Caitlin's Semester Recap

 During this course we explored many avenues of multimodal/digital content, even creating and exploring with works of our own. In ENGL 623, I really enjoyed that our homework assignments related to the digital content we would be working with that week/for that unit. I learned a lot about the different ways to tell and share stories through platforms and media I either did not know existed or I hadn't worked with before - this created many challenges but allowed me to persevere and try something new. This was exciting and new for me especially as a journalism major where storytelling typically lacks an avenue of creativity and is extremely linear through writing, broadcast or audio. While I loved having the opportunity to explore different platforms, the journalist in me still prefers the classic written word. My favorite project by far was the "Humans of New York" Assignment because it allowed me to channel my interviewing skills and I had done something similar for my internship over the summer. My internship assignment was to interview the high school seniors and talk to them about being graduates of the pandemic, so it was really cool to then do that here at UNH and interview my roommates in a similar setting. The exciting thing about using so many different platforms is it allows you to build your resume and skillset for future jobs and projects - by taking a class that was outside of my comfort zone it pushed me to expand my knowledge, skillset, and the ways in which, I think. I wish I could say what the future of digital creative writing would look like, but I think we learn as technology changes. My best guess is we are going to keep heading in the direction of virtual reality and the experiences will continue to become more realistic for the viewer. Digital and multimodal content really come from the creativity and imagination behind the creator, and we saw that with games like bubble and interactive programs like Infinite Worries, we took part in experiences like Motto and Agence. Creative Non-fiction isn’t just about writing about ourselves or experiences it is a way to show another human being what those experiences were like and to form a connection – the digital component can elevate this connection.

As today marks the ending of our class, I am extremely thankful to have been a part of a close-knit classroom where I was very comfortable sharing very vulnerable pieces of work. I was amazed by the bond we formed and how easy it was to connect with my peers over creative nonfiction whether it was someone else’s work or one of our fellow classmates. I was constantly amazed by the work my classmates were producing and am very thankful for everything we learned from Dr. M and one another.