Introduction to Creative Writing | Portfolio

Welcome to this post. My name is Nadia Chong Wen. I am a student of Taylor's Lakeside Univeristy and am taking Creative Media. For this semester, I came into the Creative Writing Elective since it was something I have always wanted to learn more about. We were tasked with crafting short stories, monologues, and poems and this portfolio showcases the work I have made in this module. I do hope you'll enjoy what I wrote.

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Short Story - I Wish We were Different

It all started on that day when they met. Nikolai Volkov still remembered every single moment clearly. The day he met his dear friend.

At that time, his friend never batted an eye at him—they had only met once after all, and that encounter was nothing different to any other encounter his friend had experienced. It was years ago in the year 1921, back when they were still children who were about to enter their teens. They were both heirs from rivaling families of high noble status—those who would take on their family names once they come of age and shoulder all the responsibilities of the family head.

The Grants and The Volkovs, those were their families. Every person in the nobility knew of the secret these families shared—the two families absolutely hated each other. For a long time, they shared a vitriol like none other between themselves, having carried this grudge from their forefathers up until the current generation. It was a horrible series of betrayal after betrayal from both sides, a cycle they were doomed to repeat.

The first time they met was at Nikolai’s introduction party to the nobility. It was a tradition for either of their families to invite the other in order to display the talents that their child had. A way of pitting them against each other before the two could learn to question this tradition.

“I’m Nikolai of the Volkov Family.” The Volkov Family heir was the first to approach the heir of the Grant Family, giving out a hand for his opponent to shake, giving his name per what he’s been taught. He tried his best to smile as politely as he could, but when he met his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel his heart drop. Soulless, dark blue started into Nikolai like he was nothing more than a speck of dust. 

“...Charles. Charles Flynn Grant of the Grant Family.” His fated rival shook his hand, the grip that he had loose and uncaring of who Nikolai was or what he could be. Charles’s voice was cold and unfriendly, threatening to freeze Nikolai. The presence Nikolai felt was akin to a predator seeking to kill, seeking to completely crush him.

Nikolai did his best to keep up with Charles, speaking of all that he knew from the top of his head to impress the other nobles around them as well as the boy he had just met, yet it was Charles the one who took the spotlight in a sweep. Nikolai couldn’t go against the current that Charles swept, trapping anyone who were near him with such astonishment on how a child like him could know so much at his age. 

Nikolai knew he should’ve been threatened, enraged, and even in tears at how he couldn’t even get back into the flow of the conversation, getting completely overshadowed by the heir of the Grant Family. Even when Charles proceeded to drag his efforts down and highlight his ignorance on subjects that Nikolai did his best to study for day and night, he could not help but be in awe at the extent of Charles’s knowledge instead—the way Charles spoke with such confidence, such energy only managed to cause Nikolai to stare and listen in wonder.

Nikolai’s father often told him about the Grant Family. That they were full of wolves wearing sheep’s skin. They had slighted many members of the Volkov family countless times, betraying their trust again and again. They saw them, and everyone else, as pawns to be used and thrown away. He had it drilled into his head again and again. The first Volkov was betrayed by the first Grant, his father was betrayed by Charles’s father, and—if he wasn’t careful—that boy would do the same to him.

He would repeat that sentiment like a mantra that he has ingrained into his life, wanting his son, his protege to continue on the grudge that the family held for so long. He would pressure Nikolai into cramming his studies, his work, learning more skills than one should be able to handle.

He should’ve hated Charles Flynn Grant, for being the reason for his lack of a childhood that was driven by their family discord, but there Nikolai stood, simply admiring Charles’s prowess and charisma as he continued to display all that he is to the crowd of onlookers. All of the grievances that Nikolai’s family put into his mind, all those words of Charles’s potential evil—All of it vanished in an instant as he watched the light of Charles’s glory. His elegance, his presence washing over Nikolai.

“...Amazing.” Charles looked over at him, his smug expression turning puzzled as it met with the twinkling admiration that was painted all over Nikolai’s face. Charles took a step back, his movements rigid and unsure. 

Nikolai walked towards him, his steps speedy and giving no time for Charles to react before he grabbed the boy’s hands and held them in his own, a wide smile on his face. “You were amazing, Charles! What books did you read to find out all about that? What’s that book that taught you philosophy again? Could you please tell me?”

Charles’s brows scrunched up together, trying to process the onslaught of questions that the other boy was speaking with every passing moment. He simply couldn’t believe the fact that even after the humiliation that he put Nikolai through, that boy was still looking at him with the brightest of smiles.

“Why are you…?” Nikolai could see that the boy didn’t understand his reaction from the way his dark blue eyes squinted and glared into Nikolai’s own purple. He supposed that it was fair, after all, his family must’ve told him about the relationship between their families. Even so…

“Um… Is it wrong to want to learn from someone better than you?” Nikolai could only reply with his smile and the most sincere words he could muster. “You were brilliant, more brilliant than a lot of people I have met at our age. I really respect you, Charles.” 

“...I…” The boy was stunned at Nikolai’s answer to his question, eyes wide as a faint blush appeared on his face. There was a small moment of silence between the two young boys before he gave a polite nod. “...Thank you, Nikolai.” 

Nikolai’s father was not pleased to see his son praise the child of their enemy, even more so laughing happily and joking around from that same child. After the two waved goodbye to each other at the end of the evening, He had to hold in tears as his father yelled at him for his failure that brought humiliation to not only him but their family in the eyes of the other nobles. However, even after that harsh scolding, Nikolai continued to seek Charles out in parties or small events that he could attend without much of his father’s supervision.

He watched as Charles kept shining brightly, overshadowing anyone and everyone around him including the Volkov heir himself. He didn’t mind that. In Nikolai’s eyes, Charles was like a bird flying across the horizon, the sun waking up at dawn, the moon shining down a path to travelers lost in the night. There was no one else like him in nobility, Charles was just so uniquely… himself.

It wasn’t until the announcement of his little brother's conception that he saw Charles crack for the first time in his entire life. When Nikolai arrived at the Grant's estate, Charles was nowhere to be found. He asked around for him but almost no one knew where he was—His mother even brushed him off when he asked her and told him he was probably in his room.

Something didn’t feel right. Charles wasn’t someone to hide about something like this, not after he told him how important his mother was to him. So why was he nowhere to be found in the party? It should be something that he wouldn’t miss out on. 

Nikolai looked left and right, eyes squinting to see if there was anyone watching as he made his way to a door. With one last look, making sure that no one was watching him, he moved his hand to his back and opened the door. He slipped out of the party room, making sure to close the door as gently and fast as possible before walking away from it.

Soon, he was surrounded by greenery, leaves, and the smell of nature. He remembered Charles mentioning that his estate had a great garden that he tended to occasionally in secret and that it was his favorite place in his entire estate. 

“Are you here, Charles…?” Nikolai wondered, his eyes scanning through the greenery in order to find his friend. It took a moment, but his eyes caught a blonde tuft of hair that he knew belonged to his friend over a bush. He was sitting on the grass, curled up into his knees as the sounds of what Nikolai could only define as crying echoed softly. He walked towards him, his steps alerting the boy who immediately swung his head to look at him.

Nikolai froze as he saw the expression that Charles had the moment their eyes. His eyes were puffy and red, tears running down his cheeks as he glared into Nikolai until a speck of recognition filled his eyes. He turned away from Nikolai, his anger turning into shame to have the friend that admired him see him in this state. It only made Nikolai’s worry more intense as he approached his friend, trying his best to avoid the bush that separated them. 

Charles tried to hide away so as to not show the tears flowing down his cheeks, but Nikolai was adamant to get him to tell him what happened to Charles. Eventually, through tears and sobs, Charles finally revealed that he was upset about the fact that he will have a little brother. It confused Nikolai at first, but he soon found out the reason as to why he wasn’t happy about it.

“I thought that man didn’t want a child with that woman… So why? Why will I have a little brother…? I don’t want a little brother! If I do, then… mother… my mother…!” Charles was sobbing into his hands, whimpering and heaving. “They won’t need me anymore and then my mother… she’ll die…!”

It was then Nikolai found out that Charles was an illegitimate child of his family, being born from the affair of the current head of the Grant Family and a gardener. He originally lived in the slums of London with his mother before she fell gravely ill. He then got into contact with his father and in exchange of becoming the heir of the Grants, that he’d be able to help his mother pay for her medical treatment. He endured the abuse of his father’s wife who found out about the affair in order to make sure he never lost to anyone, that he’d be the best heir possible.

Hearing all that, Nikolai wasn’t sure on how to react. It was too much information to take in but the most important thing at that moment was that his friend was crying. The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He had to do something, and the only thing he could think of was to give his friend a tight hug—something his own mother used to do before she passed.

“It’ll be okay, Charles. It’ll be okay.” Those were the only words that were able to be squeezed out from his throat, holding his friend in a tight embrace as his friend cried into his shoulder. At that moment, there was no family feud, no rivalry, no admiration or showoffs. It was just the two of them being their truest selves.

Nikolai Volkov remembered that they grew closer after that day, supporting each other in secret as they went on their own paths as heirs of their family. They promised that they’ll be friends until they grew old, and even after that, until the day they died.

If only that were true. Many years later, Nikolai would find himself staring down at the pool of blood in front of him—this blood coming from none other than the head of his dearest friend, Charles. His dearest friend, who plotted to burn the world down after the death of his mother. His dearest friend, who he was ordered to assassinate in the comfort of his hard-earned home. His dearest friend… whom he is shedding tears over.

The cycle repeats once more. They too weren’t able to break it.

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Monologue - The Truth That I've Been Keeping to Myself

I know I seem like the friendliest man in the world. Listening to your troubles, laughing whenever something good happens, congratulating you and being... happy for you. Smiling, just like how I am right now in front of you. Well, my dearest… let me tell you a little secret. This is something no one knows about me, not my own family, not even the people who think they are my.. friends. I haven’t told anyone this before, but I am going to tell you now. I… absolutely resent all of you. Hearing your achievements, pretending to care about you for all these years… Hah! All of it just makes me sick to my stomach! What are you doing? Doubting yourself when I literally have NOTHING TO ME! Do you know what that’s like?! Feeling like you’re nothing but a useless piece of shit? You don’t know! There’s no way for you to know as someone who has skill, who can actually do something with their lives while I’m rotting here as you shine brightly! 

Everything that we have been through together… It never meant a thing to me. Your smile, your laugh, your achievements… Everything… Everything about you makes me sick.

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Poems - Sense and Sensibility

The collection of poems here are poems about sense and sensibility. Our mind and our heart, forever a part of us and having us need to be logical and yet the beating heart full of feelings never stops. I do hope that the mind and feelings of me and my groupmates' characters can reach some of you and interest you. It will come in the form of narrative poems, odes, and many more.

Poem 1:

Title: My Wish, In Vain
Type: Narrative

A butterfly’s wings were flapping.
The sunlight peering through the window
Surrounding us in light,
With us two side by side.
Words were exchanged in daylight,
Yet in the shadows,
My thoughts stir a storm.

“You shan't be getting too close to him,
For a bloodied fate will befall both of you if you do.”

Yet my heart speaks with might,
Fighting with my mind,
Wishing to stay by this person’s side.
I hide my urge to hold his hand,
My wish to press our lips together,
As we are, sharing the same groin,
This wish will be in vain.

The world wishes for people me to vanish,
Finding our presence unbearable and ill.
If I were to be truthful of my being,
You might look at me as if I was sickening,
And I will be subjected to piercing words.

My sense speaks.
“The world will not accept this plight.
It is cruel and unaccepting to your behavior.
It will make you unwanted and viewed as cursed.
You will lose all that you built.
You might even be abandoned by your family.”

“Your vanity is not worth the pain.”

I know it speaks the painful truth.
So I hope with a smile
That it will be true for our lives,
That the intimacy and love I hold for you
Will sway away with time.

Poem 2:

Title: Of Feelings and Logic
Type: Ode

Cry not, my emotional self.
You, who have crumbled into dust
Feelings, Tears, and Cries
All has been done with nothing to turn back time.
It is foolish to continue burning in the cold.

Quiet, my cynical half!
Predictions and Reality is all that has been brought.
Our emotions are ablaze, unable to be quenched
You do not understand this rage I feel
This pain that I continue to bear because of you.

Yet we cannot leave each other,
As we are one and the same.
Making up two halves of a person,
We can only guide each other,
In this puzzling place called life.

Poem 3:

Title: Rationality and Emotion
Type: Haiku

The calm sea of the soul, with undulating waves--
The passion of the heart stirs deep within,
A dance of balance and fragility.

Poem 4:

Title: The Story of the Soul
Type: Limerick

The Story of the Soul
In the intricate maze of life, we step foot,
Fight with your mind and heart,
Reason tries to stay ahead,
But passion illuminated the night.
The soul says, "Think, don't be impatient
However, the heart is shouting, 'Feel, don't wait!'
In the dance of wisdom,
Emotions have found their place.
So walk the tightrope well,
Guided by wisdom,
Let love be your symbol,
In the constantly changing tide of life.

Poem 5:

Title: Two Ways to See
Type: Sonnet

The eye will see the things the heart won't dream of.
Reason makes the path to build them.
One senses the wind — and one charts it precisely.
They are together able to make a better view.

Love will guide the mind, and light the way.
Facts alone won't bring peace to a soul.
We need every one, the night and day.
Balancing life in order to make its wonders cease.

Thus let the heart, and mind be partners.
One gives what the other lacks, but gives it strength.
With such hands they build a wiser world.
It tracks where reason leads and feeling is giving.

Their differences were in harmony.
Logical that alive is life and divine or possible.

(Narrative Poem)

The Meeting of Hearts

Underneath a light blue, pale sky.

Dreams came together with a boy so true.

She talked of stars and the songs they sing.

He talked about facts and what they bring forth.

‘Feel the world,’ she said.

‘More exactly, the warm sunshine and drifting clouds. ’

He shook his head, with a calm reply,

‘Feelings would fade, but Physics never lie. ’

Through fields and streams. They walked together.

Her wonder was her heart, his schemes his world.

In their steps a bond began to form.

A place where both your heart and your mind could travel.

She taught him joy in the soft sunshine.

He showed truth in the wise eyes of the stars and in her.

As one can see, they found it together.

The power of sense and sensibility.

( LYRICAL POETRY )

Stargazing

“Look, a star in the sky,

Its light is mesmerizing,

For someone to appreciate;

A challenge and an invitation,

For someone to calculate.’

How little am I in this vastness of universe,

A stardust in the space,

I can see the star but will I reach there someday?

( CONCRETE POETRY )

Balance