My project for this semester will be a story project called “two minutes”. Through telling a tale of first-generation and second-generation Chinese immigrants this will detail the hardships that Chinese face in Canadian society and their journey to the west. I chose this as my story topic because as a second-generation Chinese immigrant I have always been fascinated by certain results of my Chinese immigration (i.e. how my English is so much better developed than my Chinese). This story is in no way intended to be racist/offend anyone or a how-to guide that suggests Chinese parents are the most capable of raising successful kids but rather a combination of shared experiences and research, so I apologize if anyone perceives it as racist.
The story’s main character is Andy Wang, a second-generation immigrant who was born in China and immigrated to Canada at a young age (around age 4) This will be my very first time writing a male protagonist and so my perception of certain actions like gift-giving and school popularity may not be completely accurate, please be gentle with me 🙂 Thank you for reading and I look forward to my story being written and viewed.
Hi Amy!!
Thank you for sharing your story idea. As a third-generation immigrant, I grew up with multiple stories told to me from my grandparents about the struggles they had to go through when moving around the world. My dad and his siblings lived in over five countries and were moved around a lot when they were young. The struggles that my grandparents went through while trying to raise five children and find a secure place to live shows the resiliance and power so many immigrants must have in order to thrive in new countries.
I admire your ability to include both your personal experiences and writing abilities into your story and I look forward to seeing it develop.
An article to look at while creating your storyline and plot:
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/22/06/impact-immigration-families
Thank you again for sharing and good luck!!
Hey Amy
I am so excited to read your story. This is a story that can be retable for a lot of people and in which a lot of people can find a connection with. This post is beautifully written and flows very well. If your posts are this well written, I can’t wait to read your story.
Here is a link to a website that talks about story structure that could be helpful if you need it.
https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/
I also thought you might find this website that discusses organizing ideas useful.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-organize-ideas-for-your-novel
You said that this is your first time writing in the point of view of a male protagonist. I found this that talks about writing in different point of view, it’s a little different but could be helpful.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-multiple-perspectives
-Veronica
Hi Amy!
I think this idea sounds great and I can’t wait to hear more about the process. Don’t worry if someone perceives it as racist because the fun part about writing that I learned last semester in creative writing is that it’s all about perspective.
By the end of this semester, I recommend entering your story into a contest. There are plenty online with free entry and you can win prizes like cash or even being published sometimes. One website I recommend is the Chicken Soup for the Soul company. They’re very well known and take entries quite often.
https://www.chickensoup.com/
Best of luck with your writing,
Claire