May (extra blog)

This senior year has been something of an extraordinary endeavor. I spent a majority of my summer searching for a mentor and when all hope was lost, I found Sarah Torribio. 

In the duration of nine months, I would come to know the ethic that is put into the journalistic aspect of my senior topic and the wonderful staff that was kind enough to let me intern at the Claremont Courier. 

Upon reflection, I realize that this experience has allowed me to mature as a writer. I learned, that a final draft can be edited countless times because there is more elements and questions within a story than often answered. Yes, there times when the work flow would become rather tedious and I would sit in the parking lot and complain about how much I really did not want to go. There were times when I almost fell asleep on the job and fumbled through my assignments in a dreamlike state. There were days when I simply stated at my word document and asked myself "How the hell am I supposed to interpret these notes and craft them into an article?" Sometimes I cried because trying to balance writing articles for the newspaper and research papers for school was an all consuming process that snuffed the light that was my creative process. 

But, there were more days when I rushed to the office or decided to work longer than needed because I loved the feeling that came with sitting at my desk and flipping through my findings. There were days when I would forget time and get caught up in the task that was editing the online calendars, jotting down questions and putting together the little segments (joke in a box and the themed wordsearch) that made up the Claremont Kid's section of the newspaper. There were days when I would come in and Sarah would hand me the newspaper that contained my byline and we'd discuss our ideas for the next issue. There were days when I was eager to be pushed out of my comfort zone and go down to Cal Poly or get the scoop on the low key seasonal menus that slowly began to present themselves in ma and pa shops that made up downtown Claremont. 

But in all, my experience  was something of importance because it is something that I will cherish. 

For most, senior year is the end. It is the event that prepares a student for all the fun that is college. But for me, senior year was a beginning. Senior year has allowed me to supply myself with necessary tools needed to pursue my journey as a writer and for that I will always be thankful.

So thank you, Ipoly. Thank you Mr. Piggot and Mr. Rivas for helping me formulate my EQ. Thank you Mrs. Ortega for answering my millions of questions, for being there when I was unsure of myself. Thank you Marissa Jasso for your beautiful pictures and accompanying me on my assignments. For all those wonderful pep talks. Thank you Isabella Grello for driving me around and staying up late to look over my PowerPoints and Word documents, for reminding me that I can't give up because I've got a lot of people to prove wrong.

Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement:
What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
During my block presentation I was most proud of the audience involvement and engagement that I had managed to acquire. I was happy about this particular aspect of my presentation because I was rather nervous that they would not be attentive or the least bit interested in my topic. In capturing their attention I was able to effectively convey my findings in depth (in which they successfully understood each answer) which helped guide the overall flow of the presentation.

(2) Questions to Consider
a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?
I would give my presentation a P+ because I was able to effectively explain my senior topic in depth and delve into the aspects that shaped each answer within the specific amount of time. Also, I was able to present my research as well as what I've learned from my experience at the Claremont Courier and Independent Components.  

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
I would give myself an AE for the extensive research and content that I have acquired throughout the senior project down to the thorough breakdown of my knowledge in my final presentation.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
Upon reflection, I personally feel that my mentorship with the Claremont Courier was what worked best for me, especially in shaping my understanding as well as the significant answers to my essential question. 

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to not reference my notes and powerpoint so often, this I feel, hindered my connection with the audience and their understanding that I knew my content. 

(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
The senior project has been a crucial aspect in shaping and guiding my future endeavors because it allowed me the opportunity to intern at the Claremont Courier, in which I was able to experience the field of journalism as well as what it means to be a reporter. Also, my senior project has given me the basis and foundational information needed to further my knowledge. I now know what elements shape an article and narrative. In a nutshell, senior project has fueled me with needed tools to guide my passion for creative writing.

Blog 22: Mentorship

Literal:

• Link for mentorship hours:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qD_IuKq4fdytsUbZSoFhNiTgexQDZq4fi720KhTaxW8/edit#gid=0

• Mentor:

Sarah Torribio, Claremont Courier (Reporter)

Interpretive:

What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

In mentoring at the Claremont Courier, I've learned to understand the journalistic aspect of my senior project which has allowed me to adapt as a writer. In the duration that were my nine months at the courier, I was able to experience the office life that is meeting deadlines, making phone calls, and following/getting accustomed to the specific format in which a newspaper article is crafted. In accordance to all of that, the most important thing that I've gained from my time there is that a final piece can be edited more than once. This I cannot emphasize enough because it has taught me that there is no perfect craft to the art of compiling your extensive research and shaping it into an informational story for the public. No matter skilled a writer may be, there is always room for improvement. 

Applied:
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

My EQ is: What two techniques from journalism and fiction writing can best be combined in creative nonfiction. Within the time frame that was my mentorship, I learned how to structure articles and craft sentences that were both informational and entertaining. This ultimately helped shaped my first answer which is: The journalistic aspect of extensive research and the art of storytelling can best be combined in creative nonfiction. These are key elements in the genre because both fact and connection are crucial to the foundation of the craft. I've practiced going beyond my comfort zone to obtain information, scoured the web for the basis of my article and set my sites on the printed publications that held within their pages the knowledge I so desired. I spent months jotting down notes, revising the highlighted sections of my paper and came to accept the red comments returned along with my final draft. I've also engaged in many conversations regarding the prominence in creating a voice that was resonate with the reader and studied the works of other reporters to get an idea of what my format should resemble. Interning at the courier has showed me how to edit myself, to keep an open mind when hovering over the "print" button, and that immersion is another way of comprehending the mindset and surroundings of a subject.

*Please do not turn in your mentorship hours to the office.  After we collect the total list from all seniors, we will turn in one piece of paper with all hours for everybody.  It is counted as 50 hours of the 200 you need in order to graduate from I-Poly.  The 10 hours in the summer have already been added to your community service total.

Blog 21: Exit Interviews

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is: What two techniques from journalism and fiction writing can best be combined in creative nonfiction?

My answers are: The journalist technique of extensive research and the art of storytelling from fiction writing, The journalist technique of immersion and the fiction writer's technique of character development,

The journalist's technique of establishing context and the fiction writer's incorporation of compression.

My best answer is: The journalist technique of extensive research and the art of storytelling from fiction writing can best be combined in creative nonfiction.

The reason I decided to choose this particular answer was because of my experience at the Claremont Courier (dealing with the monthly Kid's Corner article issues) in which I spent an abundance of my time researching my subject of interest and crafting articles in such a way that were both educational and entertaining for the younger readers. Also, upon examination, a majority of my research notes seemed to gravitate around the technique of extensive research and incorporation of storytelling devices to produce an adequate piece of prose whether it be an article, memoir, personal essay, etc.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I spent a majority of my time switching between delving into print publications that were creative nonfiction oriented as well as looking into books that focused completely on journalism and fiction writing to see what aspects from each genre applied to my senior topic. I often discussed my topic with my mentor (a reporter at the Claremont Courier) and Carla Benevidaz (a specialist in the trade magazine industry) and both seemed to brush upon the aspect of extensive research in each interview so I figured this was no coincidence. From there I read what I could and for my independent component 2, actually delved into these techniques myself. 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
Upon searching for my final answer, I did hit a few bumps in the road. 
For a while, I was slighted by my second answer, unable to make the decision on whether it was sufficient enough to answer my essential question. Character development is a crucial aspect in shaping the outcome of a creative nonfiction piece because this is what resonates most with the reader. I resolved this particular conundrum by talking to my mentor who then agreed that the art of storytelling does in fact encompass more than figurative language but the composition of a character as well.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The two most significant sources that I used to answer my essential question were:

Gutkind, Lee. You Can't Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction--from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in between. Boston, MA: Da Capo/Lifelong, 2012. Print. 

This book delves into the art of creative nonfiction, it's composition and craft, the variant techniques involved in producing prose, guidelines to avoid libel, and details the elements from both journalism and fiction that blend together. It also provides examples as to how pieces of prose within the genre are shaped and includes excerpts from memoirs, short stories, and articles.

Perl, Sondra, and Mimi Schwartz. Writing True: The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Print.


This book touches upon the variant aspects involved with creative nonfiction such as it's origin, the importance of particular elements that should be presented and properly executed in an adequate piece of prose, and features first hand experiences from the authors on this field of writing as well as interviews and notes from both readings and findings.

Extra Blog: April

It was my final day at the courier on Tuesday April 24th and I wrapped up my mentorship with a final article pertaining to the proposed construction plans at Cal Poly's West Kellogg Arabian horse center.

During the last week of May, I began looking into the dig as well as the online campaigns sponsored by students it was here that I got my lead for my article which was completed within the span of a few weeks, the longest that I've ever worked on a piece.

Through this journey, I was prompted to leave my comfort zone which included long over the phone interviews and trips to the Arabian horse center. With notepad and recorder at the ready, and my handy photographer Marissa Jasso, I was able to see the horse stables as the students who protested for their preservation saw them. A prominent piece of the Cal Poly Heritage.

It was a wonderful experience to finally be out and about, talking to the students and community that were dedicated to protecting this specific equine species. Although I felt like a journalist sitting at my desk in the Courier, it was nothing compared to the moment I held my recorder up to one of the students at Cal Poly.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Content:  

LITERAL (a) “I, Aralia Giron, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

(b) sources:

Bender, Sheila. Creative Writing Demystified. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print. 

Gutkind, Lee, and Hattie Fletcher. Buck. Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know about Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print.

Hart, Jack. Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2011. Print.

Kidder, Tracy, and Richard Todd. Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction. New York: Random House, 2013. Print. 

Klaus, Carl H. A Self Made of Words: Crafting a Distinctive Persona in Nonfiction Writing. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
(d) During this independent component 2, I was actually able to delve into my senior topic and put to practice a majority of the techniques involved. There was definitely a lot of research involved whether it be having to reference my research check notes, searching the web for credible publications, or simply checking out more material to help aid my findings. In doing so, I created a blog and put these research techniques to practice but giving an explanation of why the technique was important and listing two examples (one from a published author and my own attempt) that really encompassed these various aspects of the creative nonfiction genre and ended each blog with what did and didn't work in each piece. 

INTERPRETIVE
Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

My evidence that I did in fact complete my independent component posted on the right hand side of this blog under the label "Independent Component 2." Also here is the link: http://agironwriter.blogspot.com/

APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

This independent component in particular  helped me answer my EQ because I was able to experience and practice utilizing the main elemental techniques of creative nonfiction. I was able to dissect the writing styles from the various authors I studied and apply it to my own by delving into the unique elements that were incorporated into their work. 

Extra Blog: March

It's march madness at the courier as we struggle to gather the much needed articles for our upcoming issue. While I have been diligently gathering the next Claremont Kid's pages material, I was recently tasked to look into an issue over at Cal-Poly. This particular assignment was my first step to being a reporter since I had to run a few background checks on who I was talking to. And when I say background checks I don't mean typing "Megan's law" into my search engine, I mean going onto the Cal-Poly site and scrolling through names and  specific departments for contact information. Once I obtained a decent list of people to contact on the matter at hand, I sent a few emails and made a few calls that is-not without first having a few pages of notes and questions to ask. As of now, I have just completed my first draft but I need to make a LOT of changes. I'm still in the process of learning how to condense my work. I have a tendency to set up scene and delve further into the topic then I need to. So hopefully by the end of this month I will have conquered my current challenge and that is: getting to the damn point.