Up until this point, I thought I had my blog all figured out- well it looks as though there’s probably some major thematic work to do. Here’s the story: I’ve become enthusiastic lately about the prospect of adding fun tabs (that aren’t directly related to academic writing) that reveal different aspects of myself that I sadly don’t usually get to talk about. Needless to say, I want to bring a lot of components into my portfolio BUT most importantly- and this sums up my dilemma- I want to stick to a more figurative tone/style of writing.
One of the biggest weaknesses in my writing is being too wordy (yeah this blog post is approaching that point already) and not straightforward enough. I think that a lot of this stems from the fact that I love being figurative, that I love reading figurative pieces that make me think outside of the box. Although I cannot necessarily channel this style in its entirety, because that would be rather obnoxious, I want to make my own abstract phrases and metaphors more tangible for the reader, so that they more clearly convey the ideas I want them to. Mostly, I am thinking presently about the contextual introduction.
Ideally, the portfolio will highlight
1.) A style of writing that channels these figurative, metaphorical, abstract (okay you get it) tendencies, but also improves/builds upon them by making them more accessible. I want to imply facts about myself, not state them explicitly.
2.) In less broad terms/ Let’s tone it down- I want to bring in other forms of media to add contrast to my writing. I plan on associating each piece of my writing with a picture from my past – after all, my contextual intro focuses partially on the importance of documentation and nostalgia (at least for me). It allows me to think about my past in comparison to where I am now in a clearer way. It helps me to realize that I am on my own path, even if that path isn’t a straight shot. Sometimes we need these tangible aids to guide us, when our minds are too clouded to pick out what’s important and what’s not. Simultaneously, this allows me to bring in those outside interests, such as photography.
3.) I want this portfolio to create its own nostalgia- visuals will be very important, as they will be used in unison with pieces of writing. I guess in a way, writing is a form of documentation à so I guess that’s nostalgia too
So, if you couldn’t tell, I’m probably most excited about the fact that I finally get to showcase this more “figurative” style that I have never had the chance to build upon, outside of my own secret writing. As for concerns, there are many. Ugh. I think that I still have some streamlining/condensing to do, in order to establish one concrete theme. Also, I have to still figure out how I want to set up my 220 pieces- do I want to use tabs? Do I want creative names for the tabs? How do I incorporate the overall theme into these titles? Basically I am most concerned about being able to connect everything back to one coherent point. And of course, I have much to learn about WordPress and how I can customize it more. Hopefully I don’t get lost in the blogging world anytime soon.
And if you’re interested, here’s the link to my (so far) portfolio! hilleliz.wordpress.com