First Day of Creative Writing Class: Chance of Improving My Writing Skill

The first day of 6th semester was begun with new courses, for instance, Creative Writing. It was on Monday, 18th, 2013. The class was in F building room 304. Actually I do not really like to be in that building because it is old and the stairs are quite high. Thus, when I arrive in the class, I am exhausted. Especially for that day, it was the first time I came to that class after holidays. The class was very crowded because there were many students taking this subject and the class was not large enough. However, it was nice to be with my friends again and I was wondering how the class would be. Then the lecturer came and I had met with him in Travel Blogging Workshop on December, 12th, 2012. Because it was the first time he taught us so he asked us to make the name table in order to memorize our names. And it should be brought for the next meetings. I was excited to do it and I made the good one. 

Like usual, I always expect only to have relaxed material in the first meeting. However, for this subject I want to spend my time to learn more how to write better because I like writing, for example, short story and poetry. With this subject I want to improve my ability in writing. Thus, fortunately the lecturer soon gave the first material about how to describe something in proper way so the students were able to write a good description. Furthermore, it should be able to persuade the readers to feel the same experiences as theirs. For me it was a bit difficult to do, but I learn from the lecturer’s explanation seriously. Actually I little annoyed with the situation in the class which was very noisy and some of the students spoke among themselves without paying attention to the lecturer’s explanation. I was disturbed with it. Nevertheless, I tried to stay focus to the learning process.

In the next section, the lecturer asked us about how to make something real. I thought it was something that we believe and could be perceived with our five senses. I was glad that my opinion was similar with his explanation. Then, we were asked to write the description of some things such as favorite place, the smell that disgust me, the taste of my favorite food, the first sound heard that morning, and the texture of my shoes. Those were interesting topics that we could find in our daily life so I could describe it easily. Still, the difficult part was how to make the description which shows the readers so they could feel the same experience and understand with what I try to explain. Then, the lecturer explained how to do it so I became more understand. I think that was the fun activity.

Before the class ended, we were asked to fix our writing and then posted it in our blog. This is the first time I receive this kind of assignment so I am enthusiastic. I happen also have had my own blog already. However, I rarely post my writing since I do not have much time to do it. Thus, with these assignments I will be able to re-establish my personal blog again.  

Created by : Ainul Karomah (10/296693/SA/15131)  

“Showing” Something to the Readers

This is my first post for Creative Writing class. I would like to describe some things according to my own five senses in order to show the readers my experiences.

a.      Sight

I have some favorite places, but the sea with beautiful beach is I like the most. I go to there to refresh my mind because it has wonderful view. The unlimited perspectives from the sea make me feel free and peaceful. The water is blue as if it is painted with water color, or as if it is the mirror that reflects the color of the sky. Moreover, the waves with white froths run to reach the sand and strike the reef.  I really like to walk in the sand to make footprint along the beach and watch it after I finished. It is beautiful when you look it from far above away. Besides that, I also write my name in the sand, but then it is erased by the waves. The nice scenery of the sea always makes me want to come back there again.

b.      Smell

My nose is very sensitive with the unpleasant smell. Thus, when I smell it, I become very sick. Sometimes it makes me sneeze and makes my stomach unwell. For instance, the bad smell of garbage that is not thrown away for long time is the worst. There are odors of stale food such as rice or other left over foods. Moreover, the strong smell of fish is really disgusting. I cannot stand it so I have to use something to cover my nose or spray the air freshener to reduce the smell. As much as possible, I should stay away from the source of that awful smell.

c.       Taste

Rujak lontong is my favorite food in my hometown. It is kind of Lotek in Yogyakarta, but is has different ingredients. There are strong taste of petis, the condiment of the fermented fish or shrimp. Furthermore, the taste of fried peanut which is salty and crisp makes it more delicious. If we like spicy, we can add more chilies. I like spicy so when I eat it, it is very hot so I become sweaty and sultry. Even when it is very spicy, my eyes become teary, but it is nice. Moreover, there are fresh flavor from the vegetables such as cucumber and kale. Besides that, there are pieces of fried tofu which I like very much. The tofu is savory and juicy enriching the delicacy of this food. Then, the last ingredient is lontong which is smooth and surfeited. This food is very delicious that makes me want to go home just to eat it.

d.      Hearing

Everyday I set up my alarm in order to wake up early. However, that is not the first noise that I hear because I switch it off unconsciously. The noise that wakes me up is the ringtone of my mobile phone indicating my mother calls me.  She calls me everyday. The ringtone is the song of Korean singer named K-Will entitles “Don’t go”. The sound is heard as if it is ringing my dream, but it still works out to wake me up. Although it is the ballad song which has slow rhythm, I always startled then immediately pick it up and speak to my mom. However, I still cannot open my eyes because I am very sleepy. 

e.      Touch

My shoes are black and flat. It is made from rubber so it is light and elastic. I use it almost everyday for walking to everywhere because it is my favorite one. It has flowers pattern which are embossed so when I touch it, I feel the rough surfaces of flowers embroidery. It also has small holes in the center of those patterns so my feet still can feel the air from the outside. Thus, I rarely sweat though the weather is hot so my feet still feel fresh. Besides, the dust sticks on it because I have not washed it yet. The dust is smooth and I always have to wipe it with tissue before I use it again.

That is all my descriptions about some things using my five senses. I have tried to make descriptions that “show” the readers so they can feel the same experience as I did. 

Created by : Ainul Karomah (10/296693/SA/15131)