Introduction to the Course

9/3/2025

Welcome to 489 and to our first Discussion Board. You opted to be a part of the Writing Concentration for a reason. Maybe you've got a clear plan; maybe not so much. But here you are. In this space, tell me (and each other) about the writer you are, the writer you want to be, and what you hope to have accomplished by the end of this class. Be aware that at least some of your colleagues will read what you post.

HOW TO POST
Click on the "comment" button located at either the top right or bottom left of this post. Fill in the form as required and post your 100-200 words in the dialogue box. You might want to compose in another program so nothing gets lost. Once you've finished, click submit.

NOTE: Occasionally, weebly asks you to identify a series of images in order to submit your post. Sometimes a glitch makes it impossible to see the "submit" button. If this happens, let me know. You can email me your post and I will post it on your behalf. When this happens, I contact weebly and they typically fix the problem.

9 Comments

Nina Hamel

9/3/2025 02:57:53 pm

Honestly, I am a bit all over the place with writing! I've done journalism (which I like, but not for the rest of my life). I love to write fiction and come up with stories, but I need a bit more structure for my professional life. I do not want to be a teacher, maybe a professor someday, but not a regular teacher. I think I really want to do professional writing, especially if it can be something for brand development or helping people understand a greater idea or concept. I also want to publish a fiction book or series someday, it is still a dream of mine (I have a notebook filled with book ideas and plot points, I think I'd like to share them). My hope is that, by the end of this class, that I can create a portfolio strong enough to use when applying to jobs this semester and next (yikes!). I am really open to seeing what opportunities await me after graduation, but I know I won't be happy unless I am writing (unless all else fails and I just escape to Italy and work on a boat along the coastline for the rest of my life).

Anna Dykhoff

9/3/2025 02:58:56 pm

My future plan is to continue my degree until I graduate this December. I will be graduating with a BA in English and a BS in Psychology. I plan to work through the spring and summer, then return to BSU for a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. After working for a few years as a licensed mental health counselor, I would like to go back to school for a PhD in Psychology to pursue research and teaching in the field. Because I am in the final throws of the Psychology degree, much of my writing has consisted of data interpretation and literature reviews. However, I enjoy creative writing as well and would like to someday write a book that combines what I've learned in the field of Psychology with applications to everyday life. My goals for this class are to create a portfolio that both adds a unique element to grad school applications/interviews, and helps prepare me for future academic writing.

Paul Sweeney

9/3/2025 03:01:55 pm

Personally I've struggled with what I want to do with my writing in the future. Ideally I want to be a fiction writer and write novels, but I often struggle with personal writing on my own, and I've really needed that motivation to actually do something. I think lately I've had ideas about writing fantasy novels, though what I'm intested in tends to flip-flop a lot based on what kind of media I'm currently engaged with, so that could change. Practically speaking I do have experience in the field of technical writing so that would help keep me afloat while I chase my passions. In real, practical terms though, my future career is mostly a mystery to me, so only time will tell where I end up.

Gyslaine

9/3/2025 03:02:57 pm

I write mostly poetry and short fiction. Most of my writing is somber/dark, and much of my poetry is religiously themed (I am Catholic), although last semester I grew a love for writing love poetry/ sonnets. I have never been able to finish a novel, though I have many ideas! I have a short story that I want to turn into a novella, so that will be a good starting point towards writing a novel. In this class, I am not sure whether I want my portfolio to consist of poetry, the previously mentioned novella, or a memoir. I have a lot of potential for writing creative nonfiction based off of my life experiences, but it feels too vulnerable to share sometimes. I may or may not choose to revise my creative nonfiction piece that I wrote in the advanced CNF workshop and then choose to develop it into a memoir for the final project.

Alexandra O'Brien

9/3/2025 03:03:45 pm

I have always loved writing. I have long kept little notes, darlings, short stories, and poetry in journals over the years. Although it was not until a little over a year ago that I realized I wanted to teach writing.

As a young adult writer who has been working on her first-ever manuscript for years on end, it has been challenging at times to know what direction I needed to go in. In terms of my writing itself, how to publish, self-publish, edit, etc... Not only that, but my first ever major challenge was allowing myself to even label myself as a "writer", something I once saw as an earned label, almost like an awarded trophy for being published. Although my many years of writing and learning, and thinking have shown me that that is not true.

One day, I woke up and realized that all of my little pieces of writing, put together, told a story, and I dedicated my time to putting them together - that is now my working memoir, which I am on my way to completing. I realized that I wanted to share my work with others for the purpose of connecting and teaching others. I loved the conversations that talking about writing and sharing my work with others would bring me. And in finding that confidence to begin taking my writing seriously, and sharing it with others along the way - I knew I wanted to become a Creative Writing Professor.

I am a communications major with a minor in writing and writing studies, and I plan on getting my MFA in creative writing. My long-term goal is to get my PhD and to teach specialized creative writing classes to students - this way, I never stop writing, never stop talking about it, and never stop sharing it with others. And from the sounds of it, this class will be wonderful in helping me as a student, a writer, and a future educator.

Isabella

9/3/2025 03:04:30 pm

Currently, I don’t know how to sum up the writer I am. I’ve written a lot of essays, a few short stories, and a lot of poems. I also write a decent amount in my free time. My favorite part about writing is being able to express myself and organize my thoughts and ideas. I’m not entirely sure about the writer I want to be, but I am interested in both academic and creative writing. I hope to be a writer who can communicate complex ideas in an easily comprehendible way, especially when it comes to academic writing. I believe that academic writing should be more accessible to people who may not have the opportunity to get a degree beyond high school. By the end of this class I hope to refine my skills as a writer and feel more prepared for graduate school and the professional world.

9/3/2025 03:04:38 pm

I mean, I write all the time. All the time. I'm a fast writer. I'm a pretty effective writer. I am a terrible speller (which is problematic for me as a crossword puzzle aficionado) I write really great letters of recommendation. I write really great thank you letters when a faculty member does something to support us. I write funny emails. I worked as a ghost writer and a staff writer during my PhD and I learned how to write short--say a lot in a short space. I've written and published nonfiction. I've written articles on pedagogy. But the funny thing is, even though I write a lot all the time every day, I never think of myself as a writer. Because I don't write novels. I sort of think that that's what makes you a writer--a novel that's published by some prestigious press. But another reason that I don't think of myself as a writer is that I don't 1) do serious writing for something other than my day job and 2) because I don't risk. I'm fully confident that everything I write will get rejected and so I don't finish things and I don't send them out. I've been this way since literally first grade. I would stash papers in my desk rather than finish them imperfectly. It's a hard lesson to learn over and over. My September resolution is to push myself to 1) write every day even for just an hour, even if I'm tired, even if there are dishes in the sink, etc; and 2) to send stuff out--what I'm really thinking is send stuff out to be rejected, but, even that, that's still okay. I'm not setting a goal I need others to achieve (i.e. publication); I'm setting one that I can control. And, here is the thing: I've got nothing to prove to nobody. Like I said, I write a lot and I am respected for what I write and I'm pretty set in my career. Now I want to see if I can write something different, for me, and see where it goes. I think it's important not to stay still intellectually. So this is my challenge to myself.

Ashley Luise

9/3/2025 03:05:38 pm

When I graduate this December with my BA in English (Writing Studies) and minors in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Social Justice Studies, I hope to be a skilled writer whose words have the power to make change in this world. While I have explored many genres of writing, academic and personal essays being some favorites, I don’t think I would feel fulfilled in my career unless my writing was being used for good. I’ve worked with children and elementary students for the duration of my professional career, and while I don’t inherently want to be a teacher (who knows, someday this could be my calling though!), I’m really interested in the nonprofit sector as it pertains to youth. I’m especially interested in working my way up to the fundraising or grant writing aspect of working for an organization I really care about. While my work’s audience may not inherently reach the general public, I hope it reaches people that the cause matters to.

Glen Beaulieu

9/3/2025 03:06:19 pm

Hi everyone! Truth be told, I'm still figuring out the exact type of writer I am. When I came to Bridgewater State, I was absolutely certain that I wanted to write fiction. I still want to do that, but I find that I'm the type that thinks about writing stories more than actually doing so. That being said, as I have progressed through my degree, I have found myself gravitating more towards the technical writing/editing realm. I had the amazing opportunity to work at "The Bridge" as an editor during my sophomore year, and I completed my internship this summer as an editorial intern for BSU's Journal of International Women's Studies. I'm pretty committed to trying to work my way into an editing career of some kind one day, as I loved not only the challenge of working with words in this capaciity but also working and corresponding directly with authors. I really want to challenge myself this semester; I want to continue to improve my abilities while also trying to go out of my comfort zone with the type of writing that I share with the class.

Introduction to the Course

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