Maddi's Literary Moment's

Writing About Sunshine (Creatively Composing)

I used to love to write flash fiction, and in high school I took a creative writing class where I was able to write flash fiction about many different topics. I had just gone through a brief depressed episode and was coming out of it well. I wrote a piece about a rainy day where the sun peaks through the clouds, and I felt like it described my experience perfectly!

Poetry from Apples (Religious Literary Experience)
Last semester in my Humanities class we were asked to write an essay to show our religious experiences as a famous writer had when an apple fell from an apple tree and then he later found an impactful verse in the scriptures. Through this experience I wrote about how I came to know God through different experiences. It was written in poetry, and in a manner of praising God throughout. Through this piece I was able to not only convey my testimony, but to also grow it as I wrote about experiences that I hadn’t previously considered as moments of spiritual growth.

Prayers in Karen (Foreign Literary Experience)
On my mission I would read the Bible and anything I could in Karen (a Burmese dialect) so that I could get better at reading and understanding. Once Karen member in my ward wrote out and translated a prayer I said in her home into Karen. As I later read it, the words I had spoke took on a much deeper meaning as I read in Karen and did my best to translate it into English concepts. The beauty of God and my intimate relationship seemed much more profound in this language than in mine. And the translated phrase for Heavenly Father, “My God, my Father residing in Heaven” has since stuck with me.

Letters of Farewell (Literary Coping)
When I was in middle school one of my closest friends committed suicide. It had always been a hard and difficult subject for me and felt like a wound that never really healed. In my junior year I was asked to write an essay about something important to me. I turned it into a letter to my friend where I could say goodbye and tell him all the things I had never had the chance to say. It helped me to heal immensely, and since then I feel like the wound has healed.

Ghost of Christmas (Theatrical Experience)
I went to see a production of the Ghost of Christmas Past with my mom and her friends in high school, and as I watched it, the characters came to life. A small child was cast as a sick little boy, and his portrayal of being so ill, but so sweet and sincere, really touched me. Especially when the child died in the play—it broke my heart! I connected with the character so well.

Book of Mormon Legitimacy (Literary Envy)
My friend Garrett is an amazing writer, and he always has me edit and review his writing. He wrote a research essay on the academic legitimacy of the Book of Mormon for his religion class and had me review it. At the same time, I was working on my own research paper, and I was so impressed with his writing and how well it flowed and how elevated and professional it sounded. He took a religious topic and made it into something academic and logical, while still maintaining the spiritual aspect of the scriptures. He had reached a perfect balance. At the same time, I was jealous that my paper wasn’t coming together as well as his, when I was writing a paper and had poured over dozens of peer reviewed articles, and his managed to sound more credible and realistic.