The worldbuilding unit was about building a strong, compelling story that referenced real-world themes and messages. Upon reflection, the worldbuilding unit was much more focused on plot-building than worldbuiding. We started by reading The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which showed us an example of social commentary woven into a work of fiction. Next, the research essay required us to research a currently debated social issue that could be used to help us write a plot for our worldbuilding narrative. After that, we joined groups to build a fictional narrative.
I really love worldbuilding, but it’s something I’ve spent hundreds of hours working on, so it’s not anything new. Plotbuilding, on the other hand, is something I avoid, since I’m not very good at it. It was really valuable to challenge myself and develop that skill. I still consider plotbuilding my weakest point in building a story, but I’ve learned a lot of tools for improvement now.
My research essay was about the treatment of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have done research essays for English classes multiple times before, so I knew what to expect. I had trouble with this essay due to it being deep in the midst of college apps, and I was swamped. I was proud that I was able to pull through.
The fictional narrative project was really fun. Building a collaborative story with a group was something I had never done before, and it was a fun challenge. I think we worked really well together as a group, and I am really proud of and thankful for my teammates for doing an amazing job.
