Author's Statements
Thoughts, opinions, and reflections on selected pieces
The Devil's in the Details
Written January 2021
This piece follows the interaction between ill-fated Minerva, a woman who has lost something precious and hopes to obtain it through demonic means, and the Devil, whom she summons to broker a deal. Around the time of me writing this, I finished the book "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue", a book about Adeline and the ill-advised deal she struck with "the Devil" in a state of hopelessness. Their interactions in the book were so well-written and witty and I figured that an interaction between a mortal and a demon would be a unique way to practice crafting dialogue. Considering the fact that I much prefer descriptive writing over dialogue-based writing, I am actually quite proud of how it came out. I think the differentiation between Minerva and the Devil is well-portrayed through the dialogue and I enjoyed shaping the direction of their conversation while adding some backstory here and some characterization there. However, I do think there are ways I could make the story flow better. I think adding a little more description, while still maintaining a balance between that and the dialogue, could help strengthen the writing even more and help bolster the setting so that readers become even more entrenched in the story. I also think I could have done a better job ending the story and, upon looking back on it, can see some places where the conversation feels a little rushed. But, overall, I'm proud of this piece and enjoyed writing it.
Ebony
Written October 2019
This short story was the first piece written in the collection of stories that ended up being compiled to create my NaNoWriMo 2019 project. The story "Ebony" follows a young woman, Ebony, living in a seemingly provincial village, dissatisfied with her life and longing for something as beautiful as her town's sunsets. So, she makes a choice. A choice that will most certainly alter the course of her life for good, if not end it entirely. This story was born out of a single line that I came up with for describing a sunset and I sort of went from there. I didn't quite know where it was going or where the inspiration came from I just let the story flow in a slightly odd direction that I ended up enjoying. In terms of strengths, I am rather proud of the descriptive language I used in this piece to describe the sunset at the beginning, Ebony's conflicting emotions, and the town she so dislikes. I love how this story inspired a whole novel based on the strange events that took place and that I could use the same inspiration to build up a whole world surrounding Ebony and the suspicious needle she came into contact with. In terms of weaknesses, I think I definitely ould have paced the story better. Near the end of writing it, I could feel my inspiration waning and, although I knew how I wanted the story to end, I ended up finding it hard to get there without rushing the piece or doing something strange that would throw off the readers. Another weakness, in my opinion, is the dialogue. Although there is not much of it, I think I could have done a better job using it to build my two characters and help move the story along.
Permanence
Written October 2021
Permanence was my first re-introduction to writing real pieces after a pretty long absence from my writing. Over Summer Break, I found myself writing less and less so I was suddenly nervous when the school year started and I realized I would be expected to once again write lengthier pieces with more weight for both competitions and class assignments. I think I used some of that anxiety, along with the well of pent-up emotions that a pandemic will bring upon you, to really hone the detail of this piece. It follows the story of a man in a hospital who is in the process of losing someone dear t him; something that has become an all-too-relevant reality this past year and a half. Writing this piece really helped me come out of my slump and I'm incredibly grateful for the praise aned edits I rceeived from my peers in our class workshop. Overall, I'm proud of how this piece turned out and hope I can grow back into my old creatve self for the rest of this school year as I have so many more grief-tinged stories I want to write and share.