Monville, Jamie. "Writer's Statement" (15 Sept. 2011). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan.
This was the first thing that I wrote for a college writing course, and within it, I noticed several default stylistic moves. For example, the word ‘and’ at the beginning of sentences and qualifying what I’m saying. But in addition, there’s a bold confidence in the way that I’m writing. In this I position myself as the victim and assert my understanding as I understand it, which is fairly black and white, without investigating my core assumptions. For my paper it could be a good baseline to understand ways in which I’ve grown as a writer thought my time here, but also ways in which I’ve stayed the same. Monville, Jamie. "Jon Krakauer: Reliable Narrator? Comparative Essay" (13 December. 2011). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. I wrote this piece near the end of freshmen year, but it’s a great example of the initial point I’m trying to make about the confidence gap. There is a heavy reliance on quotes to back up my point, but basically zero close reading. I’m using the quotes to have them speak for themselves, and using bulky block quotes to do that. Almost a third of my essay is Krakauer’s language. I also rely on vague language like “those comparisons” and saying he, but not distinguishing between McCandless and Krakauer, which gets confusing. I also use language such as “It can be argued” “Therefore” to make definitive claims on things that aren’t really black and white. It’s a five paragraph essay which little engagement with other potential avenues. This too could act as a baseline to show that my writing does demonstrate signs of a confidence gap and gives it a baseline through which to compare my other artifacts. Monville, Jamie. "My Credo" (27 Sept. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. There is a section in this essay where I write: “Sometimes you need to start with what you know in order to figure out what you don’t.” and then go on a long litany of things that I know are true because they’re mine. The litany of things I know are true are from my NELP journal. This focus on something being mine and practicing confidence in saying what I’m saying is progress from what was there before. It’s bringing my own voice together with confidence, which was something that the two other examples lacked. I could use this piece to show progress. It’s also the first time I used myself for a source. Although considering the context it made sense. Monville, Jamie. "Shameful Shitters - A look at the societal implications of poop " (17 Dec. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. This is me practicing writing something weird, that I’m also interested in and writing through that uncomfortably, but also being confident enough to do it. I first and foremost privilege my experience and then qualify that experience with research as a way to further understand my overall comfort of the topic while other people are disgusted everywhere. Could use this as an artifact from after NELP – how I brought NELP out of the woods in order to harness my self-confidence and playing up vulnerability enough to write a paper filled with shit. Monville, Jamie. "I want to skinny dip with you" (8 Oct. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. First experiment using an idea from NELP to create a poem. It’s bold like Shameful Shitters is, and the language itself suggests taking, a fuck em all philosophy. The speaker is bold – has a clear command of the situation. Focus on “my” and it’s in first person, not immediately switching into another persona per say. Whereas I was more of an object in the Why I Write in regards to the agency I had with my own agency, this me is certain. Good for showing the difference between pre and post NELP in the classroom. It’s also the first time I tried creative writing, and is significant because of that. Monville, Jamie. "Why I Write Draft 1" (21 April. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. This piece of writing shows similar trends to my Writer’s Statement for English 125. I present things as primarily black and white without investigating core assumptions in the same way I did a year and a half prior. In addition, in this paper I give a lot of agency to others in my story, and it’s clear that in my perspective that they say and how they think and thought of me and my writing has a lot of power in the way that I have been conditioned to see it. But how at the same time I’m actively fighting those perceptions and trying to grasp my own understanding. This could be used in my paper as a way to show how not much progress was made, as well as a baseline for the draft that comes after. Monville, Jamie. "Why I Write Draft 3" (21 April. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. This piece is not settled, but it is more nuanced. There’s less focus on how other people have influenced my writing and me, but a more broad recognition that life and writing are intertwined for me. The way that I’m writing or feeling about writing is often the way that I’m feeling/being. And subsequently, I’m realizing that people in general may not be to blame and realizing the role my psyche may have in my not identifying as a writer. This shows repositioning, and digging deeper into the whys. But at the same time, the bold confidence that was there before, disappears. I’m much more unsure and that comes through in my language. I could use this as a way to show progress within one semester with a program that encourages me to write what I want to write. While at the same time recognizing that this relying more on myself has led me to feel less confident in the opinions I hold. Monville, Jamie. "NELP Journal 1" (May. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. This journal consists of all of the material associated with NELP (New England Literature Program) starting with our first meeting in <find> up until about week three of five of NELP. In the journal are responses to reading, in class reflections and assignments, memories, informal written one-way conversations with people I wished were there, the list goes on. Anything associated with the experience and how I was thinking and feeling about it ended up in that journal. There is also a lot of unsure language in here, because I knew that it was informal writing, that I was making judgments about others, and that Becky, my journal leader, would be reading it. I tended to qualify my statements, and not investigate deeply into why I felt the way that I felt because I was continuously denouncing the way that I felt about it. When I got the journal back, Becky and I had a long conversation about not apologizing for my thoughts and learning how to take up space, which hand a huge impact on me. This is a good example of a baseline, and the beginning of this moment of change in my writing. Monville, Jamie. "NELP Journal 3" (Jun. 2013). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. There is a marked difference between this journal and the first one. In this one I don’t qualify my statements, and because of that I dive deeper into analysis and really start to question my immediate assumptions. In this journal, I’m more thoughtful, honest, and actually more creative. There are more drawings, and pieces of creative writing that I was afraid to do before Becky reminded me how low the stakes were. The end of NELP really saw me coming into my own in several different ways and the writing in this journal reflects that. I think this is important to include because it shows a significant differences that just a couple of weeks had on my writing. In my essay I focus on the biggest moment of change, and without this part, the essay loses its forward momentum. Monville, Jamie. "Perfect Pecan Hands" (9 Feb. 2014). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. In this piece I’m summoning the language of Toni Morrison to create a sort of ‘new scene’ that’s influenced by the plot points already in the novel. It’s tapping into something, and successful because of it. But again it’s this reliance on other people’s language. Other people’s characters. I’m in a new discipline, but now instead of creating, I’m riffing. I’m drenched in Morrison and putting on her persona. It could be good for the essay because it asks the question: Where does this fall with the confidence Gap? In one way, it’s bold like my original poem was, but I can’t say that it’s completely me. Why jump back in when I could have written anything? Why did that feel easier? Monville, Jamie. "She." (9 Mar. 2014). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan. The material from this is mine, from my testimonial for staff class, but not in ‘my voice.’ The original was first person, and it was okay, but for this piece I took the essence and decided to tell a story with it instead, that wasn’t necessarily mine. It could be good as a comparison how post NELP I took something that was definitively mine, obscured it creatively, and by switching modes it felt much better. Also if I remember correctly, there was a feeling of flow taking the ‘I’ out and making it she somehow makes it sound better, more powerful. |