monicaCREATIVE NOTES / Curiosity & growth
From a mountain walk to Dali: reading Monica’s writing
Monica’s writing collection currently contains two pieces: a Chinese story about learning to persevere and an English account of a holiday in Dali. Read together, they offer two different ways of shaping an experience: following a change in feeling, and choosing memorable details to share with a reader.
Perseverance appears through action
The perseverance story moves from an explanation of the word into a family walk to collect water. Monica first runs ahead, then becomes tired and falls behind, before eventually carrying the water back. These changes in action give the piece its structure. A useful reading exercise is to locate the turning points before naming the theme. Where does the journey become difficult? Which later action makes the closing reflection convincing? The idea of perseverance is connected to events rather than left as a slogan.
A holiday account built from details
The Wonderful Holiday begins by addressing the reader, then brings in Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, traditional buildings, local food and fireworks. The selection matters more than a complete travel itinerary. Views, tastes and a favourite moment give the account its shape. Try grouping the details into scenery, food and feeling, then imagine removing one group. This makes a practical discussion about description: a place becomes easier to picture when a writer selects concrete experiences instead of relying only on words such as “beautiful”.
Read the original beside its translation
Both pages preserve the original writing and provide a translation in the other language. With the Chinese story, compare how actions and feelings travel into English. With the English holiday account, read independently before using the Chinese translation to check understanding. Exact word matching is less useful than following events and meaning. Names, sequence and emotional changes provide reference points. The original wording also deserves attention as part of the work, rather than being silently replaced with a more adult-sounding version.
Find a starting point for your own story
These pieces suggest two manageable starting points for another writer: an event that changed a feeling, or a scene that remains vivid. Choose one, list three concrete details, and decide their order. A shift in confidence, a remembered sound or a particular taste offers more to develop than a general statement of happiness. This is an invitation for readers to try their own writing. Returning to Monica’s originals afterward makes it possible to compare choices without expecting everyone to tell the same kind of story.
Two more questions
Which piece should I read first?
Start with the perseverance story for narrative change, or The Wonderful Holiday for English reading and descriptive details.
Are both languages original manuscripts?
No. The perseverance piece was written in Chinese; The Wonderful Holiday was written in English. Each page includes a translation.
Explore the works in this note
Profile information was supplied by her family. These notes were prepared by the Monica portfolio editorial team from the original works, performance records and playable projects on this site, with AI-assisted writing and translation. Descriptions of existing work are distinguished from activities readers may try. The articles are editorial introductions, not first-person accounts written by Monica.
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