Here is a short framing essay for two pieces of prose I am going to post. The pieces and this essay were originally written for a midterm in college, hence the references to the assignment. By sharing these pieces, I hope to share a bit about myself. Hope you enjoy!

For my midterm assignment, I decided to do one thing I rarely do with my writing: Get personal.

When it comes to my writing, I find it easier to write about someone else than to write about myself. It’s part of the reason why I never could get into journaling despite it seeming to be such a vital part of many writers’….Origin? Process? Experience? Something like that.

Perhaps it’s because my journey as a reader began with dissociation and escapism. I didn’t think that my life was particularly interesting, so I lived vicariously through the characters I read about.

 I started reading to detach myself from my reality so why would tether myself back to it in my writing?

However, I have matured since then. A bit of character development if you will.

I’ve decided to let myself be vulnerable in the spirit of the authors we have read so far in the semester. Many of them spoke about issues that were quite personal to them, either drawing upon their life experiences or the experiences of others that share their culture. Many had a cause to stand for and a grand message to send. I, on the other hand, don’t have that. Or didn’t at the time I wrote the pieces at least. Perhaps my reader will find more meaning from my words than I found writing them. But that’s besides the point. All I had to give was myself, so myself I gave.

A recurring theme within the two essays I submitted is Reflection. This is because for both pieces I scrutinized myself and put my findings to paper.

The Mirror originated from an in-class prompt inspired by the poetry of Tommye Blount. While I was unable to create a piece according to the instructions of the prompt, I still maintained the presence of the mirror. 

The Mirror is an essay-narrative about race and romance. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that at some point I’m going to want a romantic relationship and in the multicultural setting that I’m in, who I would want for a partner may not be of the same race and ethnicity as I am. Even if they are, my skin color, my blackness would be a factor in our relationship or my attempts at a relationship whether I like it or not. Growing up, I’ve learned that while my friends and family love and cherish me, society generally….doesn’t, because I’m a black female. That usually extends to romance, where I hold less romantic value because I’m black. Even within the black community, some consider being able to date a white woman as a status symbol while viewing black women with disdain. The Mirror is a space where I contemplate these issues and verbalize my insecurities about them.

Writing Myself as an OC addresses a different part of my life. A huge part of my life as a writer has been writing fanfiction and being a part of fan communities. A lot of my writing is inspired by the books, comics, and shows I consume and augmented by the discussions I read online. 

Writing Myself as an OC demonstrated my shifting outlook on myself and writing about myself over time. I tried to take on a conversational tone with the piece because I felt that the topic would be something I would tell a friend now that I’m more open with myself. When I was younger, writing fanfiction was something I was a bit ashamed and embarrassed about because it wasn’t a “legitimate” art form and wouldn’t be taken seriously. I wouldn’t talk about it with anyone I knew in real life because of it. However, I’m a lot older now and not really afraid of being made fun of for it anymore. I’ve accepted it as something I like to do and something to be proud of. The piece itself is a memoir chronicling my self-discovery process through fictionalizing myself.

I’m happy with how both of the pieces turned out. There were points where I was a bit uncomfortable because I was writing about myself but I managed to work through them. I had to simplify some things to avoid large info dumps, especially in Writing Myself as an OC, but I am happy with the cuts I made.  I hope my readers are able to enjoy my pieces as much as I enjoyed writing them.