About this Portfolio

I always considered myself a fiction writer, producing short stories and flash fiction with the goal of eventually writing a fiction novel. However, I now realize the skill and consideration that goes into writing nonfiction pieces, such as a profile, a memoir, and a critical review. This portfolio is my dabble into nonfiction and other subgenres that I wouldn’t have even considered writing but still thoroughly enjoy.

The profile on Julian Casablancas was the most difficult for me to write and edit. Even though “The New Abnormal” was released back in April 2020, I had discovered it closer to December. The Strokes’ latest album became what I constantly had on repeat and in the background, so their nomination for a Grammy made it the perfect opportunity for me to write about what I’ve been obsessing on for the past while. Although I’ve considered myself a Strokes fan for at least five years, I didn’t know much about the band and the members. So, I dove into research and further fell for Casablancas’ unique and cool attitude. My first draft was a culmination of this research and the idea that the Casablancas I knew was the one from their early 2000s music videos with his sexy, rock ambiance, not the 41-year-old dad that he is now. I remember feeling very upset at how much his image had changed as he aged, but then I found that his persona was still there, and he was even cooler than ever. Despite liking my first draft, I knew it was a bit all over the place. With consideration, I realized that I focused too much on the band and didn’t allow Casablancas enough of his voice in his profile. Hence, the second draft saw revisions concentrated on adding more quotes and refocusing the piece on Casablancas, rather than the whole band. The final product is what you’ll see on this site, meant for the Rolling Stone website.

The critical review was just pure fun to write. Wanting a reason to purchase the new pack I was curious about at full price, I immediately chose The Sims 4 Paranormal Stuff Pack to review. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but the trailers looked like it could actually be good. However, in the three hours of gameplay, I had rage quitted twice before finally putting the pack down for good and opening Microsoft Word. My first draft was just a straight rant of my frustrations and wishes of what could have been because I really did enjoy it before everything fell apart. My peers loved my voice from this first draft, so I tried to keep as much of this original voice as possible while also wanting to include new elements. Originally, in my closing comments, I expressed concerns about the DLC craze and not just how Sims strongly influenced it, but that this failure of a pack could mean dangerous things for the series’s future. I wanted this concern to be front and center in the final draft. So I shifted it to my opening and allowed the closing comments to include just my opinions on the game pack. This meant that I also had to restructure and move around my existing paragraphs to create a better flow for the piece. The final version of this review, which keeps my initial frustration and adds new context to Sims and the gaming industry, is for the Hardcore Gamers review website.

The other two pieces I have included in this portfolio are from a recent dive into creative nonfiction, where I found that my personal voice is my strength. I used to believe that creativity is essential for only fiction writing. Nonfiction meant more of just telling the facts, but I’ve since learned that the lines between fiction and nonfiction are more blurred than I initially thought. Using elements from my creative storytelling in fiction, I’ve found an incredible crossover to nonfiction. Even in the profile and the critical review, I found myself playing with words just as I would in any of my fiction works. I have developed a greater understanding and appreciation for the thought and creativity that goes into art and entertainment writing, in addition to nonfiction works in general.