Writings

Creative writing is a passion of mine that I like to engage in whenever possible. My bachelor's degree, which I'm working on right now, will be made up of several creative writing classes, and I'm eyeing a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from UNM. Below, you'll find my poems, short stories, and essays that I want to share. They're all in PDF format, and there's a short description with each to give you an idea of what they're about. If you find a link that doesn't work or want to comment on something, drop me a line!

Poems
Angel of Darkness
A short little poem that I love because of how I made the rhyme and word choice work well enough given only four lines to work with.
Angel of Darkness - Revised
My sophomore year in high school, we were working on the poetry unit, and the teacher wanted us to personify a symbol. I liked the original poem so much that I extended it. I also came back to this poem in my creative writing class since I wanted to add it to my writing portfolio that had to be turned in as the final for that class.
El Viaje
I wrote this for my first successful Valentine's Day (2006). I don't know how I got the inspiration, but suddenly the night before this love-child was born. I think it captures our relationship at that point very well.
I Remember
An assignment for my creative writing class. The concept was just to write about a place that we remember. (Original!)
Let Go
Random poem from my sophomore year in high school. I had some other poems from that time, but I have to say that this was my best, and I still enjoy reading it.
My Present to You
Written for Christmas in 2007 with Andrea, Drew, and my mom. I was very original and got everyone gift cards for Christmas that year, so I felt compelled to add to my "originality" by using this cute poem.
Ode to Holiday Gluttony
I think I wrote this in the same year as the above poem, and I got many people to laugh at it. Basically, I made little candy bags for people at Hayes, and I attached this poem to the front of the bag. Like I said, many laughs were had.
Room 304
Another assignment for my creative writing class, although I don't remember what the exact assignment was. Overall, I like the symmetry of the poem.
The Collegiate Seat
For my creative writing class, we were supposed to personify an everyday object. I personified a desk in a college classroom.
The Family Bruja
Another one for my creative writing class, but I can't remember the exact assignment (again). Regardless, I really like this one.
(Untitled)
This was my second poem written for the same Valentine's Day as "El Viaje," This time, I challenged myself by aiming to write a decent poem using his name to outline it. I think it worked out really well considering I only had five lines to work with.

 

 

Short Stories
Finding You
This is my first shot at romance. This story plays a side part in a much larger scheme that I am currently planning out. I figured I'd test the waters by completing a short story before graduating onto bigger things. I have to say I personally like this story a lot, and I love the semi-cliffhanger ending.
In the Bank Lobby
Written for my creative writing class, the assignment was for us to write about our parents' courtship. It was supposed to be a simple creative non-fiction story, but I spiced it up by making it in first person and adding my own zest to it.
My Choice
I had written this story before I took the creative writing class, but I decided to use it as one of my fiction stories. I had really liked the original draft, but I think this draft works much better.
Rain
The result of a really random urge. I got a strange idea for a short-short story, and I ended up making the story an allegory for the modern lifestyle and how people can't even have one day off to enjoy themselves.
The Floor Beneath Me
Written for my creative writing class, the story is supposed to be about a journey that I've taken, so I figured moving out of my first apartment would suit just fine.

 

 

Essays
Gone to the Dogs:
How the American Dream Kennels Myrtle Wilson
in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
The magnum opus of my college career thus far. I had originally written this essay for my Engl 250: Analysis of Literature class from HELL the first semester of my sophomore year, but it turned out really well due to help from my high school senior honors English teacher. In March of my Junior year (a year and a half later), I came back to this essay to enter it into a contest. I worked with the same professor, and it's currently being reviewed. Even if it doesn't win anything, I am extremely proud of this beast because I blindsided the professor with it.
Marina's Classical Woman:
Gallant Appearance, Speech, Truth, and Masculine
Endurance in William Shakespeare's Pericles
I took a class in Later Shakespeare the second semester of my sophomore year. I hate Shakespeare, but I decided to make this paper fun by linking it to gender issues. The prompt had something to do with describing how Act 5, Scene 1 of Pericles is a scene of awakening. I totally perverted that concept and got an A on the stupid thing. I revisited the essay the second semester of my junior year in order to get extra credit in my Engl 150: Study of Literature class.
Melville's Dead Letter:
He Who Can Write Palely and with
a Cadaverous Nonchalance
This essay was originally written for my Engl 296: Earlier American Literature survey class sophomore year. The assignment was just to write a 6-7 page paper on one of the texts that we had read. As a result, this is my infamous "7 pager on adverbs." That's right, I wrote 7 pages on the use of adverbs and how they dehumanize the title character. Yes, I got an A. I came back to this essay my second semester of junior year in order to get extra credit in my Engl 240: Traditional Grammar class.

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