Endings are hard. They are the part of my writing that I struggle the most with. I can string together my thoughts and different ideas all throughout the post knowing exactly what I want to convey, but as soon as I reach the end, it’s blank. It’s something that I’ve learned about myself as a writer this semester.

I’ve also learned I have an ever-evolving ability to rival Mitchell, for longest blog post (though I think he still has me beat in that division). Length has been one of the more dramatic changes I’ve experienced over the semester. At the beginning of the semester, I tried to keep my writing very controlled; I would set a certain word count in my mind, then try to tailor my writing to that specific length. I realized through reading Mitchell’s blog that it’s all right to go a little longer than what one would initially set out to do as long as you see an end in sight.

I’ve realized that I have used my writing to tell more about myself. I’ve never been the type of person to openly disclose personal information, as I’m rather reserved in nature. The more comfortable I became in my writing and my style, the more comfortable I became with sharing more about myself. I was also encouraged to share more through reading Mallory’s posts. She writes with such open honesty about everything; her writing is confident and assured while still being personable.

I never thought I had a writing process before reflecting on this post. I would take the assigned topics or a topic of my own and sit down to write as much as I could until it resembled a coherent piece. I’d go back through my work and comb through the grammatical errors before I published my post.

Upon further reflection and a recent car ride with Mitchell, I realized my process was more specific than I had initially thought. I always intend to write my posts in the morning over a cup(s) of coffee at my desk before I leave for work or school. I’ve found that I’m often the most coherent and motivated in the mornings – it’s quiet and gives me a chance to think through my ideas. Though that’s my intention, I often only get a partial post written, leaving me to finish in the evening at the kitchen table when I’m not as coherent, but creatively my inhibitions are lowered. My writing becomes freer and more open in the evenings, especially if my brother Josh is at the apartment, encouraging me to run with my more outlandish whims.

It can be a challenge to not get distracted while I work. I get caught up in what else needs to be done or what I’m going to do after I’m done writing. It can be a chore to stay on task. Though I tend to wander, I’ve found that it can be to the benefit of my writing. While I’m making dinner, I find the transition from point A to point B, or I’m able to conceptualize the whole post. This is also how my ideas often come about: doing something completely mundane or unrelated, like laundry and chores. When I have my ideas, I quickly jot them down in the running list of “blog post ideas” on my phone.

I’ve recognized that I like to write how I like to read and converse – conversationally. It’s something that I’ve noticed and admire about Kylie’s writing. Her writing has a natural flow and rhythm–there’s an ease to it that makes reading a pleasure. Her style of writing is the type I find myself gravitating more to as I continue to figure out who I am as both a reader and a writer. 

My favorite thing I’ve written so far has been my breakfast bierock post, though my Studebaker Meet post followed closely behind. The Runza/bierock post was an idea that I had early in the semester and was always planning on trying to make and write. It happened that I was able to make it a reality with the help of my mom. The whole process, from making the bierocks to writing about it was truly a delight. Seeing an idea that I held for so long come to fruition, and be a success, gave me encouragement to keep writing and exploring my ideas.  

I can’t say I’ve had any one influence on my style. Through reading my classmates’ posts throughout the semester, I’ve been able to see each person represented in their work. I can pick out their styles and almost hear them speak through their writing, which is something that I’ve wanted to achieve for myself in my writings. I want those who read my writing to be able to say, “yes, that’s Kristen”.