Creative Process Reflection

The Ice Patch is based off of some of the cats that used to live in my family’s barn. Rosie and Rupert really were siblings, and Rupert did die of an illness when he was young. Rosie never did get depressed, though. She could have cared less about the other cats in the barn. Katie was one of the oldest cats in the barn for a long while, so her role of wisest cat suits her well. Her period of depression is based on an actual time in her life, but the cause of her depression was from her inability to raise kittens in her old age. Rosie’s struggle with the loss of a loved one comes straight out of my own life as I struggled to process my grief after three of my relatives passed away in the span of a year. One of the hardest portions of writing this story was the dialogue. Each character needed their own style of speaking, but I did not want to be repetitive with what the cats said. Some of Katie’s words were difficult to string together because I wanted her to be wise and understanding and not condescending or rude. I struggle in my own life with finding the right words for difficult situations, but I think that Katie succeeds in giving advice that is useful in this story.

Apple Blossoms may not follow a typical story line, but it tells a story nonetheless of Rebecca and her tree. I was inspired by my own special apple tree that I enjoyed climbing, but Rebecca gets to have a more intimate connection with her tree and do more things in it than I was ever able to. This story could easily be expanded on or used in a much longer work, but I think that it stands by itself very well. One of the biggest struggles I had with this story was varying the descriptive words. I feel like I have expanded my vocabulary as a result of writing this piece. Focusing on each of the senses helped me categorize my thoughts while writing this piece. In the future, I would like to include more sensory details in my writings, but I would like to intersperse them throughout the story instead of writing them like a list. Using more sensory details helps the audience become engaged in the story, but it can also help me build a stronger world for my characters to engage with.

—Sara