Midterm: Final Project Proposal

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Midterm: Final Project Proposal

10/31/2025

From the Midterm Portfolio Explanation:

A proposal for your final project. In the midterm portfolio, I would like for you to include a 500 word discussion of what you think your final project is going to be. Tell me about the following in your 500 words:

What genre are you writing in?
How would you briefly summarize the writing you will be doing in the project?
Why this project and not some other project?
What are you nervous about as you undertake this project (talk about yourself as a writer here; don't tell me about how you are worried about graduating or fitting all the work in--all that is a given)?
What might you do to help you know how to do this project better (what kind of reading, what kind of research, what kind of exploration)?

7 Comments

I.S.

11/1/2025 06:41:05 am

I was thinking of doing world-building for the fantasy story I used in my rethink/revise project so that when I make it into a longer piece, I will have some of the ground work down. I have also never gotten the chance to do in-depth world-building. This would be a good opportunity to hone that skill. However, since it would not be an actual piece of writing itself, like an essay or another story, I am not sure if that would be allowed for the final project. I can think of something different to do if that is the case.

The writing I will do for this project will include descriptions of the world within the story as a whole and the specific village that my main character lives in. For example, the currency and economic system, politics, social norms and customs, whether or not there are different cultures, the climate (i.e., how many seasons there are, what sort of vegetation grows in what areas, the weather, etc.), what sort of beliefs people have (i.e., religious, spiritual, and how they think of the world and people around them), and the overall history of the world as well. There are many elements to world-building that I might be unaware of. So, I plan to research how world-building is done by published authors and how they organize their thoughts throughout the process.

A considerable amount of my research will be dedicated to the aspects I listed previously. I know the basics, but not enough to construct an entire world from them. The currency and economic system, for instance, will require some research about economics and history. I want my story to be pre-industrial, similar to some of the fantasy stories we have read in class, and I will probably mimic economic systems from that era. Extensive research for the climate will be needed as well. Cultures are a response to the environment that people live in. So, the two need to make sense with one another.

As a writer, I am not necessarily nervous about this project, but I am intimidated by how complex it might be. I want this world to feel as real as possible, which means there will be a myriad of aspects to factor in. While certain tropes or cliches are expected in fantasy stories, I will have to make sure I do not oversimplify anything and give them the proper depth they need to create a good story. It is those distinct qualities of a world that make people remember them, meaning that I will also have to tap into my creative side more than usual.

Anna

11/1/2025 12:09:41 pm

Final Project Proposal
For my final project, I would like to follow my first idea for the revise/rethink project, which was to expand a handout I made for my psychology of women class into a lesson plan on intersectionality in psychology research. The genre I will be working with is academic writing/educational writing. I want the audience for this piece to be undergraduate college students who are conducting or participating in research, and I would like for my lesson plan to be strong enough to be used by Bridgewater State staff, specifically in the Research Methods II course, or even in the undergraduate research program on campus. The writing I will be doing will consist of writing out a lesson plan as well as creating PowerPoint that can be distributed and presented easily for staff. I am choosing to work on this project because a lack of representation in psychology has always been a huge problem in the field. Much of our foundational psychology theories and research are based on WEIRD populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies), and we are still facing real repercussions of this. Many mental health medications were never tested on women at all because researchers didn’t want hormonal changes to impact of testing, but in doing so we don’t know the impacts of women’s cycles on the effectiveness of mental health medications. People of color have also been consistently underrepresented in research, and many of the most popular psychology practices do not transfer well cross-culturally. Because of this, I would like to pursue this project to at least make a start at the undergraduate level of stressing the importance of intersectionality in research. I figure if I can make an impact at this level, both psychology student that are entering graduate school as well as those entering the workforce will better understand the importance of intersectionality in their work.
One thing I am nervous about with this project is that I am trying to create something I do not have a lot of experience with. I am confident in my ability to find research supporting my project, but I do not have much experience with executing something like a lesson plan. I think in order to do this project to the best of my ability I will need to see example lesson plans as well as consult with staff in the psychology department on their curriculum guidelines. Additionally, I worry about actually being able to get staff to use my lesson plan or integrate it into their classes at all. I know many teachers that have been using the same curriculum for many years and may be unwilling to change or adapt it. I hope that if integrating it for staff in the psychology department doesn’t work, I will at least be able to connect with the Office of Undergraduate Research to find some way I can use the project at BSU. I think the most helpful thing for me to do in this work is to use the people around me. Almost all my friends here are education majors, and I know a lot of the staff in the Psychology department and the Office of Undergraduate Research, so reaching out and collaborating with others will be necessary.

Alexandra O'Brien

11/1/2025 01:39:56 pm

For the final project, I am considering writing various pieces to help with applying to master's programs. I have been meeting with multiple professors and academic advisors to determine the steps I need to take to prepare for the application process and the information I need to have ready to submit to colleges.

Depending on how many you think I should do to make the project long enough, I would like to choose from crafting the following…

- Create a CV or Academic Resume
- Teaching Philosophy/Statement
- Statement of purpose / personal statement
- Writing sample (creative or academic)

I would really appreciate your feedback on what you think would be most helpful to me. I am happy to do any combination of these things because I know they will all benefit me.

In terms of what I am nervous about in this project, I'm anxious about several things. These are materials I may submit to master’s programs for consideration. That means that my writing and my delivery have to be very efficient and clear. Not only that, but I hope that my voice and my perspective show through in these things.

In terms of approaching this project, researching and reading are ways I can prepare. Looking into what programs expect when reading a teaching statement or a statement of purpose could help me narrow down key elements to include. Maybe even looking at academic or EDU sites to ensure I am creating a proper academic résumé. If I were to tackle the writing sample portion of this, I need to further look into what masters programs are expecting in terms of whether my sample would be creative or academic.

Ashley Luise

11/2/2025 08:19:55 pm

For my final project, I want to write an application for a grant that Coaching 4 Change, an organization working to better educational outcomes for low-income K-12 students in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, could apply for. I will be researching and selecting a real grant that hopefully is still accepting applications, though I am open to using a closed one if that is all that is available, and then writing an application following the grant’s parameters. I am taking on the perspective of a grant writer at Coaching 4 Change because this organization has greatly impacted my college experience. I got the opportunity to mentor with them for a year and a half and now, I am doing a research project with them for my social justice capstone that looks into how the organization promotes education equity. Using the perspective of this organization is special to me because of my close connection, but it will also help ease the research burden of this project.

I want to use this project as an opportunity to learn more about what goes into writing a grant application, but I am nervous about undertaking this with no prior experience. Grant writing is an area I am really interested in pursuing but do not have any substantial first-hand experience with/ I think any knowledge about it before I enter the professional world could do me some good, even if this specific application never goes beyond an academic project. I am hoping to spend the bulk of my time researching the process of writing a grant application, since I am most nervous to undertake this, and reading some examples if I am able to come across them. My research for my social justice capstone project has given me a lot of raw data and statistics I think will be necessary to include in the application, which eases that end of the research burden and nerves for me. I imagine as a professional grant writer, I would have the raw data and statistics on hand while writing grant applications, so having these will help my project better simulate a real work environment. Having and using this information will also allow me to focus my research time on the written component (the application and its process, which I am most nervous about) without having to sacrifice my time to find publicly available data or use fictitious statistics and anecdotes that would be less conducive to my learning about a real work environment. Being able to use this project to simulate a real professional setting is what I am most excited about. Grant writing is a skill I will take with me into job interviews and resumes, so having this experience will be powerful as someone who has not attempted grant writing in my college classes or any professional settings. I am looking forward to solidifying this passion by teaching myself how to write grants in a project that simultaneously commemorates my time with Coaching 4 Change.

Glen Beaulieu

11/3/2025 02:38:13 am

For my final project, I know that I want to write something fictional. It has been such a long time since I’ve tried to actually write a piece of fiction from start to finish. I spend a lot of time thinking about my fiction without actually writing it, which has left my growth as a writer pretty stunted, so I would like to try to change that. I’m still considering whether I would like to try to write a more cohesive attempt at that cyberpunk/sci-fi story that I have been playing around with in my writer’s notebook, or if I would want to write more of that more personal story. I’m leaning more towards the latter, as that kind of writing is still really challenging for me. I’ve written so much academic and non-fiction work, and, to be honest, I’m kind of tired of writing things that I’m comfortable with. I know that I am potentially setting myself up for failure in doing so, but I think even failure would be valuable for my journey as a writer, and I let the fear of failure stop me way too often. I don’t know if I’m going to stick with the whole guitar/music thing. I could see a lot of different directions I could go in. I’m nervous about being vulnerable, but I’m also worried about being misunderstood. The things I am dealing with in this piece are not just exclusive to me, so I want to represent them in a way that feels authentic and real to my experiences, but also sensitive and understanding to other people’s experiences. On a more technical level, I’m worried about my dialogue. I struggle with giving characters their own voices, and I feel that many of my characters blend into each other because of that. I wonder too about my ability to show and not tell. I’ve always had an issue with overly explaining things. I recognize when other pieces are showing and not telling, but when I write myself, I find myself falling into old habits very quickly. Lastly, I need to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how I can translate the images I see in my head to the actual page. I feel like I can see what a character looks like, or what the world around them looks like, but I struggle to find the words. For preparation, I have a lot of places I could go. I know, for starters, I’m going to replay Disco Elysium for a little bit. It’s been a few years since I’ve played it, and me writing about it earlier in the semester was part of what prompted me to try to write more vulnerably in the first place. The prose in Disco Elysium is absolutely fantastic; it’s effortlessly funny and its gut punches have stuck with me all this time. I’m also going to try to get through that show Normal People, but that show is kind of hard for me to watch because of how emotionally heavy it is. I’m also thinking about re-reading House of Leaves, more specifically Johnny Truant’s sections, as those sections feel very personal and abstract, which is the kind of style I'd be interested in exploring.

Nina

11/3/2025 07:31:29 pm

I know that there are many different routes I can take for this assignment, so I decided to ask myself what I really think will support me in the future. With that, I am thinking of creating an online website/portfolio of myself and my journey as a writer. When I say this, I think back to the online portfolios of professional writers we discussed in class a few weeks ago. While a majority of the written content will be nonfiction, I do think it is worthwhile to share past creative fiction writing and maybe generate a new piece for the website. In terms of structure, the format will be fun but still needs more consideration. The written content will be composed of a resume, an ‘about me’ section (highlighting myself as a writer and where I hope to go), sections about my experience, and different examples of my experience (I will likely use content I have already written, but I will be sure to also create new written content for the portfolio of course!). Overall, I want to create a website where people can explore who I am as a writer and future employers can get a better understanding of my experience. I would say my greatest nerves with an assignment like this would be the success of having enough content to create the cite. I know I have a lot of content to work with, but it is also a matter of revising the old content to make sure it aligns with the level expertise I hope to showcase on the website. As I said before, I would really want to use this online platform to show future employers. I think in the mean time, I will continue to research and take a look at other websites and written portfolios that people in the field have to showcase themselves. That way, I can get an idea of what some common things to include consist of and what approaches seem to provide the most success to writers. Additionally, I would want to explore different website-generation tools I can use to get started. I am not familiar with creating a website, so taking the time to explore and practice with different software will help me understand how to create and format the website when the time comes. I know I want to have a visually appealing website, so making sure I can incorporate writing skills with my digital media skills is very important to me. I’m all about adding color and flare to writing, so I know that I need to create a platform that is reflective of who I am and my writing. While I know I may find some parts challenging to this project, I am more excited for what the outcome would be. If I can end this project with a successful website that I can link to my personal Instagram account, I will consider my endeavors a success!

Paul Sweeney

12/23/2025 08:38:45 am

The main idea I have for a potential horror story is something to do with work. I like horror stories that use specialized knowledge to add an air of legitimacy, but seeing as how I don’t actually have a ton of specialized knowledge in many fields, my job at the pizza place is an exception for me. As for what kind of story could happen in a place like that, my pizza place has a basement which is a bit more expansive than you’d expect. We use it for storage mostly, and next to the bathroom there’s this open closet stuffed with a ton of different boxes and other items. I had the thought of “what if it went deeper” and I somehow got lost in this underground, inexplicable labyrinth. It’s a bit similar to the idea of “The Backrooms”, where someone gets lost in a vast series of corridors composed of mundane liminal spaces such as department stores and hallways.

In general, when I think of what I’d want to see in a horror story, I want something that scares me specifically. A lot of my favorite horror stories are effective because they have scary ideas in them. That sounds obvious but what I mean by that is that they leave you with a lingering concept or thought that’s uncomfortable to contemplate. The other way a horror story can scare me is with vibes. A lot of horror that scares me scares me because of the specific atmosphere it cultivates. A sense of emptiness, a sense of hopelessness, or, a favorite of mine, a sense of pure noncomprehension. To put it bluntly, I like it when horror leaves you with a sense of “what the fuck”.

As for how I might achieve that “what the fuck” response, that’s the tricky part. I think for my story I want to basically write a Creepypasta, which is something I’ve been occupied with for the bulk of the year. They tend to be kind of dismissed as lower quality and very amateur horror, and a lot of it is, but at the same time, I’m an amateur writer, and a lot of writers have gotten their foot in the door through writing Creepypastas. Before he became a published author, Andy Weir wrote a story uploaded to a Creepypasta website called “An Egg”, and despite not being particularly scary, it’s quite good.

I think Creepypastas are good for exploring ideas. It’s what a lot of short fiction is good for. You have an idea, and you play with it until you’ve reached a point where you think it’s good enough to show off to others.

All this rambling aside, I think I do have a few angles I’d like to potentially explore that I often find compelling in other horror stories:

Workplace horror
A childhood memory that seemed innocuous at the time but in hindsight is very strange and sinister
A mysterious internet phenomena which cannot rationally be explained
Something frightening about dreams
A strange, uncomfortable experience with a video game you can’t explain

Midterm: Final Project Proposal

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