Creative Writing Portfolio
By: Melinda Davis
A Portion of my Writing Piece
Kiran woke to the soft sound of raindrops on his window. The sun shone slightly through the rolling clouds high above. Only a few rays on sunlight managed to pierce through them. Kiran slowly rubbed the sleep from his brown eyes and sat up to look out the window next to his bed. He could see people putting up white tents and covering tables with delicious food, fresh cut flowers, and beautiful artwork. He pressed his face against the window to he could see further down the street and into the park placed in the center of town. Through the thin glass, he could see a tall pole with colorful ribbons attached it the top of it.
Despite the rain, people were already starting to gather in the streets. Children in brightly colored rain coats were playing tag in the rain, while their parents talked and ate.
Just then Kiran heard footsteps from outside his door. His bedroom door opened and a woman stood in the frame. She stood there, clumsily trying to put on a pair of boots and hold a cup of coffee at the same time. Her long black hair falling into her face in the process.
“Kiran, honey, it’s festival day. Go get ready!” she said while pulling her hair behind her ear.
“Okay mommy…” Kiran said, he face never leaving the window.
The woman sighed. Once she had finally managed to put her boots on her feet, she went over to Kiran's dresser. She rummaged through a few drawers, gathering several different articles of clothing. In her hands were a red and white striped shirt, a pair of blue pants and a pair of tiny yellow rain boots. She tossed them onto Kiran's small bed next to him.
"Kiran, Get ready please. Mr. Mendoza made a special batch of festival pancakes just for you. And you know Mr. Mendoza, he won't keep them forever."
Upon hearing this, Kiran jumped away from the window and put on the clothes. He pulled on his shoes, ran around his mother through the rather large living room. He weaved through the chairs and tables and made his way into the kitchen area. In the kitchen stood a thin woman with collarbone length blonde hair. Her clothes hung from her thin frame but she was beautiful all the same. She stood over a gas stove cooking, filling the home with the smell of eggs and bacon. Though the strongest smell by far was coffee, which always seemed to stick to her.
As Kiran ran toward the kitchen, the woman in the kitchen moved her body to block stairway to the downstairs.
"Woah there, Kiddo! Where you runnin' off to so quickly?" she said, the frying pan still in her hand.
Kiran moved back and forth trying to get around her, but she was quicker and more agile than him.
"Mom!" Kiran whined, "Mr. Mendoza made festival pancakes! I have to go!"
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry honey! I didn't know that Mr. Mendoza had made his special pancakes. Go, Go, Go! And don't forget to grab me some!"
"I won't!"
"Oh Kiran!" His mother Manona shouted from the living room. "Don't forget your raincoat and umbrella! I don't want you catching a cold."
"I won't." Kiran said again, grabbing his yellow raincoat from the hooks in the hallway.
Kiran ran down the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. The family lived in an apartment located above a small clothing boutique named "Ray of Sunshine". Kiran's mother, Manona, owns and runs the shop.
He ran through the boutique, around racks of clothing and people towards the front door. He pushed open the door to reveal the main street that ran through the town. Right outside the boutique was a white tent with three street grills inside of it. At the grill towards the front, was a large muscular man with thick dark hair. He had a friendly and welcoming presence, despite the scar that ran from his left eye to the end of his chin. The man was flipping different colored pancakes with sprinkles in them. Kiran ran around the tent so he could peak over the grill at the delicious pancakes.
"Hi, Mr. Mendoza!" Kiran shouted over the hum of the grill.
"Kiran! My boy!" the man said rather loudly, "I saved you a special batch of festival pancakes! Extra sprinkles, just how you like 'em"
Mr. Mendoza turned away from the grill towards the back of the tent to one of the other grills. He took three of the most colorful cakes and put them on a small paper plate. He handed them carefully to Kiran.
"Now my boy," he said. "They're fresh off the grill, so be careful."
"I will." Kiran said softly while concentrating on not spilling the cakes.
"Run along now," Mr. Mendoza nearly shouted, "I thought I saw some of your friends by the park."
Kiran took his plate and started to make his way through the crowds of people. Many people said hello to Kiran as he made his way through the streets. He pushed through people until he had made his way to the park in the center of town.
The park was about the size of two football fields. Large oak trees lined the outside of the park. They created the effect that the park was a completely different place from the town. Around every tree were colourful flowers of every sort, making it look like a magical garden. In the center of the park was an old fountain. The constant rain over the years had worn on the once elegant finishes. On both sides of the fountain stood a twenty foot polls with colorful ribbons on top.
Children held on to the end of the ribbons, skipping in circles. Parents stood on the outskirts of the park, chatting amongst themselves. Most of the adults stood by grills under tents, keeping them selves dry. Every now and then, a child would break free from the circle of children to run over to grab a burger.
Kiran walked towards the fountain and sat on the edge next to one of the cherubs that guarded it. Around him, people talked and laughed; enjoying the festival. He happily ate his pancakes while watching the other children run around in circles. He could see some of his friends from school like Jack, Emma, Myra, and Gabriel. They were running around the pole, trying to see who could go around faster.
"Hey Kiran!"
Kiran looked up from his pancakes to see his best friend, Melody, running towards him. She was wearing her favourite black raincoat with red boots. In her hands were two strings of red and blue tickets.
"Kiran! The ticket man gave me double the tickets, do you want to share them with me?" Melody said while jumping with excitment.
"Sure, but I have to finish my last pancake first."
Melody sat down on the fountain next to Kiran. Kiran looked at his last pancake and then at Melody, who was humming and kicking her legs. He tore the pancake in half and gave the bigger half to her. She took the half and they both ate their pancakes silently while watching the festival.
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It was dark now. The sun had set over an hour ago and though the sky was dark, the streets were lit up by string lights strung from building to building. The lights cast a beautiful glow on the street below. The streets glistened from the rain which was now coming down heavier than before. Kiran walked down the slippery sidewalk, jumping in every puddle that crossed his path. He carried a clear umbrella in one hand to keep his head dry. In the other hand he carried a small box with a half eaten funnel cake and a small stuffed prize bear. Kiran had won the bear earlier in a festival game against his friend Jack. Kiran had used every ticket that Melody had given him except one. He currently had it in his right coat pocket; he wanted to save it for the next rain festival.
The soft wind was blowing, rustling the small trees in the sidewalk planters. All of a sudden, a rogue wind blew in from behind Kiran, whipping his coat around him. And that wind, it carried the single ticket from his pocket and into the alleyway. Kiran grabbed at the air, trying to grab the ticket before it floated down the alleyway in to the dark. He ran after the ticket, kicking up water onto the back of his legs as he ran. He ran further and further down the alley. The ticket slowly floated downward and into a small puddle next to a dumpster. Kiran knelt down, placing one hand on the dumpster for balance, and retrieved the small piece of paper. The ticket was soaked. The ink writing on it was smeared a little but still legible. He placed the ticket in his pocket, careful not to wrinkle it.
On his left was a huge dumpster with old crates stacked next to it. On top of the crates were some old tarps with moth holes everywhere. There was a lamp about twenty feet back that attempted to light up the alleyway but didn't do much but light up the rain as it fell.
(There was one thing that was peculiar.) Under the tarps and the crates were a couple of ratty blankets and a small teddy bear with one ear torn off. Kiran approached the pile of crates to get a better look at the stuffed animal. He reached for the bear when something moved in the shadows under the crate. He pulled his hand away and fell back into a puddle, dropping his umbrella and other belongings in the process. He was breathing heavy, frightened.
"Hello?" Kiran said towards the crates.
He pushed himself up so he was crouching on his knees and looked into the shadows. He looked into the shadows for any sign of life. He rolled back so that he was now sitting on his feet, hugging his legs to stay still. He just stayed there, staring into the darkness, waiting for it to move again. His feet began to ache and his knees creaked at the slightest movement but Kiran did not get up.
Several minutes passed. Kiran continued to watch, determined. The bear was still visible from where he sat, it's big eyes staring back at him. The soft wind blew random pieces of paper and trash down the alleyway. Something brushed up against the back of his right leg, causing him to look down. It was his clear umbrella that he had dropped. He reached out and picked it up, bringing it over his head.He turned back to look into the crates, but the small bear was gone. In it's place was nothing but darkness. Kiran turned his head, looking for the small stuffed toy but it was nowhere to be found. He noticed that the ratty blankets had also been moved.
All of a sudden Kiran had an idea. He looked behind him, searching for the small box that he dropped when he fell. The cardboard box was thoroughly soaked from the rain but the funnel cake inside was still alright. He could still smell the sugar and sweet dough. He took the box into his small hands and placed it in the small shelter, right next to the opening. He unhooked the lid and opened the box, the smell of sugar getting stronger.
He backed away and sat back into the same position he was in earlier. He hugged his knees and waited. The rain was still coming down hard but Kiran sat in that same spot, unmoving.
"You can have that, if you want. I know it's a bit wet but it's still really good." Kiran said in a small voice.
"You don't have to be afraid. I won't hurt you."
Character Designs
Emily Carini (C-air-ei-ne)
Age: 31
White woman in her early 30s, Blonde wavy hair (collar bone length) with brown eyes and green speckles, freckles on her arms, Works at the local coffee shop as a barista, working on her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at night. Attends university...
Mother to Kiran, married to Monona for 6 years
Kiran Carini (KI-ran)
Age: 5
Little boy- Western Indian (black hair with brown skin, brown eyes with golden speckles)
Lives with his 2 mothers, adopted at birth which he is aware of
Very sweet, curious, kind-hearted, never shy, outgoing, likable, Trusting, helpful, determined, (he gets from that Monona), slightly spacey
Manona Carini (Mah-no-na)
Age: 35
Hawaiian woman in her mid 30s, Thick black hair with slight dyed red streaks, hair down to her waist. Almond shaped Hazel eyes. Works as manager of a local clothing store below their apartment.
Naomi Conroy (Nae-O-mee)
Age: 4
Little girl- black girl with very long kinky curly unkempt hair (hair is slightly red but mostly brown and black, eyes are a dark brown and are very large on her face) Hair is to her mid back. Freckles all over her body
Mute
Has no living family, She watched her parents die in a flood a couple months beforehand and has been living on the streets. She doesn’t really understand what happened to her parents
Mr. (Ian) Mendoza
Age: 44
Runs a stand right outside of where the family lives. Owns a bakery and restaurant down the street. Loves Kiran and his family, he is especially kind to Naomi and will sing for her because she loves it even though he can not sing very well.
Has a large scar that runs from the corner of his eye to the bottom of his chin but he still has a friendly appearance. He tells children the story of how he got the scar. He never tells the same story twice but everyone is full of excitement and adventure.
Kind, Strong, Very strong Scottish accent, Very good with children, big softie
Melody Chapleon (Chap-le-On)
Age: 6
Kiran's best friend from his kindergarden class. They hang out at every rain festival and she comes over to do homework or have play dates every now and then.
A little bossy, Sweet, Loud, Outgoing, Center of attention, Loves to meet new people, Loves going outside
REQUIREMENTS
What your level of understanding is
Why you think you have shown that level of understanding
Which piece you think shows the highest level of understanding
Include link to document or site hosting this document and include the title
What you would want to work on in the future to improve that writing trait
- Each response should be at least two-three paragraphs
#1 IDEAS
I only did one piece this semester so the piece that shows the most understanding is "A Tiny Rainy Town". I think I demonstrated this the most when I was designing my characters. I wanted a more diverse "cast" of people for my book and I wanted the characters to be different.
#2 Organization
I would give myself a 6 for organization because even though I'm not a very organized person, I keep my work organized. I kept things nice and simple on my documents while working on my story and I never had to worry about finding anything on my document because I knew exactly where it was. Even my reference pictures for the character designs and the places they lived were kept in a folder on my desktop for easy access.
Also when I was writing I tried to organize my ideas so the story would flow in a nice way so it would be easy to read and make sense.
#3 Voice
I know I don't have a very unique way of writing but I think I do have a way of writing characters. I try and make them unique but in a lovable way that the readers connect with. I'd say for this standard I would give myself a 5 or a 6.
"The soft wind was blowing, rustling the small trees in the sidewalk planters. All of a sudden, a rogue wind blew in from behind Kiran, whipping his coat around him. And that wind, it carried the single ticket from his pocket and into the alleyway. Kiran grabbed at the air, trying to grab the ticket before it floated down the alleyway in to the dark. He ran after the ticket, kicking up water onto the back of his legs as he ran. He ran further and further down the alley. The ticket slowly floated downward and into a small puddle next to a dumpster."
This small piece in my writing is one that I'm actually very proud of. I really like the way it describes the setting and how it paints a picture.
#4 Word Choice
"In the kitchen stood a thin woman with collarbone length blonde hair. Her clothes hung from her thin frame but she was beautiful all the same. She stood over a gas stove cooking, filling the home with the smell of eggs and bacon. Though the strongest smell by far was coffee, which always seemed to stick to her. "
I really like my word choice here because it's one place where I distinctly remember having to think about the words I used. I remember going over different word choices and trying to pick the one that I thought set the correct mood. I wanted to really make Emily seem beautiful but she's not a typical beauty. She's different and I wanted to make that clear.
#5 Sentence Fluency
I would give myself a 5 or 6 for this. I'm not fantastic at sentence fluency. More so transitioning from one sentence to another but I can improve that.
#6: Writing Conventions
I would give myself a 6 because I have checked this countless times for mistakes and I think it looks pretty good.