The Beauty of Spirited Writing

Reflection

Typically, when writing a paper, I tend to read peer-reviewed articles and excerpts on a topic, then piece together all my supporting evidence into categories. I then color code and highlight points that I feel I can use to build on my own ideas. From there, I create a vague outline, in which I write down my main points for each paragraph. With that outline, I then write my essay. For this discussion post, I did something slightly different, since I was writing a film analysis, not a research paper.

First, I began by watching the movie Spirited Away, the assigned movie of the week for my MLG course. I then took notes on information I found interesting throughout the film, such as quotes, settings, and character interactions on a piece of paper. In my opinion, notes are the key to success in writing papers, as they help keep one’s mind at its peak performance, stimulate the brain, and help one stay focused on the question at hand. For instance, while watching the film, I jotted down notes about Chihiro’s relationship with her parents. Though they had a traditional family dynamic, they lacked a true bond. Of course, Chihiro’s parents loved her, but they often shut her down and never listened to any of her concerns. I also noticed that the film was rich in culture; the animators created a lot of traditional Japanese settings, which invoked a sense of magic and symbolism. The viewer could almost feel the characters’ sense of amusement as they were truly captivated by the mystery scenery they wandered around.

Furthermore, I noticed that the author used film elements, such as close-ups, editing, and composition, to aid in the overall communication of the film as a story. Spirited Away is simply an animation, the illusion of movement. Though inanimate objects appeared like they were moving, they were not. Yet despite all that, it displayed so much depth. For example, there were so many scenes that showed the manifestation of human fear through the lens of Chihiro’s eyes. These were the types of things I jotted in my notepad, because I knew before typing my final body of work these were all topics, I wanted to elaborate more on in my blog post, as these were all things that crossed my mind watching the film. After creating my outline for this project, I did a broad search of the movie to learn more about when Spirited Away was first released, its director, plot, and main characters. I could not just discuss the film at face value. I also wanted to understand the era it was released in and the impact it had on its general audience. Hence, upon coming to a fair understanding of the film in its entirety, I then begin to work on typing my discussion post.

Thus, after reviewing my notes on the film, I read the blog prompt a second time and reorganized my notes into categories, in this case, thematic analysis, film element, and connections. I then placed character quotes that correlated with themes of the class under thematic analysis, and textbooks quotes along with their pages under film elements. Lastly, I brainstormed ways the film and its main points related to students and society. A good thing to remember is that notes do not have to be perfect. For me, my notes serve as a guide for what I want to write officially on paper, so my draft is my vision.

With this in mind, underneath each category, I broke my discussion up into bullet points, of short sentences I wanted to convert into body paragraphs. Some might wonder how I transitioned my draft into a blog post. Well, I first began by typing my introduction. Typically when writing an introductory statement, I start off with a general topic then go more specific. In this prompt, I decided to start by discussing theme itself, which led me to my first body paragraph on the theme of identity, along with a brief film synopsis. That first body paragraph then led to my second body paragraph on human communication as an alternative theme, as it also stood out to me while watching the film. After building on those two main points, I wanted to create a connection, so I correlated Spirited Away to Alice in Wonderland to express the journey of self and self-determination most college students encounter.

Last, while typing my post, my main intention was to make it understandable to all viewers, so I was very careful about my word choice. I wanted my readers to understand the various elements that impact a movie’s overall message, especially theme, the main idea of my post. After all, theme is the driving intention behind a film that allows writers to convey a broader message to their audience. I wanted my readers to feel as if I was having a casual conversation with them. I say all this because I feel it is very important for writers to be aware of their audience. If there is not a clear understanding of one’s audience, a clear message cannot be delivered. Hence, for this assignment, I was aware that my audience was fellow college students, so my goal was for my paper to be entertaining yet informal.

Overall, after reading this manuscript, I hope writers of all ages and skill levels take away the importance of organization, planning, delivery, and intention in paper writing, as those are the key elements for any great response regardless of the course. In order to organize a response, one must first plan how to deliver the message to properly grasp the attention of the audience and convey a grander idea. Just as it is important to know what to say, it is equally important to know how to say it. However, never forget that writing is supposed to be fun. Do not let it intimidate you. It is a form of expression and communication, but remember to always keep the task of the assignment in mind. Happy writing, everyone!