all the questions that
the readers are left unclear. For instance, through this exercise I realized that I never
mentioned how the character Albert views Kento more than just a subordinate, but a son. By
doing this, it is an explanation for Albert’s comforting words and advice to Kento. Also, for
the old man to give Kento advice, it’s because not only he is trying to be nice and continue
the conversation, he also finds resemblance between Albert and his son as well. I also added
a little bit more interaction between the two characters, for example: Kento trying to make
jokes showing but still addressing Albert as “sir” shows that although Kento has a lot of
respect to Albert, they are not distanced by any means as Kento is close enough to make a
joke with Albert in the middle of a business trip (and in front of his boss). Doing this also
makes me acknowledge that I should add more details and interaction between the
characters, so that my drama piece will turn out more concise and comprehended. Overall,
this is a beneficial exercise that helped me figure out more details on my drama.

Week 8

16th entry

Date, time, place: 22th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): I listened to the music for 10 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to write my third critique and start
my 2nd drama (1st draft). I also wanted to finish this week’s genre focused exercise “Show,
Don’t Tell”.

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What you ended up writing: Firstly, I finished the exercise. I ended up writing a critique on
Emily Dickinson's poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death ” and finished my 2nd dramatic
scene (1st draft).

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: By far, the method put into practice is the
most eye-opening experience for me! I tried out the method “Show, don’t tell”, which
basically implied that actions are more vital than words. Instead of just listing things out,
giving a full description as well as developing a whole story based on the characters’
emotions and actions would be functional for readers to approach to the story by better
means.

For the draft, to begin with, I was recommended to read “ A Litre of Tears'' by Aya Kito. I am
no more peculiar to Aya's procedure of composing, since her composing rotates around
monologues and her particular work is a journal itself. I was totally moved by the story that
Aya brought to the table, since this work is her first and only work. The story is her diary,
disclosing to her own account of battling with a degenerative ailment from a youthful age.
She put life and demise onto scales, she attempted to hypnotize each and every part of her
emotions and occasions around her; for which had moved me to compose this dramatic
content about a young lady conversing with her mom about existence and passing when
demise is close to her. For this, I have at long last had the option to reason that a portion of
my best wellsprings of motivation for me was books, music and motion pictures. Despite the
fact that Aya's book is certainly a prose, nonetheless, I additionally saw the film version. I
could associate with the film and saw it as an extraordinary wellspring of motivation for this
dramatic scene. Since the film rendition is the nearest to a drama, I found that by passing on
the message simply through exchanges, in the event that I figure out how to succeed, the
work will get both brief and moving simultaneously. The film was fruitful in concentrating on
exchanges so as to recount the story, so that is the thing that I attempted to accomplish for

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my first draft of my second dramatic script. For Emily’s work, the poem is well written and
enlightening to read as a novice to poetry. I thought Emily Dickenson’s gothic poem used a
deliberate amount of rhyming, alliteration, and rhythm. I can assume she used these literary
devices to evoke emotion and bring attention to her words.

17th entry

Date, time, place: 26th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 1 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): I listened to music for 10 minutes before the start of my creative writing
session. What your writing intention was for this session: For today’s session I intend to edit
my drama before submitting it.

What you ended up writing: I edited my 2nd drama (1st draft) before submitting it.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: As I expressed ordinarily previously,
altering you drafts before accommodation can address numerous errors (for instance:
grammatical, vocabulary, characterization, plot, etc.). In any case, despite everything,
individuals will discover mistakes in all drafts, and it doesn't make a difference how frequently
you corrected them. By and by, each time when I reread my drafts, I found new errors and
something that I didn't care for. Despite the fact that I reread a significant number of these
drafts previously, the following day I noticed things in my exploratory writing that I didn't pay
attention to previously. I began utilizing different word references to address my errors (ex:
Oxford dictionary) and on the grounds that I think they give amazing clarifications to elective
words, equivalent words, state development and rectification of syntactic mix-ups. Moreover,
English is my second language, in this way, and to make it work I need to make an
interpretation from Vietnamese to English. Nonetheless, sometimes in one language it bodes

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well, when in another it doesn't. Along these lines, I need to remember that while doing my
creative writings.

Week 9

18th entry

Date, time, place: 27th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 1 hours at home.

Warm up exercise(s): Today, I worked out for 30 minutes, then, I listened 10 minutes to the
music and began writing.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to write my 3 rd prose (1st draft).
Also I wanted to write a critique.

What you ended up writing: I wrote a draft of the prose. As usual, I stopped writing after
finishing it and I will edit it the next day. I also focused most of my time on my critique
component of the week. For this week, I chose the drama excerpt ‘Blackbird’ from Susan Lori-
Parks’s “365 Days/365 Plays”

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: This prose was one of the most “random”
prose that I have written throughout this course, since I was especially inspired by reading
some fan-fictions on Archive Of Your Own. I knew that I had already written enough first
drafts for this class, however I still wanted to finish this draft. I wanted to write something that
I had never tried before – a fiction and a love story. I scrolled through some of my Harry
Potter books and thought that I wanted my short prose to be fiction-based. However, in the
meantime I read documents about witches being exterminated during the 18 th century, so I
tried to develop a love story between a witch and his bodyguard. I found this draft was one

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of the most peculiar ones for me to have written, however, I enjoyed its absurdity as I can
now conclude that writing a prose is easier for me now that I have already known how to
develop a story effortlessly. For Suzan’s play, what I enjoyed from the dramatic
scene Blackbird by Susan Lori-Parks, is the way the dialogues were written. At first, I thought
the writer made a mistake in spelling "Go ahead" as "Go head", but then, after reading the
rest of the story, I realized that she misspelled certain words on purpose. I guess it is to give
the characters a slur or an accent. By giving them specific ways of speaking, Parks managed
to give the characters distinct voices and to make them feel more real and alive, as they seem
to come from a specific place. Otherwise, I wasn’t invested in the story that much because I
didn’t really care about what would happen next.

19th entry

Date, time, place: 28th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around an hour writing.

Warm up exercise(s): Firstly, I went working out in the afternoon and, then, I listened to the
music for 10 minutes. Afterwards, I started writing.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to edit and finish my first draft of
the third prose that I stated yesterday.

What you ended up writing: I ended up editing my 2nd Prose (1st draft).

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: Given that I am not comfortable with
writing prose, this draft was explicitly made only for me to test my writing capacity. I
recognized that I was doing an additional piece, yet I felt that it was something that would be
valuable for me. At the point when I began altering my prose, I saw that there were mistakes

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that I recently missed. In particular, a portion of my discourse was excessively long. I put
substantially more data that it was required. Quickly, I amended this. Besides, I made some
grammatical mistakes that I didn't see previously and a few expressions didn't sound good to
me. I adjusted those errors and I saw that my draft turned out to be a lot simpler to peruse.
Likewise, I noticed that writing my third prose was simpler to make than the first and second
one. In particular, I maintained a strategic distance from numerous missteps that I did in the
past draft: not giving enough data to the readers about what's going on in the story, not
skirting significant parts during the account and the third story is more liquid and simpler to
peruse than the first one. I unquestionably saw an improvement in my writing aptitudes. I had
the option to compose a superior story in any case, additionally, I did it and altered it
considerably more productively and quicker. My writing aptitudes are improving and I don't
rehash a considerable lot of my past slip-ups (ex: linguistic, style, story, portrayal and so on.).
In the wake of doing the scrutinize of the prose I had the option to remove a great deal of
significant data that would permit me to improve my experimental writing in the evaluate
area yet it is essential to make reference to some particular point. In particular, I don't care
for the absence of portrayal in stories yet this was where this writing procedure wasn't vital in
light of the fact that the focal point of the story was the account and not characters.
Characters assumed just a strong job that assisted with propelling the plot. This is something
to remember when writing stories in light of the fact that occasionally a lot of portrayal will
give pointless data to readers. Naturally, I realized that yet doing a conventional evaluate
permitted me to verbalize and comprehend this way to deal with experimental writing.
Previously, I recently realized that this procedure can exist and that is it yet not how to
produce it on the paper.

Week 10

20th entry

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Date, time, place: 30th June 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 2 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 10 minutes. I

decided not to go swimming because I felt that it would distract me from my creative writing.

What your writing intention was for this session: I expected to make a second draft of my
second drama "Heaven". I got some feedback from my colleagues during the last class. They
called attention to numerous things that could be improved in my second drama. After I
pondered their sentiments and got great guidance in past classes that could assist me with
developing characters and scenes considerably more (ex: “levels of articulation”, “dramatic
structure: how does a scene ‘work’, etc.). I needed to utilize the gained information to better
my drama. That was the primary objective for this meeting. I also wanted to write my fifth
critique.

What you ended up writing: I modified my dramatic scene. I felt that for this particular type of
dramatic script which revolves around the characters’ dialogues, giving too much information
may not be necessary. However, I received some feedback saying that my script lacked detail,
and they would enjoy more details being given in the script. I fixed that by adding more
context to my script. I also fixed some grammatical mistakes that I accidentally made, and
also replaced some words that I found unnecessary. For my fifth critique, I chose Ernest
Hemingway’s prose "Hills like White Elephants".

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: This revision was critical for my creative
procedure since I made a significant adjustment in my way to deal with dramatic scene
composing. In particular, I saw that in my dramas I make discourses that are not exceptionally
illustrative of individuals who are talking since individuals infrequently talk in a syntactically
right manner and the manner in which a kid talks is totally different from grown-up's

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discourse. In my second drama I missed this significant advance and I didn't speak to my
characters in an authentic manner to readers. I have to improve my exchanges. In fact, I
began taking a gander at YouTube recordings, playing back in my brain the genuine
discourse of individuals among themselves, and not a linguistically right method of
composing it. I have to get more acquainted with this methodology since it improves
dramatic scenes a ton. This isn't a piece of my usual range of familiarity however I expect to
improve this powerless point by tuning in and recalling how individuals really talk between
themselves. One thing that truly encourages me is to be in broad daylight places and tune in
to individuals' discourse. This is the most ideal approach to discover a wellspring of
motivation for drama and exchanges in them in light of the fact that rethinking a genuine
discourse between people can be considerably more testing then we accept. By and by, I
don't do that productively. Be that as it may, I expect to improve it after some time. Likewise,
I saw that occasionally I don't give adequate data to readers (Ex: settings, character's
experience, and so on.). In my mind I realize that yet I neglect to write this data down in
proper spots. Also, the gathering's input assisted with pinpointing this disappointment and I
expect to enhance it later on. Be that as it may, now I locate that some composing abilities
require time and tolerance. The best way to improve is to continue composing, alter, tune in
to input, create composing procedure and style and take suitable courses if essential. On the
other hand, “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway was definitely an interesting
read. What caught my attention right away, was that the author didn’t name his characters.
Since it seems that Ernest Hemingway is mindful of everything he writes, as he explains in his
theory of the iceberg, I assume that he knew the character’s names, but decided to keep
them secret from the reader. Therefore, it makes the piece intriguing because it establishes a
peculiar mysteriousness behind the story. I think the fact that he decided to keep the
backstory of the characters a secret, is a very clever way to keep the reader engaged and
captivated. 

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21st entry

Date, time, place: 3rd July 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 1.5 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 5 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to take a final look at my draft
before submission and correct any mistakes that were present in it. I also wanted to finish my
genre focused exercise for this week.

What you ended up writing: This time I wrote very little. For the most part, this consisted of
changing hardly any words and making shorter sentences. I felt that my draft didn't require
any extra alterations.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: By “roleplaying” as the character to write a
monologue on, I realized how effective the procedure was to actually understand the
character and give out necessary dialogues. Characters should only speak for a reason. A
reason that you, the writer, should be very aware of. Speech should have a purpose: even if
this is not explicit to the reader or the audience. You need to know what the goal or objective
of your character is: even if the character doesn’t know it him or herself. A monologue should
be earned, justified, caused - otherwise it can be boring. Let it be a relief, a purgation, or a
reward for the audience or the character to finally have the information in the speech spoken
out loud or the realization arrived at. Be specific is compulsory. Who is this person speaking
to - God, herself, the audience, an absent friend? We shouldn’t confuse the readers.

I didn't do any significant alterations of my dramatic scenes, I believed that little adjustments
(ex: transforming single word by another, causing shorter sentences) to can have an immense
effect in how the drama scene is introduced to readers.

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Week 11

22nd entry

Date, time, place: 8th July

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 30 minutes

and then proceeding to creative writing.

What your writing intention was for this session: At this point in my creative writing process I
acquired experience skills, abilities and enough feedback information on my strong and weak
points in my creative process. I intended to use the last days of this semester to edit and
perfect final drafts for my portfolio as much as possible. Today I wanted to finish the 2nd
revision of my 2nd prose – “Three Wishes”. Also I wanted to write my last critique.

What you ended up writing: I received very good feedback from peers and my teacher. I
intended to bring everything together and make one final draft, as good as possible. I
improved my stories based on the critique that I received. For my last critique, I chose
Stephanie Bolster's poem "Many Have Written About Blackberries".

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: Feedback caused me to immensely
recognize powerless focuses in my composition of proses. Initially, I don't keep the structure
of tenses uniform and legitimate. English isn't my first language, in this way, when I do
creative writing I will in general make an interpretation of Vietnamese words into English and
direct interpretations, some of the time, doesn't work. What bodes well in one language
doesn't really bodes well in other one. This is unquestionably, one of the focuses in my
innovative procedure that I ought to improve in light of the fact that even with criticism from

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the educator and friends, I am still not happy with proper use of tenses when composing
proses. In any case, I need to improve it over time. Likewise, I realize that I should adhere to
the past or current state when composing stories. Besides, the measure of subtleties is
somethings else that must be fixed in my accounts. In particular, I have to give just subtleties
that are expected to propel the plot and don't overpower readers with pointless ones (ex:
giving out more insights concerning the characters). I will keep the above subtleties in my
brain when composing during my creative process. This week was an eye-opener for me. For
Stephanie’s poem, I loved all the detail and depth analysis of something so small. I found
each word led me to more anticipation about the meaning of the poem and what I would
take away from it. The wording used was easy to understand, and I found myself being able
to easily visualize each word and therefore it brought me on a journey. Although after several
re-reads, I find it difficult to take away much deeper meaning to the poem, but it was a great
experience reading this poem, as it became the most visual experience for me.

23rd entry

Date, time, place: 14th July 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 1 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 10 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: Today, I looked back to the whole section
that covered the prose in details during the entire course (ex: plotting, world building,
suspense, resolution etc.) I wanted to extract however much data as could be expected to
change and apply writing in my own works. Additionally, if any issues are available with the
plotting in my accounts, I needed to address them for my last portfolio. Before the end of the
meeting I needed to complete my second draft of the second prose and my third draft of the
first prose. I also wanted to finish this week’s genre focused exercise.

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What you ended up writing: At the end of the process, my works contained every single
fundamental component. I adjusted barely any linguistic missteps and changed a few
expressions, altered exchanges and included evacuated subtleties that were important or not
for the headway of the plot. I completed the two proses and I also finished this week’s genre
focused exercise.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: For this session, I needed to ensure I was
on point with all strategies of story structures and that I know most significant instruments,
composing style and procedures that add to a connecting with and fascinating story. So to
accomplish that, I returned to all of my notes, gathering feedback and all records that were
given by the instructor to ENGL 224. In particular, I utilized connections, for example, "Story -
a presentation", "Story composing exercise", “Show, don't tell – an activity in style", "Plotting",
"Plotting – 3 components and a few choices" and so on. Towards the start of the course I
attempted to compose something than right now I utilize all assets at the maximum capacity
to improve my drafts, inventive procedure and altering strategies. Now, proses that I have
composed have every one of the 3 fundamental regions that characterize stories: the
"Starting", the presentation of characters, time and place and an occasion that presents
change, "Center", the presentation of contention and how characters respond to it, and
"End", the goal of the contention. My stories have a very much characterized plot with
inversion, peak and goal. The most significant things to enhance are the way and measure of
subtleties that I put in the story (ex: portrayal, depiction of the setting, character's activities
and so on.) to make the story and characters drawing into readers. I need my prose to be
esteemed by readers. Now, I feel that I obtained every single fundamental aptitude to
compose stories and I need more practice to consummate them.

On the other hand, doing the exercise makes me realize that it was is compulsory to remove
unnecessary words. I can improve my poem just by cutting out a few lines since certain words

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were unnecessary and they didn't fill any need in the poem. I chose to cut and still have a
fitting poem. Likewise, I was roused to do as such after in class practices about altering when
we talked about that the primary thing that should be possible when altering a draft is to cut
a few words in the start of the draft and, at that point, different words in the remainder of the
draft.

Week 12

24th entry

Date, time, place: 22nd July 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of working out for 40 minutes and,
then, listening to music for 10 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: After acquiring enough understanding and
knowledge about poetry writing, I wanted to finish the 3rd draft of my 1st poem and correct
and make a plan to improve poetry writing, in the future. I also wanted to finish this week’s
genre focused exercise on characteristics.

What you ended up writing: I ended up finishing my final poetry drafts. Feedback from my
group and the teacher helped me to correct mistakes that I previously made during my
creative writing. I also completed the exercise.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: Usage of characteristics has been
something that I had never actually taken notice of, however, after when I tried it, I was
completely convinced that this is one of the ways to elevate my writing, my characters to be
exact. For example, even with just a little bit touch on Jamie’s personality, I myself can see

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more of Jamie as a pessimist – which was something that I never mentioned on my first two
drafts. By adding more characteristics to my character, I feel that they have been more
realistic and closer to how a human would react.

In my first poem I cut a few lines since certain words were unnecessary and they didn't fill any
need in the poem. I chose to cut and still have a fitting poem. Likewise, I was roused to do as
such after in class practices about altering when we talked about that the primary thing that
should be possible when altering a draft is to cut a few words in the start of the draft and, at
that point, different words in the remainder of the draft. Besides, there were redundancies of
similar words in the poem and I needed to slice it to the base and leave lines in the verse that
are genuinely captivating to readers. For me, composing a verse was consistently a major test
since I battle to compose a fitting rhyme and produce forceful feelings in readers. Online
assets that were given by the educator helped a great deal. In particular, models that
demonstrated mood, scansion and free section assisted with understanding the artistic
development of poems and various sorts of them. Use of these records assisted with building
up my experimental writing and improved my comprehension of verse. In any case, I have
shortcomings yet I will improve on them. I need to ace verse composing however much as
could be expected, particularly, on the off chance that I have such a significant number of
assets to do as such. Starting now and into the foreseeable future, I know my shortcomings
and what I should take a shot at. Feedbacks, poetry writing exercises in class and writing
drafts helped a lot. I am looking forward to continuing to improve my poetry writing.

25th entry

Date, time, place: 29th July 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around 3 hours writing.

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Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 10 minutes
and I felt the urge to write the remainder of my drafts.

What your writing intention was for this session: Firstly, I wanted to finish the 3 rd draft of my
1stdrama. Secondly, I wanted to go through all the drama writing techniques that we learned,
feedback (about my drafts) that I received and documents about poetry on the course
syllabus. Just like with the last drafts of poem and prose, I wanted to combine everything that
I learned during this course and make the final creative piece of writing of the poem with as
many mistakes as possible. It was my final integration of acquired knowledge and skills into
the creative writing process, for this course.

What you ended up writing: I finished the last draft for this course and I wrapped up my
knowledge about dramas that I acquired during the entire course.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: Now that the course has been ending, I
have all information and assets that I have to compose dramatic scenes. At the point when I
was rehashing every one of my drafts, feedbacks and assets that were given by the educator I
made decisions about my inventive procedure and my methodology towards dramatic
scenes. Archive on "Character Development" was informational in light of the fact that it gave
14 significant focuses that must be viewed as when making characters. It is an excellent
format for character creation and I printed and put close to my composing work area. At the
point when I need any assistance with it, I have the most significant asset, in every case close
within reach. In any case, "Distinguishing the creature that a character 'is'" didn't help me that
much since I don't prefer to compose dramas where a character is a creature. I don't feel that
I can channel my inventiveness into such bits of composing. All things considered, I read this
archive on the grounds that later on it very well may be useful. From my experience the
exploratory writing is a continually including process. Something that you are bad today can
be an inverse in hardly any years or pretty much. "Notes on discourse" was basic for my

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dramas and innovative procedure in light of the fact that the language in dramatic scenes
assumes a significant job. Also, we need to pick words cautiously to make such scenes
connect with readers. Personally, the most important parts from this document were “cut it to
the bone”, “characters should only speak for a reason” and “linguistic devices”. Those are
points that I returned over and over when composing dramas or evaluating my drafts

Week 13

26th entry

Date, time, place: 6th August 2020, home.

Amount of time spent writing: I spent around an hour writing.

Warm up exercise(s): My warm up exercises consisted of listening to music for 10 minutes.

What your writing intention was for this session: I wanted to complete my genre focused
exercise on Don DeLillo technique

What you ended up writing: I finished the exercise.

Intentions, decisions, realizations that came to you during this writing session, either about
this piece of writing, or your own creative process: This method was something that I never
actually thought of, and to my surprise, it worked. Don DeLillo’s technique was basically
separating questions out, and focused on one in order to remove unnecessary words. This
method helped me a lot in order to make my drafts more concise, as for my own drafts I
have removed unnecessary words but still could keep the work’s full conveyance of message.

Total number of words: 6782

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Process Record Summaries
Please include both of your process record summaries below.

First 6 lessons of the course

For the first six weeks of the course, I can say that I have acquired a lot of useful tips and
experience for my creative writing process, and also got an idea of how to improve it. From
the guides in the class, I was able to form warm-up exercises which are suitable for me in
order to freshen up myself for the creative process. I found out that they were really helpful,
and it was an eye-opener for me as I have never thought of that idea before. I was also
taught about other warm-up techniques that the teachers chose for us. As a result, this
helped me to try out different techniques, so that I could find out which ones work for me
and which ones don’t. I could take use of some techniques shown during in-class lectures,
however, I feel way better by using the ones that I figured out myself. With the help of them, I
was able to further develop approaches towards writing of drafts in the genres: poems, pose
and dramatic scene. I am not afraid of them like I used to be anymore, thanks to the
knowledge that I acquired in class.

To be specific, I learnt about techniques that help me write and improve my writing. I found
inspiration a crucial source of creativity, especially music and books. I also found that
feedback and others’ works were great sources for me to improve my writing. So, I started to
develop my personal manifesto and reflection based on seven factors that I assumed to be in
use for myself, which is what we were instructed to do. And I found the section extremely
helpful. Making a manifesto allowed me to think about my own creative process, set my own
goals and then outline as well as explain them clearly. This assisted me in reflecting on
different approaches that I never took notice of, for example, looking back at failures and
finding out what the problem was. Refusal to accept and look back at the problems will lead
to failure. Thus, I felt this would be beneficial for success and evolution. Another new strategy
that I was introduced to was to be time-efficient, as I started to design a timetable dedicated

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for the “rituals” and for the writing process itself. I also found out that unorganized study,
unresponsive attitude to constructive ideas and criticisms will lead to lack of improvement.
That’s why I valued every critique I received from my group members, as well as I enjoyed
sharing ideas and discussing with my peers for continuous improvement of my creative
writing.

I was also introduced to a new experience, to write poems and dramatic scenes. During the
process, I learnt how to build up characters, plots as well as settings for my story. With the
help of warm-up rituals, I was able to set my mind free and find inspiration from different
sources, especially with music. The “ritual” helped my mind shift into creative mode and
allows me to write much more than when it is in normal mode. Furthermore, I learnt that
avoiding the repetition of words is crucial, that in order to not confuse the reader you must
be clear about the subject of the poem, that you should have all the information that is
important at the beginning, and that if you end up unsatisfied, you can try to rearrange
sentences or phrase and change the proportion of your rhymes. I also learnt how to
brainstorm, organize and give my work a structure, for being able to do so you need to
eliminate unnecessary words, lines as well as dialogues that make your work too long and
messy. I also found my peers’ feedback valuable, as I noticed that I should always go back to
my writing as I tend to make grammatical mistakes during the creative writing process. My
peers also showed me that I should not put too many dialogues and forget about the
surroundings of a prose, as too many dialogues will make the story less incorporative. To go
into further detail, in my work I focused too much on dialogues and conversations but failed
to express any emotions or feelings. The scene lacked details and as a result, confused the
readers. Likewise, I found that I should limit the dialogues in one prose, and focus more on
the details of it. And as I noticed, some of my lines in the story are not practical in real life,
which will make it feel less realistic. By that, the story would fail to be realistic, which will drag
the audience away from feeling relatable to the plot. By removing unnecessary and wordy
dialogues, it helps the story to feel more realistic, and make it more concise.

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I feel that after the first half of the course, my writing skills as well as creative process has
evolved drastically, compared to just a few weeks ago where I had no clue on where to start
from, thus dreaded trying out new genres of writing. However, there will always be room for
improvement. Creativity should never be stagnant, it requires consistency. In the future, I will
still continue and modify my creativity process, as I am aware that if I stopped writing now
things would simply go back to a zero, and that I still have a lot to learn and improve.

Number of words = 901

Second half – seven lessons of course

For this semester, I learned, improved and procured aptitudes and capacities that permit me
to compose, alter and scrutinize dramatic scenes, poems and proses. Right off the bat, the
feedback from my colleagues and educator, introductions on imaginative works or their
writers, in class practices and required readings permitted me to get, create and improve my
own innovative procedure after some time. In particular, authors, for example, Haruki
Murakami, and numerous others impacted my way to deal with composing. This appeared as
warm up works out (ex: working out and listening to music), structure of composed pieces
(ex: removing unnecessary words, altering my phrases, and so on.). Online assets, appeared
by the instructor permitted me to analyze and choose ones that permitted me to start my
creative process and correct various disappointments and shortcomings in my drafts or in my
procedure. In particular, archives, for example, "Meter, musicality and scansion", "Altering
verse", "Free stanza - a few opportunities for designing", "Plotting - 3 components and a few
alternatives", "7 WHs", "character advancement" and so forth were instrumental in
discovering motivation to keep composing and altering my drafts. Likewise, they fill in as a
system for composing proses, dramatic scenes and verse. Subsequently, I can generally
return to them in the event that I need direction. Further advancement of individual
declaration and eight variables of inventiveness permitted to ponder my quality and

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shortcomings. This permitted me to distinguish where I am toward the finish of the course
and which are the materials that I should use to address my disappointments, achievement
and guarantee a steady improvement of my composing aptitudes. In the start of the
semester I began composing, in the center I dealt with consummating and altering my
innovative procedure and now is to guarantee a procedure with progress of my aptitudes.
Planning normal writing habit (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), being open to analysis and
feedback from individuals around on my drafts, impression of disappointments and triumphs,
in class works out, reconciliation of obtained information, abilities and composing strategies
into my drafts and consistent adherence to individual statement were helpful for my inventive
procedure. Be that as it may, being overpowered by negative feelings (ex: negative
feedback), refusal to alter my drafts, create, retain and coordinate new composing strategies
into my own style of experimental writing, absence of progress and adherence to a
structured composing timetable and declaration is extremely grievous for my imaginative
procedure.

Toward the finish of the ENGL224 course, I built up my own establishment and system for
composing dramatic scenes, proses, verse and persistently improving my composition. This
course gave me a great deal of assets, instances of exploratory writing and scholars and
feedback on my own composition. I feel that I have everything that I need to go all alone
starting now and into the foreseeable future. In any case, despite everything, I have a ton to
enhance (ex: my English language grammar and spelling, dialogues, details and description
that are suitable and are fitting to a particular inventive bit of composing). I shouldn't stop on
what I accomplished, rather, I will probably coordinate the obtained information from this
course into ensuing courses and keep taking a shot at my disappointments and frail point in
experimental writing. At present, I have everything to achieve this objective.

Number of words: 550

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Critiques
6th Critique 2nd Drama – “Blackbird” by Susan Lori-Parks’s
The excerpt ‘Blackbird’ from Susan Lori-Parks’s “365 Days/365 Plays” was short and sweet as I
really enjoyed and I appreciated the humor. The scene is clearly a conversation between two
individuals and you can imagine how this would be created on stage. I also liked how they
incorporated slang, slurs, and accent into the dialogue. The way the writer spelled some of
the words, for example, “Yr” instead of “your”, puts emphasis on the accent these characters
are meant to have. What I enjoyed from the dramatic scene is the way the dialogues were
written. At first, I thought the writer made a mistake in spelling "Go ahead" as "Go head", but
then, after reading the rest of the story, I realized that she misspelled certain words on
purpose. I guess it is to give the characters a slur or accent.

By giving them specific ways of speaking, Parks managed to give the characters distinct
voices and to make them feel more real and alive, as they seem to come from a specific
place. Otherwise, I wasn’t invested in the story that much because I didn’t really care about
what would happen next. Although it was short and brief, I found that to be the most
interesting part of it all. You do not know much about what is going on, who these people
are, or what their relationship is but that was left up to the reader's interpretation. I really
enjoyed the portrayal of the woman in this scene. It was very empowering to read. I think that
when you think about poetry, you usually think it has a lot to do with love, that's what I have
always thought at least. In this scene it was a woman concerned with herself and putting the
man second. I really liked the conversation and wording used, because it let me imagine the
tone being used a lot easier.

I thought the style of speech makes a judicious choice to understand the context of this
dialogue and the reason behind the plot. The simplicity of the stage direction was just
enough to visualize the scene. However, although I understand this style of short
play/dramatic scene and I appreciated it, I didn't feel very engaged. Perhaps simply because

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of the short length of the scene, but also because I prefer, as a personal choice, more insight
on the characters and their emotions, which in that scene you kind of have to make them up
yourself. Overall, I believe this is a style that I enjoy reading a lot!
Number of words = 426

5th Critique 2nd Poem - "Many Have Written About Blackberries" by Stephanie Bolster's
Stephanie Bolster's poem "Many Have Written About Blackberries" demonstrates the Russian
Doll nature of descriptive writing - there is always more, more, more, and even the smallest
unit can be opened and more can be found within. I find that the statement of "Many Have
Written About Blackberries" is a testament to how much could be said about them, and
about anything, for that matter. It counts on the senses to make the reader experience the
blackberry even if that person does not have the fruit in front of them. This thorough
description of the shape, smell, feel and taste of a blackberry is related to common
experiences that humans usually have been through to further explain the fruit. I like how the
metaphors are so relatable and simple which signifies that you do not have to use necessarily
strong vocabulary to write something beautiful.

My take on this poem is that there are no limits to perspectives, and that there is an infinite
amount of things to be said about any one thing or thought, and that in over-analyzing the
seemingly trivial, one can always draw out an observation or revelation that carries meaning.
The blackberry is a good example of such a seemingly trivial thing. This poem is delightful. It
embodies something that I love about poetry, which is to look at the world in ways we
normally don't spend the time doing. Look at this thicket of blackberries and what do you
see? Stephanie Bolster shows us a magical world, both microscopically and sweepingly,
where little green worms hide, mice don blackberry caps and another's grabbing hands may
be found deep in the thorny thicket. Her poem marries fragility to brutality, and reminds that
danger lurks side by side with wonder and beauty.

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An example of such is the enjambment present throughout most of the poem, where the
sentences will run off from one line to the next. Another useful element of this poem is the
use of similes throughout. Bolster is able to compare the certain parts of a blackberry to a
bruise, and also to a "fragile world". It is fascinating to see how complicated one can break
down the parts of a blackberry, showing how everything in life is far more complicated and
intricate if we take the time to analyze it. I loved all the detail and depth analysis of
something so small. I found each word led me to more anticipation about the meaning of the
poem and what I would take away from it. The wording used was easy to understand, and I
found myself being able to easily visualize each word and therefore it brought me on a
journey. Although after several re-reads, I find it difficult to take away much deeper meaning
to the poem, but it was a great experience reading this poem, as it became the most visual
experience for me.

Number of words = 484

4th Critique 2nd Prose - "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway’s prose "Hills like White Elephants" was a fascinating and compelling story
to read. I enjoyed the simplicity of his text. The minimal yet efficient descriptions made it easy
to picture the scene, which is what engaged me in the story in the first place. Then, it was the
lingering; the characters are circling around a subject, and the interaction between them is
just a vicious circle of dialogue questioning whether or not the girl should do something but
without ever mentioning what it is exactly. It came to a point where I just wanted them to do
the thing they seem to dread with impatience, which never happened. You can feel their
tension and their hopelessness in a kind of last resort way. I found it so frustrating to reach
the end of the story still not knowing what they were really up to, because it became pretty
evident that they have a close bond, no matter the nature of the relationship, but the plot
never made itself clear. They are waiting for something, and as the reader we are waiting with

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them. This kind of suspense kept me engaged all the way through the end which I
appreciated, but I would've liked a resolution in the end. Although, maybe it wouldn't have
resonated with me as much as having that curiosity lingering beyond reading the story itself. 

I also am a fan of Hemingway's distinct characterization of the two characters. I think the
segment where they debate whether to try the Anis del Toro serves as a simple, but an
excellent demonstration of the relationship between the two characters. The girl is reluctant
to try things unless the American man is fully on board. The girl's uncertainty is consistent
throughout the story, just as much as the man's confidence is consistent. I think it was
interesting how Hemingway highlighted from the very beginning that the man was American.
As a Canadian, I thought it was an especially cheeky trait to point out. From my interactions
with Americans, I've found them to be overly confident of their own abilities and self-assured
in many situations. Although these are admirable traits, sometimes it comes off as arrogance.
I think the line "We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before" reflects this trait best. The
girl is attempting to express her cynicism, and the man immediately dismisses her 

One thing I feel like Hemingway could have improved upon in this story was naming the
characters from the beginning. Throughout the story, I had to re-read the lines to figure out
who was speaking. (As this was the case, perhaps my interpretation of the story may have
been the complete opposite of what the author had initially intended). Moreover, their names
could reveal another layer to their relationship with the city they are in. The girl's name could
reveal whether she is a native to the land or a foreigner. 

Number of words = 489

3rd Critique 1st Drama – “Angels In America” by Tony Kushner

Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” excerpt was really interesting to read because it was very
clearly meant to be acted out on stage. I was taken by surprise by the amount of description

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Tony Kushner puts into his lines. Most plays I've read have kept the dialogue delivery up to
the directors and actors, and it's something I've been told to avoid at all costs in the past.
With these characters, however, their mannerisms are vital to who they are, so it came
through successfully.

However, I found the play to be a rather challenging piece of drama to understand. The story
itself had me confused from the get-go, though, so it felt like the people were my anchor to
what was going on. If I had a problem with the storyline, I kept until the end to see how they
would act. There was not much context given so it was difficult to grasp the main idea or
storyline of the scene. I was a bit lost most of the time. I found the scene somewhat
confusing. I was not sure whether or not I had to read between the lines to fully understand
what was happening, which I did in the end and found the story much more insightful and
satisfying. There seems to be a connection between Louis and the prior, whether they are
distinctively representing the two sides of one individual, an individual and its own spirituality,
or just the embodiment of the «rivalry» between religion and homosexuality that roared
during those times in history. Initially, I was very confused regarding the multiple Priors, as
well as the fantasy level interaction going on between the characters. I appreciated the
dialogue between Louis and Joe as it seemed to be the most normal part of the play to
understand on a basic level. The reader was able to see their struggle very intimately, and the
conflict that both characters feel while interacting with each other. There was some language
in the play and terms I didn’t immediately understand such as sodomite, and the use of
multiple Priors but, after looking these words up I had a better understanding. Technically
speaking though, I really enjoyed the very descriptive settings in the scenes. They really
painted the picture in my mind of what it would be like to watch this on stage. In general, the
script was written very well and kept me intrigued. The tension between Louis and Joe was
well-expressed, as I understood they both wanted each other but Louis had troubles giving
in, most probably due to his internalized homophobia. Finally, I feel curious to know what the
Great Work stated at the end really means. 

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I could be misinterpreting this completely but that is how it appeared to me. Tony Kushner’s
play “Angels in America” was utterly confusing. I had a very difficult time understanding
everything that was happening throughout the play. If you (the teacher) can potentially post
an explanation of this, I believe it would give all of the students who weren’t quite sure of
what was happening insight. In order to give more insight on the play, the author could have
given more background context about the characters before going into the reading of the
scene. However, I did find that the author did a good job with the dialogue between Joe and
Louis. It showed a realistic relationship between two people and the connection between
them. I think that because the play was so complex, it was difficult to read and to understand.
And I got to be honest, I still don’t fully understand what it was about. I would be interested
in reading further into this play, although I think more context would be needed overall. 

Number of words = 626

2nd Critique 1st Poem – “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” conveys an irregularity and the
spontaneity of death, with a damp melancholy tone. the static in the words and the jagged
phrasing all help convey the feeling and emotion that the author is trying to capture. 

I have little exposure to poetry, most of my exposure to poetry was done in high school. This
poem closely resembles what I know of poetry: has rhymes and has numerous literary
devices (e.g. Alliteration, metaphors, etc.). Death in Emily Dickson's poem is personified as a
man who stops in his carriage for a woman who has died. In her funereal gown, death takes
her on a pensive journey. She glimpses life carrying on (school children play, the sun sets,
fields grow) as it does, while death also carries on in its quiet, unstoppable way, unyielding to
the woman's sadness over leaving. The poem has a clear, strong rhythm in the first stanzas,
but as the poem continues the rhythm slightly unravels, mirroring the character's internal
process of coming to terms, or rather of not coming to terms, as centuries have passed and

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yet it feels as though it was just yesterday that death took her away. I enjoyed the
personification of death in this poem as it helped alleviate the dark subject matter. By
personifying death, it almost felt like death was a familiar friend who was visiting the speaker.
Emily Dickinson's dark and gothic poem used plenty of alliteration, as well as, rhythm and
rhyme. These devices are strong when expressing emotion and putting emphasis on specific
words. After spending some time with it, I have come to understand that it is commentary on
the temporality of life. Death is near and inevitable; our time on earth but a blip in relation to
eternity. The mood of this poem is quite dark; somber; chilling, but somehow feels
motivational at the same time. Also, I love the added Capitalization of certain words as a way
of indicating their Significance. 

That being said, Emily Dickenson's gothic poem felt a little awkward to me upon first read,
perhaps due to the dated language that is used within the poem. I will admit that I had to
look up the definition for a couple of the words used. I initially found it to be a difficult poem
to read. Given the older language used in this poem, I found it more difficult to understand
the meaning of certain lines. The usage of hyphens to act as long pauses helped pace the
poem in a simple way, but I found the language to be hard to understand. I read the poem
all the way through once, then afterwards went back and researched the words I did not
understand the first time. It is certainly a good example of a poem that improves greatly the
more you read it, as I gained more and more from it the more I read it. I found it to be a dark
poem, although it was not overwhelming. It did show the reality of the fact that death is a
part of life that everyone must face, and it should be something that we do not dwell on
Number of words = 537

1st Critique 1st Prose - “The Eight Pre-conditions for Creativity” by Cherry Potter
"The Eight Pre-conditions for Creativity" sets up columns in close to home attitudes that
should be kept up to make a psychological space that best empowers the progression of

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inventiveness. While the conditions themselves may not really remain as new thoughts, it's
the introduction of such thoughts altogether that gives both lucidity and heading to those
unfit to distinguish these elements as briefly for themselves. I saw this perusing as very adroit
and entirely intelligent of my own imaginative procedure. I never considered my own
understanding of composing inventively, however if I somehow happened to summarize it
would intently take after Potter's initial four hints. It feels reflective in nature - huge numbers
of these states are not ones that fall into place easily, yet should be moved in the direction of
so as to in the long run look after them. This equal is particularly present in the states of
Aloneness, Inactivity, Free-thinking and Daydreaming. Notwithstanding, there is a center that
goes with the psychological opportunity being energized. Especially the principal tip,
aloneness, is the key mainstay of my own procedure. Regularly, I am too terrified to even
think about having others see my incomplete work. I frequently have heart palpitations
exactly at the insignificant idea of somebody looking behind me and perusing a deficient
idea. It's a given that to get my musings moving, I must be totally alone.

The critical analysis of one's openness of perspective (Conditions 5 and 7) poses an

interesting balance that must be struck. However, as I read Potter's seventh tip, I initially
disagreed. I believed that there is much more than pain and conflict that binds readers to
characters. There is love, there is happiness that binds us to fiction. However, as I wrote this
response post, I found myself ultimately agreeing with Potter. My favorite works of fiction are
about conflict. When I read a work of fiction that I find mediocre or subpar, I often ask myself,
"where is the conflict?" or "So, what did they overcome?". As the course progresses, I hope to
have Potter's seventh piece of advice reflected in my work. I write sporadically - whenever I'm
in the mood to write. The most important seems to be last for a reason; "Discipline" is the
only condition that must absolutely be met for the fruits of any of one's mental labor to
manifest concretely. It also seems to be the hardest. Ultimately, these conditions are not so
much a checklist to be met, as they are an arsenal of skills to be built upon. Skills take time

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and persistence to refine, and only through honoring the condition of action can any of the
other conditions be met. 

I write sporadically - whenever I'm in the mood to write. As such, I find Potter's eighth tip to
be the most difficult to implement in my own creative process. In instances where I commit
myself to write according to a certain time frame, I often find myself scrapping everything I've
written. The words end up feeling forced. My hope with this course is to instill some form of
discipline without compromising the flow and authenticity in my work. 

Number of words = 539

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