Blog 25: Mentorship

    Literal
·     Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties (All included in the mentorship log)
·     Press Ctrl+F and enter 'Andrew Canales' in my mentorship log. His information is there (I do not want to publish it on a public blog for his consideration)

    Interpretive
     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
   Considering there was a miscommunication about what I could use to constitute as mentoship, I cannot say I had an adequate mentoring experience. What I can say though is that Wordsmitten gave me a lot of experience and taught me much about both myself as a writer and what my goals as a writer are. I have come to realize that:

1. My writing is not geared towards younger audiences. I am okay with this, as long as I can practice my fiction freely. Still, this came as a bit of a surprise because of how young I am. I guess in a sense I didn't take my writing so serious that I thought writing adult fiction would be an option for me. After discovering this, I know that I shouldn't undermine myself because doubt manifests failure more often that fear.

Wordsmitten aside, the experience I gained from attending the Poly Post also helped me understand a few things. It takes a team to accomplish a whole project, depending on what type of project it is. I guess the most important thing I've learned thus far is not necessarily one of my answers, but has to do with time management. When I went to the Post in time to see how they schedule who does what story, there were at least twenty people in the room and one event had to be covered on Friday, yet almost no one had time to cover it and the person who did wasn't allowed to cover it because they had another story to cover.

Applied
     How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.
Throughout the year, I've helped quite a few people revise their essay assignments. Turnitin aside, people came to me to ask for a critique and I used what I learned to effectively give them feedback. Instead of reading their pieces in my head, I read them aloud and it helped me see the flow of their story or where they could improve. Multiple people have told me that my criticism is so effective, that it's better than just answering a few questions. That isn't to say the questions don't help, but there are key elements to look for when wanting to give criticism.

Since the beginning of the year, I've learned how to give criticism that is not too harsh or critical. Ultimately, I have learned to give constructive criticism that will help writers better their pieces or understand where their weaknesses are and how to improve them to become strengths.

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 hours Check

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
Cal Poly Post in Building 1, Room 109(?)

2.   Who is your contact?

Andrew Canales

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   

I have approximately 22 hours and 10 minutes

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

For the most part I used my 10 hours at the Cal Poly Post newspaper office. I'm generally give a handful of submissions done by the college students and expected to revise what I can (I also pick up a few tips along the way as to contemporary  newspaper grammar [They don't use the third Oxford comma anymore... :( ])

The additional 5 hours was used to help my classmates revise their college essays. Each had a different prompt so it took a few hours to get through each, check the grammar, spelling, and clarified any unclear sentences as well as restructured what didn't flow properly. From this I was able to practice my editing skills, which I generally like to do more than writing.

5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number.    

Andrew Canales

I do not have his number, but here is his email: andrewcanales16@yahoo.com

Total Mentorship Hours

I'm not sure how to document my hours for my mentorship, but I figured doing a complete spreadsheet would work. Tell me if I'm wrong?

Total Mentorship Hours - Last Updated: 10/21/12

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Assignment
Literal (Know):

• 10 hours mentorship log

Literal (Need to know):

• What are the best or most helpful methods to becoming a freelance novelist?
• What requirements may there be to becoming a published author?
• How long does it usually take for a writer's pieces to be published?
• How much income is received based on each piece or novel released?

Interpretive

• Although it was difficult to find things that would help me acquire Service Learning Hours, freelance writing on Fictionpress has proven to help me improve my writing. It gave me the opportunity to apply writing ideas that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. While there were only a few comments on my pieces, it was still constructive and ultimately helped me improve what I was writing. I did manage to get in contact with a man who has had several of his pieces published. He notified me that getting my pieces published was a tricky game considering how much competition there is in the writing field, but as I am a competitive person (Despite my laziness), that only motivated me further to continue writing. What I've learned exactly is that simple is not always best. I have learned to put the visuals in my mind into words so that the readers can see what I see or easily perceive it how they will. None the less, the images are becoming more and more clear.

Applied

• Initially I wanted my topic in general to be Creative Writing, but considering how so few opportunities are near my residential area, I had to go with something a little broader, freelance writing! Despite being a senior in high school, I haven't found my calling in any specific type of writing, though I am passionate about literature in general. I think freelance writing will allow me explore different types of writing. As I have a possible internship at the Cal Poly Post, I can explore journalism whilst practicing fictional narratives on Fictionpress. In the last couple weeks of summer, I have found what I lack when it comes to writing: inspiration. Because seniors have short days, I'll be free to roam around cities in search for whatever inspiration I'll need.