PART A

As a writer, I feel like I have improved my voice and what I, as a writer, want to get out to people. It has taken me a little bit to get my voice figured out but once I did it has been easier to write.

My voice would be explained as sad, but what no one usually likes to have in conversation. I like talking about the raw and real scenarios that are happening in the world right now. My style of writing is usually written in short stories or by free verse poetry. I don’t have a very specific style to my writing but I like having a message to take away from my writing.

My advice to other writers would be to write about what makes you happy and something you are passionate about. I am not very passionate about fantasy writing so I wouldn’t write a fantasy piece. I love writing sad/love stories, so I will write about that. There is no right way to write stories/poetry either. Write what makes you happy and in the style you like. But always you are following grammar and spelling rules.

My goals regarding my writing are to write more poetry. I struggle with writing poetry but I want my voice to be heard. Writing poetry is so beautiful. I feel with practice I will become better with poetry.

PART B

I am very happy with how my blog turned out. I made some major changes with the style of my blog but I am overall very happy about how it looks. I feel like I need to improve on my amount of writing and add more pieces. As of now, I have a few pieces and want to add more pieces of poetry and some short stories.

The student blogs that impress me most were: Cindy’s, Christina’s, Hefseeba’s, Kemi’s, Jed’s, Tolu’s, and Jimmy’s. I thought all of these blogs were done beautifully! (links to their blogs will be at the bottom of this page)

I have yet to check out professional blogs but will definitely try to look at some over the summer!

PART C

The “Aha” moments I have had in this class are too many to count. Every day in class I would try to come home and have some idea of a story that I could write. The ones that I am planning on making it into something is a writing piece I did at the river. And another piece I started writing in math class after I finished a test. Those pieces have left an impact on me. Stay tuned to see those pieces on my blog soon!

As a reader, I have come far. When I say far I mean miles different.  Even at the beginning of the year, I thought reading was pointless. But after I started reading daily and found it helps me think of new stories. Reading also gives me new ideas on differnt formats for writing stories. In April I started reading To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and while reading that my brain clicked and I realized that reading was a lot of fun if you have the right book. In the future, I hope to read the rest of the series The Field Party by Abbi Glines.

My steps to improve as a writer would be to write any ideas I have. If an idea pops into my head I will write it down and hopefully get to write a full piece from that breadcrumb.

PART D

My experience with the guests that we had this year has been impactful. From Sam Beaver that we had earlier this year to Jade Bartlett, we had closer to the end of the year. I took a piece of advice or wisdom from all of the guests. They all were impactful with either my actual life or my writing. I thought each of them was all brought into the class for a reason and I benefited from them all in different ways.

My classmates also have helped me a lot with my writing. From grade 12’s within the class commenting on my blogs to my closest friends helping me edit my work so it is to the best capability was very comforting. Having friends in the class was nice. I have a very new found love for reading and writing and having Ms.Hunnistett helping me along the way, being my personal cheerleader was very uplifting. Having people in the class who wanted to see you succeed was the best feeling in the world.

For my writing seminar, we researched Marge Piercy.  I am glad we did he as opposed to anyone else because she is such a strong poet and has a strong voice. I have learned a lot from her and her writing. When writing poetry I always try to make it have a strong message, like Piercy did in her poetry. I have read most of her poems and will try to read more of her poems because they all have important messages embedded in them.

PART E

My two pieces of writing I am most proud of are mine About Me poem and my Boys Will Be Boys poem.

I am Camdyn Faith.

I am a lost soul trying to find my place in this crazy world.

I wonder why I am here and what my purpose in life is.

I hear the thumping of my heart like an hourglass with sand running through the cracks in between my fingers signaling my time here is short.

I see all of the millions of imperfections whenever I catch a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface.

I want to be an inspiration to many, to be somebody that can give hope to little girl and boys. A person that is not just an inspiration but is inspired every day.

I am a lost soul trying to find my place in this crazy world.

I pretend to be the strong friend when really I am crumbling under the pressures of my own life, ready to come crashing down even by the slightest breeze of wind.

I feel like I will never be good enough for society and that I have to constantly change to please everyone.

I touch a journal and spill my words onto it just like I dropped it into a vat of oil.

I worry I will be criticized every day and don’t know why; but I will try to do everything in my power to get everyone to like me, even though I know that I do not have to please everyone– I only have to please myself.

I cry when I have too many emotions bottled up inside of me like ingredients in a witch’s cottage waiting to be brewed into a magical potion.

I am a lost soul trying to find my place in this crazy world.

I understand that I won’t be the ideal person because everyone has a different definition of what is perfect.

I say, “try again” because when fail, it should give me the motivation to keep trying, so I’m constantly improving with every action moving forward.

I dream that one day I will be satisfied by how I left my mark on the world. And that the people that are in my life live with no regrets. That my children and grandchildren will be able to live freely in this world. I dream about so much, I couldn’t possibly put it down on paper.

I try to put on a brave face every day so the people in my life aren’t scared away by the broken girl; I am a tower, precisely pieced together, ready to crash and burn if a piece were fall out of place.

I hope one day my soul can rest–that I will have peace with the world. I hope I am able to make something of myself and will not be just another nobody trying to make it through the harsh and cruel world.

I am a lost soul trying to find my place in this crazy world.

I am Camdyn Faith.

This poem I wrote at the beginning of the year. I wrote this about myself and everything that is going on in this crazy head of mine. Some challenges I had was finding metaphors that hadn’t been used or that weren’t cliques. In the end, I had one of my friends edit this for me and I am very happy with how it turned out. This also shows my writing at the beginning of the year and how it had changed compared to my most recent poem.

 

A boy,

A girl,

Two lives intertwined.

They were just kids

Playing in the park,

Riding bikes,

Not worrying about anything

A boy,

A girl,

Two lives intertwined.

Years have passed but the same souls

Playing,

Teasing,

A skirt has been lifted,

Boys will be boys

But,

Girls will get punished.

A boy,

A girl,

Two lives intertwined.

One same soul, but a broken one is near.

Popularity and pressure,

Playing games but the boy wants more.

Following her to the bathroom, with her innocence intact,

Screams were muffled —

Her innocence was seized,

Leaving one soul broken,

And one-half full.

A girl,

A lonely broken soul,

Tears streaming down her face.

Watching the boy who once was her friend,

Leave with her innocence.

No one believes her because,

Boys will be boys.

 

A boy,

A soul half broken.

Leaving with the first innocence.

He feels good,

Walking the halls with his head held high.

Telling his friends,  getting applause,

Giving a sense of power,

Hungry for more.

 

Nine Months go by,

A mom,

An unwanted child.

She thought it would be okay,

When he was born

Yet every time she looked at him,

Her face would freeze in fear.

It reminded her of a day that she wished away.

 

A man,

A liquor bottle,

Trying to fill the void.

With the whiskey and vodka,

Going out at night not changing his ways

He has fewer notches in his belt than the number of innocence he has stolen.

A man,

A new girl,

Just turned eighteen.

He saw her across the bar

Slipped something in her drink,

She drank every drop and fell into his trance.

Just like that,

He had trapped another innocence.

A new girl,

A police report,

Trauma and justice.

Many more come forward,

But he doesn’t get much time.

Because

Boys will be boys.

I wrote this poem about rape and the story of a boy and a girl. I wanted to do a piece on rape because of how relevant it is in the news. The struggles I faced was the subject matter because the last thing I would want to do is romanticize rape or sugar coat it when it is actually such a big deal within this time period. I hope I could spread some light on this subject and get someones attention, on this subject.

Links to some of my favorite blogs:

Cindy’s: http://deardream.edublogs.org

Christina’s: http://breathingpreta.edublogs.org

Hefseeba’s: http://theshipwesail.edublogs.org

Kemi’s: http://masked.edublogs.org

Jed’s: http://skyblueskies.edublogs.org

Tolu’s: http://thelotusleaves.edublogs.org

Jimmy’s: http://pbwithj.edublogs.org

Feature Image ▸ https://www.istockphoto.com/ca/photo/street-photography-black-and-white-reflection-of-a-man-with-an-umbrella-gm1131536790-299647271