I got my start with poster work long before I began writing what would become A Trail of Blood and Tears. One of my jobs for the class musical showcase during freshman year was to come up with a design for the poster, which my collaboration partner would then render for the final flyer, which would go up around campus. (V3) From them, I got introduced to the elements of poster design, such as formatting and required information. We also engaged in civilized debate regarding which featured songs would be better to hint at, bouncing ideas off each other until we had settled on an agreement, which would not have been possible without mutual respect for the diversity of each other's opinions. (L2) 

     Flash forward to sophomore year; I was offered the position of Assistant Poster Designer for the student-directed production of The Bold, the Young, and the Murdered, which I enthusiastically took up since I generally enjoy participating in the extracurricular SLV theater community. (L1) I was supposed to have been mentored by an upperclassman, since it was my first time making a poster for an actual production, but what actually ended up happening was a spectacular ghosting act on my mentor’s part, leaving me to do the whole thing myself; a responsibility I had no intention of shirking from. (L3) (Needless to say, her actions resulted in the rest of us feeling rather annoyed and inconvenienced. (S3)) Even though I was currently taking Graphic Design, I was still mostly relying on the bits I had learned the previous year in regards to poster design. Since I was essentially working directly for the directors now, I had to learn to deal with the routine critiques and the differing opinions of my superiors (L2) while advocating for my artistic aspects (V4) in order to keep my work authentically my own. Hence, I discovered poster work is all about being resilient and persevering to produce a quality piece of work. (S2) Upon reflection, I was a lot more stubborn when I was first getting my start in poster work than I am now, since I have learned to find immense value in actively listening to others' constructive criticism. (V1)

     Meanwhile, I was growing quite frustrated with my first draft of what would become A Trail of Blood and Tears. I was still at the stage where I was writing by the seat of my pants and had written myself into a corner by only the eighth chapter. I nearly scrapped the whole thing and threw it away. However, I was just obsessed enough with the story that I returned to it after only a month or two and decided to persevere (S2) through the writer's block. This resulted in weeks of brainstorming in which I used problem solving and critical thinking skills (S1) to pick the whole story apart and put it back together. Additionally, I taught myself how to outline it properly enough to ensure it wouldn’t derail again. Thus began the life-long process of learning the art of writing fiction -- a versatile, ever-changing genre. (S4)

     Now, junior year nearly proved to be the death of my special interest and of my sanity. (Well, perhaps not the permanent “death”, rather, the story became frozen in carbonite for a bit of time.) I put all my writing on hold for almost the whole year (with little snippets of time here and there) so I could have enough time to do my AP English homework. I was (and still am) very pious about my integrity regarding getting my homework done in a responsible manner. (L3) But I still managed to find time in AP Art class to participate in the theater community (L1) by making two more posters for that year's productions. Now, from the outside, the job of poster designer might seem like an easy one once the requirements are mastered. However, each production is different, so every time I think I have the job down, the directors always have a wealth of opinions and constructive criticism, to which I actively listen, (V1) show respect, (L2) and go on to use in order to produce a piece of quality work. (S2) For example, a student directed play, such as The Comedy of Terrible Errors requires a much different style of poster design and level of professionality than a musical, such as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which came with a ton of strict legal specifications. I adapt my skillset to the ever-changing job and learn anew what is specifically required for each individual production. (S4)

     On to senior year. Junior year is done with, I got some writing and further self-teaching done over the summer and now I’m trying to re-regulate my school-life balance. This time, I will not allow myself to cut out the things that make me happy since I have discovered that to be a cause of particularly nasty burnout. (S3) Somehow, I still find time to get involved (L1) and make two posters for the theatre department, though I did advocate for myself (V4) and decline an offer to make one for the Middle School’s production of Moana Jr. in favor of self-care. My poster for The Lady Vanishes was actually chosen out of several other submissions by the Graphic Design class. Instead of doing a drawing of a train from the outside, as I suspected my competitors would be doing, I used critical thinking skills (S1) to think outside the box (or rather, inside the boxcar) by doing a scene from inside the train – which is where the majority of the story takes place – adapting to a somewhat distortionist, surrealist vibe that fits the specific Alfred Hitchcock genre (S4), resulting in one of my higher quality works. (S2) By the time Grease, The Musical, came around looking for poster designers, the directors trusted me enough to do something artsy with the musical poster, even though there was still the usual fair share of constructive criticism pertaining to the formatting for the specific musical to which I actively listened, (V1) showed respect, (L2) and went on to use in order to produce a piece of quality work. (S2)

     Meanwhile, A Trail of Blood and Tears has neared completion. After years of independent work, it was finally ready to share . . . for some of that wonderful constructive criticism! From my AP Art class, I got some willing participants who had been expressing enthusiasm for the book to collaborate with me (V3) to be my first Beta Readers (along with my parents and grandmother). Using my poster designer experience, I adapted my skillset (S4) to create a front cover for the Beta Copy and printed out five copies to give to those who had expressed interest in reading it and giving me feedback. Presently, they have a flexible end goal for the end of Spring Break, since I know they have school and extracurriculars and other personal lives to attend to, which I understand from personal experience, (V2) and I don’t want to be overly pushy with my own agenda. Since my parents are more accessible, they have been giving me periodic feedback, during which I have learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to constructive criticism in writing, just like when working with directors on a poster. Concerning both, one must actively listen, (V1) respect the opinions of the critic (L2) and continue to persevere in producing a quality piece of work. (S2)