My blog writing this year has most certainly been a journey of self expression and a deep insight into my creative aptitude. And while blog writing was occasionally difficult for me, as I always fretted over my topic and my execution, I would still say that it was overall a wonderful experience full of growth. 

That being said, there were definitely some highlights which I would like to discuss. My favorite blog was ironically one of my first, which is “The Sociocultural Impact of Princess Peach”. This blog was my favorite for a number of reasons, but the main one was that I was able to turn an entirely glib concept into a genuine dive into the importance of fictional characters to our perception of society and of each other. Hilariously, the blog topic started completely as a joke between myself and a few friends, but as I thought about it more and begun to consider how I could write about it, I came to the realization that Princess Peach actually had a significant impact on my life (notably on my gender and sexual expression, which I struggled with for some time), an impact which I can see in other people as well, as I discussed within that post. That is to say, this blog assignment actually encouraged me to think in a way which I would not have previously, and it opened my eyes to the occasionally hidden ways we connect with each other and with ourselves. I also believe that this blog was the most beneficially holistic, as it covered a variety of topics from ethics to sexuality, whereas most of my other blogs were focused more specifically on my job or on a narrative. I am proud that I was able to tackle a great deal of subject matter in the context of an approachable character, and I truly believe that I will continue to look fondly back on this piece of my writing.

In terms of semester-long growth, I genuinely feel that I have changed as a writer for the better. This is for one main reason, which is that I have gained a renewed sense of passion. For most of my high school experience, the only writing I have ever done has been associated with a novel or an assignment, with very little room for creativity or uniqueness. Frankly, most of them have been tedious at best or agonizing at worst, and as a result, I have lost a lot of my love for the art. But being able to tackle topics of my choosing in an amusing way (especially ones like “Things that Annoy Me…” or “Starbucks Barista Q&A”) has reinvigorated me, and I am ready to write again in my own voice. I am truly grateful for this project as a result.

As for the writing of my peers, I have certainly learned a great deal from and about them. Most obviously, I learned that everyone writes in dramatically different ways. I tend to think of the humanities as solely within my own voice, but it was nice to get a feel for the overall techniques and sentiments of my classmates, especially because I will need to learn how to properly interpret and adjust to the writing of my peers in the group-oriented university setting. Additionally, I learned that I need to diversify the way I communicate my interests. Many of the comments I received on my blogs this year involved my peers offering differing perspectives or interpretations based on their own experiences (notably on my “What is a Sport” blog, where several people took issue with my liberal definition of sport), and I want to be more proactive next semester by incorporating more contrasting opinions within each post, to hopefully address an interest or concern from each of my classmates. 

Throughout this blog writing process, I have definitely garnered my fair share of lessons about both myself personally and academically. Regarding the former, I learned how deeply attached I am to my interests, as demonstrated in my heated back-and-forth comments under the “What is a Sport” post as well as my unique and fervent defense for Princess Peach in “The Sociocultural Impact of Princess Peach”. More specifically, I learned that I do not take too kindly to objections which I believe to be uninformed or are derisive towards something I am passionate about. Next semester, I hope to let go of the reins a little bit, and remember that as with all things, my beliefs and passions are subject to the opinions of other people, and that as a member of the NNHS AP Literature community, I am obligated to respect and engage with those opinions. Beyond this, the week-long nature of the blog assignments taught me to use my time wisely, even before the due date. That is to say, it is a good habit to work on an assignment several days before the due date, to leave room for editing or for other assignments. I believe that I did a good job of this this semester, as I consistently turned in the blogs several days in advance. I hope to carry this ethic into next semester, as with AP exam season quickly approaching, I will need to budget my time and ensure that I have time to study outside of required assignments. 

Overall, the blog project has presented me with a variety of lessons and opportunities which I would not have otherwise gotten had I taken a different class or a different approach to my writing, and I am incredibly excited to see what next semester has to offer!