Category: Issue 4

WRITING DOWN WISHES MAKES THEM REAL

Post author By Victoria Oh
Post date May 31, 2023

Two journals sitting on a desk with two pencils on top of it

What really wowed me was how [the Writing Center tutor’s] comments didn’t try to offer suggestions or point out problems. She tried to describe how things affected her as a reader and why—what aspects of the writing and the structure resulted in those effects. This took my literacy narrative and the feedback I’d received on it firmly out of “working on this draft” into “understanding and evolving as a writer” territory. This was a major creative risk, a big undertaking, something that I felt resonated with the core of my writer identity and was a big step toward really having my own writerly voice.

Issue 4 Poetry

Blue is the Color of Dreamers

Post author By Emily Jonas
Post date May 30, 2023

Lauren [Writing Center tutor] was very kind and I appreciated her giving me feedback on my poems. I only changed one thing, which was taking out the “we are the poets…” to “we are poets.” I feel like that small detail makes a difference. She also mentioned to go into further detail with describing how the ocean reflects dreamers’ thoughts and why the sky is their savior. I personally like the unspecificity of why. I think it allows for people who consider themselves dreamers to reflect on moments when they zone out or think deeply. For me, I think a lot when I am in nature. It’s also in nature that I find my creativity the most and inspiration.

Issue 4 Poetry

10 Pints

Post author By Kaitlyn Young
Post date May 30, 2023

A big part of my writing process was not just finding rhyme but finding the rhyme that rang true to my experience. My favorite thing to do when writing a rhyming poem is to find one word I know I want in my poem, and then write a list of all the words that rhyme with it. I go through and cross them off as I write so I don’t accidentally reuse them. There was no set meter for this piece, but I wanted it to feel like it was speeding up as it went so if words or phrases were too clunky or awkward; they were cut, rephrased, or condensed.

Issue 4 Poetry

Privilege

Post author By Astro Myers
Post date May 30, 2023

The feedback I received gave me a lot of insight into how others read and interpreted my words. I was able to see patterns in my poem that I could improve upon. I have been going to Writers Guild for quite a few months and, just based on the feedback that has been given to other people, I’ve learned so much about how I can be a better writer. Getting feedback from a larger group made it helpful to know what things worked for some people and not for others.

Issue 4 Nonfiction

Mother’s Daughter

Post author By Lauren Scott
Post date May 30, 2023

The feedback I received on this piece was based on the stylistic components. This helped a bunch as sometimes I just have too much to say and can’t slow down to figure out if it all fits together. Due to the feedback, I was able to cut down on some unnecessary adverbs that I used as well as some words that came off as redundant. In the end, it helped with my rhythm and clarity throughout the piece by removing clunky structure and confusing sentences. I was able to finally hear some parts that may be muddled because I can stay stuck in my own perspective.

Issue 4 Poetry

Frog Body

Post author By Izzy King
Post date May 30, 2023

[Writing Center tutor] suggested I use a repeating “the” at the beginning of a few lines, which I loved, and asked for clarification about the entrails line, which I now feel is more specific to what I am trying to convey. My word choice was the main thing I looked at for this piece. Honestly, I think it helped me get over my fear of showing others my writing. I rarely share things like this, so it feels vulnerable and real to put these works into publication; to have poetry that details such intimate feelings in a magazine is scary! I am glad I submitted it, this has helped me grow as a writer and reflect on why I write.