I’d like to say I’m heartbroken about it being the final class of the Coursera’s Writing course, but I just can’t say it with even an iota of honesty. I took the class to get better at writing, and the only thing it’s taught me is how to balance one more thing on my plate. However, I can do an honest review of it, and there is good in the class. It’s just not for everyone.

 This is the last time I will have to write a journal entry for this class, and it’s a big one. Here is what we are supposed to write about here in our journal, then again in our peer assessments.

Pick one of the four topics listed in the Week 5 writing assignment and choose the topic that most appeals to you for your final, peer reviewed paragraph. Once you’ve made your choice, start with the first step of the writing process, inventing, and try a few of the methods to develop your ideas.  If you find that the topic does not seem to be working, try developing another topic. Once you’ve developed some good ideas for your paragraph, move to the second step, organizing, and construct an outline that you can use for drafting your paragraph.

The topics they gave us to choose from are thus:

Topic #1
Discuss at least four (4) short term and/or long term effects that finishing Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade will have upon you personally, academically, and/or professionally.

Topic #2
Identify and describe a favorite activity or interest and provide at least four reasons why this activity or interest holds your attention and/or is enjoyable to you.

Topic #3
Identify and describe at least three (3) ways a person, male and/or female, is recognized as an adult in your culture.

Topic #4
Identify and describe a traditional ethnic food from your culture. Provide at least four reasons why this food has remained an essential, primary food in your culture. While you may include the recipe, this topic asks you to discuss the importance of the food in your culture.

OK, then. Should I start twitching now? Seems like the only one I can write about with minimal amount of snark is #2. #1 is not good for me professionally, and will have no impact on my life other than a review. Once written, it will be forgotten. #3 and 4 would be interesting to think about, but I don’t want to spend that much time on the writing assignment. I’ll do it here, though. 😉

So, I guess that limits me to topic #2, and you’ll all be hearing about gardening, crocheting, or writing. Better yet, I’ll tell you about creating.

Creating things

For me, my hobby and passion is creating things. It doesn’t matter if I’m creating a business, a work of art, a crocheted item, a story, or even just a well-loved home to live in, creating is what I really enjoy doing. For me, this is what life is. I go to work and create a company, which in turn helps others create what they dream of. I get to help inventors create their products, then create their business. It’s a lot of work, sure, but that’s one of the things that keeps me interested in what I do. There is no shortage of things to do to get from a simple idea to a final goal. Even when I’m outside of work I create things. Before I go in, I create blog articles for myself or others. After work I create art out of various mediums — usually yarn, but also paper, metal, and food. I love writing and creating art as much as I love going into work, and it’s often for the same reasons. I get to start with a mere idea, then turn it into something solid.

Besides seeing something appear out of nothing more than an idea, I love creating for the sense of accomplishment it gives me. At work, I’m working with a team of amazing people. We surround an inventor and pull their ideas from their head, help them sculpt them into a solid idea, and then help them craft the idea into something tangible that they can feel. If they want to take it further into the market, then they can and we help with that too. I get a sense of accomplishment from this because I’ve helped someone create something by sheer will and determination.

Another reason I like creating things is because it is a great way to make money. I often sell my writing, crochet, food, and artwork. Who doesn’t like to make money doing something they like to do? Well, I love the process more than the finished result, so I often sell what I make for probably far less than I should. I often barter or trade for things, too, which just adds to the fun.

The last reason I’m listing here, but definitely not the last in my mind, is that I like to create various things because I love the process. Sitting down with nothing but a thought, then turning that thought into something more, and eventually turning that into something I can either sell or give away is just an amazing process to me. I have gone through this process innumerable times, and I’m still learning a lot about the world, the way things work, and what’s ahead. Creating a variety of things and going through each process is life to me, not just a hobby.

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This is a good place to conclude the writing lesson, but you’ll be able to find out more about my creation processes as the blog here progresses. After all, it’s part of me, not just something I do to pass the time.