Surprisingly, I found the creative writing portion of E2 the easiest to produce. At first, it was slightly difficult thinking of how I wanted to set the tone for this short story, however, I realised that the best way to write it was to write it how I talk. It felt like writing in a journal at first, but when implementing the more comedic parts, the story began to feel like I was chatting to an old friend. Due to the more relaxed conversational tone throughout, I found that it helped me write easier and express anxiety through my eyes. Looking back, I should’ve looked into using more media influences. However, I find that some of my references and the way I’ve worded my writing is quite unique and I really love the originality within the piece. For example, my favourite parts to write were definitely the Princess Diana quote and the small reference to Dante’s Inferno.

While this isn’t a reference to anything, but instead an analogy I created, I was quite impressed with it:

‘My anxiety felt like my heart’s superior vena cava was growing longer and longer, slowly wrapping itself around my neck.’ I wanted a way to dissect deep anxiety by describing the more physical and emotional aspects in relatable terms.

Reference list:

Princess Diana quote – www.pbs.org. (1995). Diana’s 1995 Bbc Interview | Princess And The Press | FRONTLINE | PBS. [online] Available at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/interviews/bbc2.html [Accessed 14th Jan. 2025].

The Wizard of Oz, Toto – The Wizard of Oz. (1939). [Movie] Warner Bros. [Accessed 14th Jan. 2025].

Shakespeare quote – Shakespeare, W. (1603). Hamlet. Simon & Schuster. [Accessed 15th Jan. 2025].

The Inbetweeners, ‘Bus Wanker’ – The Inbetweeners. (2008). [TV Series] Modern Times Group. [Accessed 17th Jan. 2025]

Ninth circle of hell – Alighieri, D. (1314). Dante’s Inferno. [Poem].