Creative Writing Class

For the first time in my life I'm taking a creative writing class. I was really excited, mostly because it's been a dream of mine to take it, and what could be more fun then a class where the homework is writing?

Oh. Um. How about 2 hours of analyzing 6 different haiku's, each with different translations. Oh wait. No. That wasn't fun at all.

Don't get me wrong, I admire people who write poetry. I think it's extremely difficult, and some of it is really beautiful. It's just not my thing.

I hate writing poetry. I've knocked out a few things here and there when I'm feeling extra emotional or depressed, but there's only been four lines that I actually liked. (Note: I see the rocks we picked on the shore of that river/where we kissed in the open/because it would be the last time for a month/which ended up being forever) But other than that there has been very few times I've enjoyed poetry.

Which is why this class is a bit disappointing to me. My teacher is a poet. He says he's alright at short stories, but he's really into poetry. And we'll be doing it for 6 weeks, supposedly, which is most of the quarter. Although he did say we can bring things to him whenever we want, regardless of whether or not we're studying it at the time, and he'll critique it.

But that's what also unnerves me. I have a hard time visualizing myself bringing a short story like Get Mad, Baby to my older male poet-teacher and saying, "Enjoy." I'm not so sure he would enjoy reading a story regarding love and teenage emotions, which is what I write.

I'm nervous about presenting what we write to the class as well. I mean, some writers can be extremely hoighty-toighty. You know what I mean? Those kids that sit and write out proverbial rants about life and it's meaning, and when you say you write they ask, "Oh, what about?" And it's a peculiar feeling to say, "Oh, romance. Teen romance. Basically I like Young Adult...with hints of more mature happenings."

I'm never going to write anything culture changing. I don't think I would want to. If I ever publish a book, which I will eventually so-help-me-God, I hope it would appeal to the older teenage (even younger) audience. Because I love books like that, and I'm nearing my last year as a teenager. And I think girls at that age really need books where you have just a good romance story, or maybe a story with a main character that is easy to relate to, because girls need something to...relate to. (Note: If you're feeling ambitious, try and find another word than "relate to" later, Devonny-Darling.)

I'm starting to ramble about things that really...don't need to be rambled about. Pardon me.