REFLECTION
I think writing for this mode sticks to my core competencies. I think my strength in writing really typically shapes up as creative nonfiction. What I like about this piece is that I was able to do a lot under 500 words and bring in myself without making it feel like too much of a personal narrative. I wanted to focus on loss. Ultimately, I decided not to focus on the murderer as much because my mind didn’t want to write him as a main character when I identified with Blaze’s story, as it is reminiscent of my own. I think there’s room for expansion to just let more thoughts out on page and write a lengthier essay by including research and more perspective on the murderer, but then I would still want to cut it back and edit it down to fit the brevity of the typical articles one might read in the New York Times / New Yorker.
The impact of writing this was actually much less than I had originally anticipated. In writing about it, I created a healthy level of distance actually from the subject matter at hand, but also helped me make sense of it. Obviously, focusing on loss like this can seem difficult, especially for a semester long project. But immediately I was drawn to this subject throughout the semester because I felt an inclination to write about it. I don’t think my role in a writer is to bring to light something completely novel in this murder or to even honor Blaze, but rather to help others understand that while the LGBT community has a lot to be thankful for, there are still blatant acts of hate. These are even more prominent than more subliminal acts of discrimination. I think my sample illustrates this point well. I also enjoyed having the time to do creative work in terms of the art. It’s not a media I am comfortable with but I made it my own in a way that seems additive.