Guess who just signed up for NaNoWriMo?
Yup. On top of everything else I have to do, I'm going to try an write an extra 50K words within the month of November. That works out to be about 5 pages a day, which really isn't half bad. That's manageable. So I'm going to try it.
Focus is less on quality and more on quantity, so this should really get me to write like madwoman. The thought makes me cringe at first, but I really think it is going to be just what I need to get the kick in the butt to write a lot on a regular basis. And then when I'm done, I'll have plenty of time over winter break to craft it into something that's not complete and total crap. Huzzah!
I suggest you sign up, too! Find me as a Writing Buddy! I'm signed in as Elle Solace.
06 October 2011
02 October 2011
100 Year Starship Study
Here's a little something my blog has been missing for too long: science.
I just spent the weekend at the 100 Year Starship Study Symposium, and wow. I shook hands with scientists, engineers, and astronauts (even got one's email and phone number!), talked to science fiction authors (got a hug from Stephen Baxter! and had a nice conversation with Vernor Vinge) and lamented the currents state of education and inspiration for the communication of the vision of space exploration with several experts in the field--Luke Blaize, who argued for the use of video games as inspiration, June Scobee Rodgers, who founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of her husband's death in the Challenger Accident, and even Jeff Silver, who produced Tron: Legacy, Terminator Salvation, 300, and many other box-office hits. The weekend was amazing; I just wish I could have spent more time networking and listening to panels on propulsion, terraforming, genetic engineering, and the like. I know everything was video taped, hopefully they'll release the videos soon. And if they don't, I took copious notes.
The most important thing I learned at this symposium is that I need to get myself business cards.
I asked a lot of different people questions about what upcoming artists can do to help this vision of the future (which I want so badly, and part of the reason why I switched away from physics is because I know I'll be more useful in creative writing) and they all basically told me the same thing. Start with producing lots of little works, get known that way, and self-promote like nuts (hence the business cards). Which doesn't necessarily change much, except, well, maybe everything.
I was just talking to Boyfriend the other day about how I thought I was probably going to focus on Graphic Novel as an area of interest in my studies, and I actually have to write a pedagogy paper (that I am intending on turning into a conference paper, if I can get together a multi-generational group of panelists to go to AWP with me next year) and I was originally intending to argue for why Graphic Novel (in particular, and to a lesser extent, screenwriting) need to be taught in introductory-level multi-genre creative writing classes, but now I'm considering arguing for allowing genre-work (particularly science fiction) in those beginning classes, too. Those are two separate papers, so I'm going to have to choose, but still, it's worth a thought. Especially since I have been sort of building a syllabus and reading list in my head for the past few years for planning a science fiction creative writing special topics class. Although it will probably be a great many years before I get to implement it. I know eventually I'll write both papers. It's just a matter of which one I write first.
And speaking of graphic novels, the Multiverse Theory one I'm working on, it's focus is now probably going to go towards something bigger than myself, which is great. I've been kind of lacking focus for where to go with it, and the symposium has given me a lot of great ideas. :) Also--I have come to the conclusion that I need to really identify a specific art style for myself to make my art distinguishable and recognizable. Practice helps, yes, but I'm really seriously thinking about needing to take a digital art class or something just to refine my skills... because while raw talent and self-study does help, without formal training I'm really limiting myself. (Enter the half-baked idea of pursuing a second MFA--this one in art--after I get out of this program.)
Either way, we'll see what happens. Sorry for the brief and vague as usual; because of the Symposium I'm behind on homework and I really need to get to get moving on it.
Happy October <3!
I just spent the weekend at the 100 Year Starship Study Symposium, and wow. I shook hands with scientists, engineers, and astronauts (even got one's email and phone number!), talked to science fiction authors (got a hug from Stephen Baxter! and had a nice conversation with Vernor Vinge) and lamented the currents state of education and inspiration for the communication of the vision of space exploration with several experts in the field--Luke Blaize, who argued for the use of video games as inspiration, June Scobee Rodgers, who founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of her husband's death in the Challenger Accident, and even Jeff Silver, who produced Tron: Legacy, Terminator Salvation, 300, and many other box-office hits. The weekend was amazing; I just wish I could have spent more time networking and listening to panels on propulsion, terraforming, genetic engineering, and the like. I know everything was video taped, hopefully they'll release the videos soon. And if they don't, I took copious notes.
The most important thing I learned at this symposium is that I need to get myself business cards.
I asked a lot of different people questions about what upcoming artists can do to help this vision of the future (which I want so badly, and part of the reason why I switched away from physics is because I know I'll be more useful in creative writing) and they all basically told me the same thing. Start with producing lots of little works, get known that way, and self-promote like nuts (hence the business cards). Which doesn't necessarily change much, except, well, maybe everything.
I was just talking to Boyfriend the other day about how I thought I was probably going to focus on Graphic Novel as an area of interest in my studies, and I actually have to write a pedagogy paper (that I am intending on turning into a conference paper, if I can get together a multi-generational group of panelists to go to AWP with me next year) and I was originally intending to argue for why Graphic Novel (in particular, and to a lesser extent, screenwriting) need to be taught in introductory-level multi-genre creative writing classes, but now I'm considering arguing for allowing genre-work (particularly science fiction) in those beginning classes, too. Those are two separate papers, so I'm going to have to choose, but still, it's worth a thought. Especially since I have been sort of building a syllabus and reading list in my head for the past few years for planning a science fiction creative writing special topics class. Although it will probably be a great many years before I get to implement it. I know eventually I'll write both papers. It's just a matter of which one I write first.
And speaking of graphic novels, the Multiverse Theory one I'm working on, it's focus is now probably going to go towards something bigger than myself, which is great. I've been kind of lacking focus for where to go with it, and the symposium has given me a lot of great ideas. :) Also--I have come to the conclusion that I need to really identify a specific art style for myself to make my art distinguishable and recognizable. Practice helps, yes, but I'm really seriously thinking about needing to take a digital art class or something just to refine my skills... because while raw talent and self-study does help, without formal training I'm really limiting myself. (Enter the half-baked idea of pursuing a second MFA--this one in art--after I get out of this program.)
Either way, we'll see what happens. Sorry for the brief and vague as usual; because of the Symposium I'm behind on homework and I really need to get to get moving on it.
Happy October <3!
17 September 2011
The Good, the Great, & the Frustrating.
I washed my sheets, my pillows, my clothes, the carpet, the bed, the couch, the ottoman, the rugs, everything. Twice. Plastic-wrapped my bed and box springs. I haven't seen another bug since. So I'm lead to believe it was a lone hitchhiker. I started washing my backpack, bags, everything. I still haven't seen another bug, so I'm hoping this is the end of the bed bug paranoia. I may just wash my sheets again next week. Just to be safe.
In terms of academia, a lot has been going on. Reading books, analyzing them, doing small imitation exercises, working on a mini conference paper presentation; constructing syllabi and lesson plans; working on my "thesis." I use quotations because I still have no idea what I'm doing, just two good ideas that I may or may not follow through to completion. I get the first workshopped next week; the next is Visual Storytelling, so I'm getting started now so drawing it doesn't take over my life later. I'm very excited about my classes and everything I'm learning. I am absolutely loving this.
As for work, you could hardly call it that. The main thing is remembering to grade on time, otherwise it piles up and gets forgotten. As the weeks progress I've become a harsher and harsher grader; my students don't necessarily appreciate that, but by the fourth week of class, if the assignment says 100-200 words and you give me 24, that's not going to fly. Simple as that. My interns are all doing great; the Winter 2010 issue of The Florida Review is finally out (huzzah!) and Summer 2011 should be out soon, too. :] I also got word that I may be able to interview a certain poet-memoirist with a movie adaptation coming out next year... very exciting! Work on the Reading Series I'm helping put together is going slow and steady; just trying to send out the Press Release and get readers for the event!
I've been trying to work on stuff on the side for submissions... There are so many places to submit, and I have nothing finished to sumbit! I'm really regretting not using the summer to really work on more writing. :/ But it's okay, I will recover. I even got invited to do a reading in December, but more on that as it approaches.
It's not all sunshine and happiness and rainbows, though.
Immersing myself in the MFA program has been great for personal and professional development, but it is putting a bit of strain on some, most, of my relationships. (I wrote a big long paragraph here, and then cut it because it ended up just being a rant.)
And a random note about ZAT: I've been at it again, slowly. Something to keep me sane. I'm missing Aikido really badly, though. I'm not sure how much longer I can go without it.
In terms of academia, a lot has been going on. Reading books, analyzing them, doing small imitation exercises, working on a mini conference paper presentation; constructing syllabi and lesson plans; working on my "thesis." I use quotations because I still have no idea what I'm doing, just two good ideas that I may or may not follow through to completion. I get the first workshopped next week; the next is Visual Storytelling, so I'm getting started now so drawing it doesn't take over my life later. I'm very excited about my classes and everything I'm learning. I am absolutely loving this.
As for work, you could hardly call it that. The main thing is remembering to grade on time, otherwise it piles up and gets forgotten. As the weeks progress I've become a harsher and harsher grader; my students don't necessarily appreciate that, but by the fourth week of class, if the assignment says 100-200 words and you give me 24, that's not going to fly. Simple as that. My interns are all doing great; the Winter 2010 issue of The Florida Review is finally out (huzzah!) and Summer 2011 should be out soon, too. :] I also got word that I may be able to interview a certain poet-memoirist with a movie adaptation coming out next year... very exciting! Work on the Reading Series I'm helping put together is going slow and steady; just trying to send out the Press Release and get readers for the event!
I've been trying to work on stuff on the side for submissions... There are so many places to submit, and I have nothing finished to sumbit! I'm really regretting not using the summer to really work on more writing. :/ But it's okay, I will recover. I even got invited to do a reading in December, but more on that as it approaches.
It's not all sunshine and happiness and rainbows, though.
Immersing myself in the MFA program has been great for personal and professional development, but it is putting a bit of strain on some, most, of my relationships. (I wrote a big long paragraph here, and then cut it because it ended up just being a rant.)
And a random note about ZAT: I've been at it again, slowly. Something to keep me sane. I'm missing Aikido really badly, though. I'm not sure how much longer I can go without it.
12 September 2011
Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!
I've never had issues with bed bugs. Never really even knew what they were; just knew they existed, and they weren't my problem.
Until last night.
I was writing on my bed, looked over, and a small, flat, round bug was walking on my pillow. I didn't know what it was, so I picked up t he pillow and attempted to photograph it. It was too quick. So I brought the bug and the pillow to my dad, said, Hey, look what I found. What is it?
He squished it, look a look at it from under a light, and flushed it down the toilet.
I googled "bed bugs" to see if maybe that was my invader, and lo and behold, yes. Dammit.
I slept on top of my covers with a throw and a pillow I pulled from my closet. My morning dreams were filled with bugs infesting my bed.
So today is laundry day. Stripped the bed of everything, washing everything in hot water and drying on even hotter. Everything that can't get washed gets heat dried twice. That goes for the pillows, too. And since I have a small loveseat next to my bed, all of the cushions on the bed are getting heat dried (the fabric is water sensitive and will stain them, so no washing) and then I'm going to find a hot iron and go over everything I can't wash, since heat kills the bastards. There will also be copious vacuuming involved. Oh, and I have regular laundry (for clothes) to do, too. So this will be fun.
Did I mention I have a huge workshop piece due tomorrow, and I'm only about halfway done? Yeah. Grad-school Fun. Thank goodness one of my classes is cancelled for the week, but I still have office hours and some grading to do.
On the bright side, at least this is forcing me to finish organizing my room. (It's been in a quasi-organized state for about a month.)
Back to grad school for a moment--it's doing well. I'm really enjoying my classes. They're a lot of work, but I am absolutely loving it, so it's really not like work at all. I'm finally being really productive for the lit magazine (I'm doing more than reading backlogs and saving jewels from the trashpile! Hooray for real editing!) and I think I'm getting more efficient and consistent with grading my online class.
Now to get back to work.
Until last night.
I was writing on my bed, looked over, and a small, flat, round bug was walking on my pillow. I didn't know what it was, so I picked up t he pillow and attempted to photograph it. It was too quick. So I brought the bug and the pillow to my dad, said, Hey, look what I found. What is it?
He squished it, look a look at it from under a light, and flushed it down the toilet.
I googled "bed bugs" to see if maybe that was my invader, and lo and behold, yes. Dammit.
I slept on top of my covers with a throw and a pillow I pulled from my closet. My morning dreams were filled with bugs infesting my bed.
So today is laundry day. Stripped the bed of everything, washing everything in hot water and drying on even hotter. Everything that can't get washed gets heat dried twice. That goes for the pillows, too. And since I have a small loveseat next to my bed, all of the cushions on the bed are getting heat dried (the fabric is water sensitive and will stain them, so no washing) and then I'm going to find a hot iron and go over everything I can't wash, since heat kills the bastards. There will also be copious vacuuming involved. Oh, and I have regular laundry (for clothes) to do, too. So this will be fun.
Did I mention I have a huge workshop piece due tomorrow, and I'm only about halfway done? Yeah. Grad-school Fun. Thank goodness one of my classes is cancelled for the week, but I still have office hours and some grading to do.
On the bright side, at least this is forcing me to finish organizing my room. (It's been in a quasi-organized state for about a month.)
Back to grad school for a moment--it's doing well. I'm really enjoying my classes. They're a lot of work, but I am absolutely loving it, so it's really not like work at all. I'm finally being really productive for the lit magazine (I'm doing more than reading backlogs and saving jewels from the trashpile! Hooray for real editing!) and I think I'm getting more efficient and consistent with grading my online class.
Now to get back to work.
26 August 2011
I'm officially an MFA student!
First week as a grad student: long days, but they passed quickly.
I am excited about my classes. My professors are all so esteemed and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry--all three genres are represented, and this is actually quite accidental. In my workshop class, it was made quite clear from the get-go that I'm [supposed to be] working on a Thesis. The class is designed to help me with that endeavor while also helping my classmates. (My classmates! I guess I should call them colleagues. They're all so incredibly talented, I'm flattered by being in their company.) Studying contemporary nonfiction will have a heavy-workload, but it's primary purpose is to further my understanding of the genre as a writer, complete with writing exercises, practice in a panel, and [hopefully] a conference-worthy paper. And a class about teaching a multi-genre creative writing class? Epic. I'll essentially get to design an introductory-level class. And I'll probably get a conference paper out of this one, too.
I'm excited about being's a GTA. Since I got a split appointment, it is like having an extra two classes to take. I hold office hours, help my interns, do online grading. I have to be familiar with the syllabi and pay attention to deadlines. I need to remember not to forget about my online class--those are 120 students I need to record grades for! But working with The Florida Review, that's really incredible. Its a crash-course in literary journal publication, and even though I've only been around a week, I can tell I'm going to absolutely love it.
And of course, my life wouldn't be complete if I didn't get involved in extracurriculars. I found an Objects in Motion club with jugglers and poi-spinners and the like, just hanging out outside of my main building. I will probably join them every once in a while--they're more than happy to teach. Maybe I'll finally get backwards weaves and thread-the-needle. I'm still looking for a dojo--aikido preferably, but at this point any martial art will do. Preferably on-campus, so there's less travel and little-to-no fees, but it appears that training times only occur while I'm in class, so that's a buzzkill. But one of my professors happens to be 3rd Dan in TKD, and one of my--colleagues (gosh, it's weird saying that)--her parents own an Aikido dojo in south Florida, so there still seems to be hope. I've been trying to go to the gym with my cousin for basic in-shape purposes, possibly to lead back up to Zombie Apocalypse Training, but for now that's on temporary hiatus until I can get the rest of my life organized.
I'm also on a committee to start a new reading series for the MFA program, but more on that later. It's literally just starting, and there's a lot of work to be done, but I'm excited. I've got a great group of people to work with, and I really think it can be something great.
Overextension is a big, massochistic problem I have. I'm trying to avoid doing fifty-million-things-all-the-time like usual, but I hear about projects and I just get so excited I can't help myself. I need to remind myself to keep time for homework and writing, and I'm really going to need to come up with a no-BS policy for myself in regards to organization and time management. (That may be my biggest challenge.)
Nevertheless, there are tons of opportunities for me here. I'm so excited about everything.
Being in school has never been so awesome.
I am excited about my classes. My professors are all so esteemed and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry--all three genres are represented, and this is actually quite accidental. In my workshop class, it was made quite clear from the get-go that I'm [supposed to be] working on a Thesis. The class is designed to help me with that endeavor while also helping my classmates. (My classmates! I guess I should call them colleagues. They're all so incredibly talented, I'm flattered by being in their company.) Studying contemporary nonfiction will have a heavy-workload, but it's primary purpose is to further my understanding of the genre as a writer, complete with writing exercises, practice in a panel, and [hopefully] a conference-worthy paper. And a class about teaching a multi-genre creative writing class? Epic. I'll essentially get to design an introductory-level class. And I'll probably get a conference paper out of this one, too.
I'm excited about being's a GTA. Since I got a split appointment, it is like having an extra two classes to take. I hold office hours, help my interns, do online grading. I have to be familiar with the syllabi and pay attention to deadlines. I need to remember not to forget about my online class--those are 120 students I need to record grades for! But working with The Florida Review, that's really incredible. Its a crash-course in literary journal publication, and even though I've only been around a week, I can tell I'm going to absolutely love it.
And of course, my life wouldn't be complete if I didn't get involved in extracurriculars. I found an Objects in Motion club with jugglers and poi-spinners and the like, just hanging out outside of my main building. I will probably join them every once in a while--they're more than happy to teach. Maybe I'll finally get backwards weaves and thread-the-needle. I'm still looking for a dojo--aikido preferably, but at this point any martial art will do. Preferably on-campus, so there's less travel and little-to-no fees, but it appears that training times only occur while I'm in class, so that's a buzzkill. But one of my professors happens to be 3rd Dan in TKD, and one of my--colleagues (gosh, it's weird saying that)--her parents own an Aikido dojo in south Florida, so there still seems to be hope. I've been trying to go to the gym with my cousin for basic in-shape purposes, possibly to lead back up to Zombie Apocalypse Training, but for now that's on temporary hiatus until I can get the rest of my life organized.
I'm also on a committee to start a new reading series for the MFA program, but more on that later. It's literally just starting, and there's a lot of work to be done, but I'm excited. I've got a great group of people to work with, and I really think it can be something great.
Overextension is a big, massochistic problem I have. I'm trying to avoid doing fifty-million-things-all-the-time like usual, but I hear about projects and I just get so excited I can't help myself. I need to remind myself to keep time for homework and writing, and I'm really going to need to come up with a no-BS policy for myself in regards to organization and time management. (That may be my biggest challenge.)
Nevertheless, there are tons of opportunities for me here. I'm so excited about everything.
Being in school has never been so awesome.
07 August 2011
I've been ignoring my muse all summer.
Shame on me.
Well hello everyone, I hope you've been doing well, and you haven't totally forgotten about me.
Over this summer, I didn't write. My ZAT training for the summer? Didn't do that, either. (And guess who's bridesmaid dress now doesn't fit? I have 2 months to lose ~10+ lbs, this is going to be fun.)
I start my MFA in Creative Writing in two weeks. I didn't read any of the recommended background material. I've done my training for my GTA positions, and I did my paperwork to be hired. (Apparently I get keys to the mailroom and an office.)
But what else is there? I worked. It helped me pay my bills, at the expense of doing everything else I wanted to do. I haven't been to an aikido class in months.
For two consecutive weekends, I went to weddings. On the third weekend, a funeral. Emotionally exhausting.
Friendships have been rekindled; others, not so much.
I realize I'm being vague, and I apologize for that. Hopefully once I get into the swing of school, I'll have more updates about more interesting things. But until then, you'll have to bear with this inadequate meandering post.
Thanks for your patience. Give me a week or two.
Well hello everyone, I hope you've been doing well, and you haven't totally forgotten about me.
Over this summer, I didn't write. My ZAT training for the summer? Didn't do that, either. (And guess who's bridesmaid dress now doesn't fit? I have 2 months to lose ~10+ lbs, this is going to be fun.)
I start my MFA in Creative Writing in two weeks. I didn't read any of the recommended background material. I've done my training for my GTA positions, and I did my paperwork to be hired. (Apparently I get keys to the mailroom and an office.)
But what else is there? I worked. It helped me pay my bills, at the expense of doing everything else I wanted to do. I haven't been to an aikido class in months.
For two consecutive weekends, I went to weddings. On the third weekend, a funeral. Emotionally exhausting.
Friendships have been rekindled; others, not so much.
I realize I'm being vague, and I apologize for that. Hopefully once I get into the swing of school, I'll have more updates about more interesting things. But until then, you'll have to bear with this inadequate meandering post.
Thanks for your patience. Give me a week or two.
03 July 2011
Being productive! Sorta.
So work and needing sleep have been keeping me from keeping you up to date on the awesome things going on in my life.
A week or so ago I filled out my paperwork for my GTA position and got to meet my director for graduate school. We talked about my direction and what I was looking forward to (everything!), and I am incredibly excited. I'll get my own desk and keys to important rooms, and I actually get to TEACH. I won't have a classroom all to myself, but I will be a part of the classroom environment, and I will get to impart knowledge, which I am super excited about. I just need to complete my online training.
I got to walk around campus and got my ID card, and it was all rather bizarre. I feel kind of like a traitor, or a spy, or something. Not familiar. With campus or with my new position there. But on the bright side, the building that will serve as my new home on campus is right next to the bookstore. :) Even if it is kind of old and falling apart. (I can live with that.)
After I got back from my trip, one of Boyfriend's good friends came to the area to celebrate his birthday. We had lunch with him Downtown one day, and then the next we went to the Dali museum, which is absolutely phenomenal. Seeing the Masterworks in person (I'd only studied them in books... seeing them in person in all of their glory is just humbling) and having my nose half an inch from the glass on some of his most famous paintings (The Degradation of the Persistence of Memory, sister to the famous melting clocks painting, for instance) is incredible. Whatever glass they use is the coolest thing ever. I had no idea there was glass between the painting and I, even when I looked for it. It is only at the most extreme angles can you see the light reflecting off of the paintings. It feels like the painting is right there. It's an intimate connection. I'm just astounded at the level of detail involved in the oils; in everything, really. So much for such small paintings. Lots of themes as his work evolved over time. I'm going to have to go back to the museum and spend more time there; I don't feel like I gave each of the paintings enough time and energy. He really was brilliant. Absurd, yes, but definitely brilliant and talented in a way you can't imagine until you see everything in person. I've been putting off going to the museum for years, and now I'm so sad I did. I missed out.
I've been working on planning a dive trip for next week, and I've been reading. I just finished Terry Goodkind's Law of Nines last night, which has been on my to-read list for years. Goodkind used to be one of my favorite authors in high school, but I wasn't terribly impressed with this last work. I found it largely predictable and anticlimactic, which is kind of depressing. I don't know if it's because my taste in literature has evolved, or if he's not as strong of a writer in thrillers as he was in fantasy.
And writing. I should be doing that, and I keep thinking, and i keep starting, but I guess since I don't really don't have a dedicated time of the day to just sit and write, nothing is getting done. :/ Similar to my resolve to continue ZAT. My inconsistent work schedule isn't helping, but at this point that's just an excuse. And speaking of ZAT, Boyfriend and I are about to go climb stairs on a parking garage, because I absolutely abhor stairs.
That logic makes sense. I promise.
A week or so ago I filled out my paperwork for my GTA position and got to meet my director for graduate school. We talked about my direction and what I was looking forward to (everything!), and I am incredibly excited. I'll get my own desk and keys to important rooms, and I actually get to TEACH. I won't have a classroom all to myself, but I will be a part of the classroom environment, and I will get to impart knowledge, which I am super excited about. I just need to complete my online training.
I got to walk around campus and got my ID card, and it was all rather bizarre. I feel kind of like a traitor, or a spy, or something. Not familiar. With campus or with my new position there. But on the bright side, the building that will serve as my new home on campus is right next to the bookstore. :) Even if it is kind of old and falling apart. (I can live with that.)
After I got back from my trip, one of Boyfriend's good friends came to the area to celebrate his birthday. We had lunch with him Downtown one day, and then the next we went to the Dali museum, which is absolutely phenomenal. Seeing the Masterworks in person (I'd only studied them in books... seeing them in person in all of their glory is just humbling) and having my nose half an inch from the glass on some of his most famous paintings (The Degradation of the Persistence of Memory, sister to the famous melting clocks painting, for instance) is incredible. Whatever glass they use is the coolest thing ever. I had no idea there was glass between the painting and I, even when I looked for it. It is only at the most extreme angles can you see the light reflecting off of the paintings. It feels like the painting is right there. It's an intimate connection. I'm just astounded at the level of detail involved in the oils; in everything, really. So much for such small paintings. Lots of themes as his work evolved over time. I'm going to have to go back to the museum and spend more time there; I don't feel like I gave each of the paintings enough time and energy. He really was brilliant. Absurd, yes, but definitely brilliant and talented in a way you can't imagine until you see everything in person. I've been putting off going to the museum for years, and now I'm so sad I did. I missed out.
I've been working on planning a dive trip for next week, and I've been reading. I just finished Terry Goodkind's Law of Nines last night, which has been on my to-read list for years. Goodkind used to be one of my favorite authors in high school, but I wasn't terribly impressed with this last work. I found it largely predictable and anticlimactic, which is kind of depressing. I don't know if it's because my taste in literature has evolved, or if he's not as strong of a writer in thrillers as he was in fantasy.
And writing. I should be doing that, and I keep thinking, and i keep starting, but I guess since I don't really don't have a dedicated time of the day to just sit and write, nothing is getting done. :/ Similar to my resolve to continue ZAT. My inconsistent work schedule isn't helping, but at this point that's just an excuse. And speaking of ZAT, Boyfriend and I are about to go climb stairs on a parking garage, because I absolutely abhor stairs.
That logic makes sense. I promise.
23 June 2011
Work has kind of been taking over my life. Which sucks.
On the bright side. I've been reading a lot. Devoured the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy in 2 days. It would have been less if I didn't need to go to work.
I haven't been writing, but I've been think-writing, if that makes sense. I can't write at work because in my contract it states that anything I work on during company time, the company owns, and I'm not going to risk that. But on my way to-and-from work, and even while I'm reading, maybe when I'm making dinner, I think of little things.
I should probably be writing them down.
On the bright side. I've been reading a lot. Devoured the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy in 2 days. It would have been less if I didn't need to go to work.
I haven't been writing, but I've been think-writing, if that makes sense. I can't write at work because in my contract it states that anything I work on during company time, the company owns, and I'm not going to risk that. But on my way to-and-from work, and even while I'm reading, maybe when I'm making dinner, I think of little things.
I should probably be writing them down.
14 June 2011
Work work work
So most of my time lately has been spent working. The rest? Sleeping. Eating happens too. And in the in-between, I think about what I should be doing. Reading, writing, aikido.
I read David Small's Stitches in one sitting (on the floor of a bookstore) a few weeks ago, and it was phenomenal. I still can't seem to finish Nano; I may have to give up on it, which is sad, but I can't do it. I downloaded 58 books for my Kindle; I started reading some Lovecraft, but I wasn't in the mood; moved to Verne, wasn't much better. :/ In the mood for more contemporary work, so I may go ahead and order the recommended background reading books for my contemporary nonfiction class, and get started with that.
I'd hate to say I'm "stuck" with writing, because there is no such thing as "being stuck".... but I don't know. I haven't really been in the mood to do anything, which is really uncharacteristic of me. I'm always GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO. And now I'm slipping on even my greatest passions. :/ I'm not depressed. Perhaps just lazy. I can't determine if it is justified or not.... but I need to just DO stuff.
Whenever I have to be at work, it kind of kills my motivation for the day. I think I should wake up early and go to the gym, or go when I get out of work, but neither of those things happen. I know I really just need to kick myself in the butt. (And it has occurred to me that this is not the first time I've complained about this... which is not helping my pathetic case.)
The summer is slowly slipping away... I need to make the most of it. :)
I read David Small's Stitches in one sitting (on the floor of a bookstore) a few weeks ago, and it was phenomenal. I still can't seem to finish Nano; I may have to give up on it, which is sad, but I can't do it. I downloaded 58 books for my Kindle; I started reading some Lovecraft, but I wasn't in the mood; moved to Verne, wasn't much better. :/ In the mood for more contemporary work, so I may go ahead and order the recommended background reading books for my contemporary nonfiction class, and get started with that.
I'd hate to say I'm "stuck" with writing, because there is no such thing as "being stuck".... but I don't know. I haven't really been in the mood to do anything, which is really uncharacteristic of me. I'm always GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO. And now I'm slipping on even my greatest passions. :/ I'm not depressed. Perhaps just lazy. I can't determine if it is justified or not.... but I need to just DO stuff.
Whenever I have to be at work, it kind of kills my motivation for the day. I think I should wake up early and go to the gym, or go when I get out of work, but neither of those things happen. I know I really just need to kick myself in the butt. (And it has occurred to me that this is not the first time I've complained about this... which is not helping my pathetic case.)
The summer is slowly slipping away... I need to make the most of it. :)
20 May 2011
What I haven't been doing.
Apparently, the only discernible skill my new Bachelor's Degree has given me is the ability to wake up early. Every day. Without an alarm. Without fail.
This is useful for work. Normally I have to be in around 9am. I set my alarm for 7:45. But right at 7am, BING! I'm awake. And for half a minute I think about how I should roll out of bed and walk to the little gym in the clubhouse and do something productive for half an hour before work. So I can be energized and maybe work off the extra fluff I've accumulated over the past few weeks. But I never seem to get past the thinking part; I just fall back asleep, and then get ready for work.
Work happens to be a four minute drive away. Less if I don't hit the single stoplight between my apartment and the staff parking lot. I'd rollerblade to work, but there's no where to put my blades while I'm working. The lockers are too small. :( So I'm back home for the weekend, and I'm going to try to steal my bike back. That way I can save on gas money, too. :)
As for why I'm not working this weekend? I asked for it off to go to an Aikido Seminar that my sensei is teaching. But I haven't been to an aikido class in... months? Months. That's just embarrassing. I want to go, but at the same time, I'm slightly apprehensive. It's not just this pathetic laziness that's taking over my life, it's just that it's an ukemi seminar. And my ukemi sucks. That's probably enough reason for me to go, but I'm also absolutely broke. Dead broke. Yes I have a job, but I haven't even gotten my first paycheck yet, and I still have to pay for rent and groceries. :/ So it looks like my choices are: food? or seminar? -sigh-
I need to start going back to aikido. I deliberately made my work schedule so that I could still make it to class Monday and Wednesday nights. I intended on going to class this past week. But after work I just crashed. Took a great big nap, had dinner, and went to sleep for the night. Wake up in the morning, go to work. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I need to stop making excuses. Aikido and working out aren't the only things I haven't been doing. I need to be WRITING.
Now, a big part of writing, is reading. And gold star for me, I've actually been doing that. I recently finished Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters, and I'm currently working on Ed Regis' Nano. Once I finish catching up on books in my personal library, I'm going to start working on the recommended background reading for one of my grad school classes. My conservative goal is two books a week, so I need to step up my game a little. I'm going to make a rule for myself, that if I want to read, I need to be doing something else at the same time. Like spending some time on an elliptical trainer. Multitasking.
But reading isn't everything. I'm going to start working on an MFA in Creative Writing, for heaven's sake, and I need to actually WRITE in order to get my degree!
I have a lot of half-started projects, ideas in their infancy, and almost-done essays that just need a bit of tweaking. But I need to be writing. All the time. Working on something. I need something to show for this summer. So I need to find time to write. Every day, at the same time. I'm not quite sure how this is going to work yet, but maybe I'll link it to starting a Dream Journal again. After all, all my best ideas come from my dreams.
So now I need to go out and DO something! And I hope you all DO something, too! And enjoy your weekend. :)
--EDIT!--
OH OH OH. Before I forget!! I got my grades for my final semester: STRAIGHT A's. (YAY!)
This is useful for work. Normally I have to be in around 9am. I set my alarm for 7:45. But right at 7am, BING! I'm awake. And for half a minute I think about how I should roll out of bed and walk to the little gym in the clubhouse and do something productive for half an hour before work. So I can be energized and maybe work off the extra fluff I've accumulated over the past few weeks. But I never seem to get past the thinking part; I just fall back asleep, and then get ready for work.
Work happens to be a four minute drive away. Less if I don't hit the single stoplight between my apartment and the staff parking lot. I'd rollerblade to work, but there's no where to put my blades while I'm working. The lockers are too small. :( So I'm back home for the weekend, and I'm going to try to steal my bike back. That way I can save on gas money, too. :)
As for why I'm not working this weekend? I asked for it off to go to an Aikido Seminar that my sensei is teaching. But I haven't been to an aikido class in... months? Months. That's just embarrassing. I want to go, but at the same time, I'm slightly apprehensive. It's not just this pathetic laziness that's taking over my life, it's just that it's an ukemi seminar. And my ukemi sucks. That's probably enough reason for me to go, but I'm also absolutely broke. Dead broke. Yes I have a job, but I haven't even gotten my first paycheck yet, and I still have to pay for rent and groceries. :/ So it looks like my choices are: food? or seminar? -sigh-
I need to start going back to aikido. I deliberately made my work schedule so that I could still make it to class Monday and Wednesday nights. I intended on going to class this past week. But after work I just crashed. Took a great big nap, had dinner, and went to sleep for the night. Wake up in the morning, go to work. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I need to stop making excuses. Aikido and working out aren't the only things I haven't been doing. I need to be WRITING.
Now, a big part of writing, is reading. And gold star for me, I've actually been doing that. I recently finished Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters, and I'm currently working on Ed Regis' Nano. Once I finish catching up on books in my personal library, I'm going to start working on the recommended background reading for one of my grad school classes. My conservative goal is two books a week, so I need to step up my game a little. I'm going to make a rule for myself, that if I want to read, I need to be doing something else at the same time. Like spending some time on an elliptical trainer. Multitasking.
But reading isn't everything. I'm going to start working on an MFA in Creative Writing, for heaven's sake, and I need to actually WRITE in order to get my degree!
I have a lot of half-started projects, ideas in their infancy, and almost-done essays that just need a bit of tweaking. But I need to be writing. All the time. Working on something. I need something to show for this summer. So I need to find time to write. Every day, at the same time. I'm not quite sure how this is going to work yet, but maybe I'll link it to starting a Dream Journal again. After all, all my best ideas come from my dreams.
So now I need to go out and DO something! And I hope you all DO something, too! And enjoy your weekend. :)
--EDIT!--
OH OH OH. Before I forget!! I got my grades for my final semester: STRAIGHT A's. (YAY!)
09 May 2011
All Grown Up. Almost.
So last Thursday I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Concentration being Creative Writing (Fiction), and my minor as Physics!
Graduation day was interesting. The first time both my mom and my dad have been within 8 feet of each other. They were civil, and I am grateful.
Boyfriend and I just following the ceremony!
I don't feel any different. It's nice that that chapter of my life is now complete, and I can move on. But I'm still going to miss the school, and my friends here.
But I'm ready to move on. Unfortunately, I'm still stressed out. I forgot to turn in my immunization form to my new graduate school, so now there is a hold on my account and I can't sign up for my classes. I'm having to cut my long mother's day weekend at home short in order to get that taken care of ASAP.
On Tuesday I have orientation for my new job. Thursday is my first day of training. I still need to get solid white sneakers for work. It's going to be interesting, to say the least. I hope they give me enough hours to cover my rent.
So far I have read one book for fun. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I got it as a Christmas gift two years ago, and I finally had time to read it. Read it in a day. It was awesome. :] Now I just need to slowly devour the unread books on my shelf before I can start reading new books on my Kindle.
I also need to start with my Zombie Apocalypse Training again, and going to Aikido. In these last two semesters I've put on more pounds than I'm happy admitting, and I need to fix that. :/
On the bright side, the Florida weather is being awesome. Yes, hot as usual, but I'm enjoying the sunshine. :) Hopefully this summer ends up being awesome, and leads to better things to come!
Graduation day was interesting. The first time both my mom and my dad have been within 8 feet of each other. They were civil, and I am grateful.
Boyfriend and I just following the ceremony!
I don't feel any different. It's nice that that chapter of my life is now complete, and I can move on. But I'm still going to miss the school, and my friends here.
But I'm ready to move on. Unfortunately, I'm still stressed out. I forgot to turn in my immunization form to my new graduate school, so now there is a hold on my account and I can't sign up for my classes. I'm having to cut my long mother's day weekend at home short in order to get that taken care of ASAP.
On Tuesday I have orientation for my new job. Thursday is my first day of training. I still need to get solid white sneakers for work. It's going to be interesting, to say the least. I hope they give me enough hours to cover my rent.
So far I have read one book for fun. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I got it as a Christmas gift two years ago, and I finally had time to read it. Read it in a day. It was awesome. :] Now I just need to slowly devour the unread books on my shelf before I can start reading new books on my Kindle.
I also need to start with my Zombie Apocalypse Training again, and going to Aikido. In these last two semesters I've put on more pounds than I'm happy admitting, and I need to fix that. :/
On the bright side, the Florida weather is being awesome. Yes, hot as usual, but I'm enjoying the sunshine. :) Hopefully this summer ends up being awesome, and leads to better things to come!
25 April 2011
Last week of class.
I have so much to do.
Working on a term paper. Draft due for peer review tomorrow. Final product due Thursday.
Was given an option for final exam in my weekly modernism class. Take-home looked easily doable, just didn't have the time for it. Was working on a project (see below). :( In-class option tomorrow night. Haven't really prepared for it yet.
Another term paper due before the end of next week. Haven't started.
Two more take-home exams due next week. Haven't gotten them yet.
Project that was supposed to be due Wednesday, is actually due next Friday. I did it early. Somehow trying to be ahead of things still screwed me over.
Bright side? I have a summer job! Yay. I'll be working Guest Relations at a certain park nearby, aaaaand that's about all I can say about it. :/ Training starts after Graduation.
Provided I successfully Graduate.
Need to survive one more week.
One more.
PS--I went SCUBA diving in the Keys last weekend and it was awesome. Except for the getting seasick part. But that's besides the point.
Working on a term paper. Draft due for peer review tomorrow. Final product due Thursday.
Was given an option for final exam in my weekly modernism class. Take-home looked easily doable, just didn't have the time for it. Was working on a project (see below). :( In-class option tomorrow night. Haven't really prepared for it yet.
Another term paper due before the end of next week. Haven't started.
Two more take-home exams due next week. Haven't gotten them yet.
Project that was supposed to be due Wednesday, is actually due next Friday. I did it early. Somehow trying to be ahead of things still screwed me over.
Bright side? I have a summer job! Yay. I'll be working Guest Relations at a certain park nearby, aaaaand that's about all I can say about it. :/ Training starts after Graduation.
Provided I successfully Graduate.
Need to survive one more week.
One more.
PS--I went SCUBA diving in the Keys last weekend and it was awesome. Except for the getting seasick part. But that's besides the point.
16 April 2011
Decisions, decisions!
In less than three weeks I'll be a happy graduate! There are only two official weeks of class left. This is mildly terrifying.
But! I have good news. I made my decision on where I'll be for the next three years of my life.
Last week the Director of Graduate studies at Florida International University called me personally to tell me that the school has accepted me and said I was eligible for an assistantship, but it wasn't 100% because they weren't sure what their budget was. I declined their offer as I had already gotten better offer at UCF.
Then, Friday morning, the Dean of Graduate Studies at Savannah College of Art and Design called me personally to tell me that he and the Board were very impressed by my phone interview the day before, and that they wanted to award me with the prestigious Dean's Fellowship. As appreciative as I am of this offer, I had to tell him I respectfully decline. I made my decision the day before after the interview, based on the fact that even if I got the Fellowship I still wouldn't be able to afford to go to school there. Tuition-only does not give me a place to live or food to eat.
So I am pleased to announce that I has finally made her decision, and accepted the school of my choice. Starting in August, I'll be a Knight, at the University of Central Florida. I couldn't be happier with my decision. I'm currently waiting to see what I'll get for my Graduate Teaching Assistant position (I'm really hoping for an editor position at The Florida Review), and I need to start figuring out what classes I'm going to take in the Fall and send in the request the day after I graduate. :)
In other good news, my thesis is finally completed! As promised, here's a sneak:
I ended up titling the work "Pancakes and Parallel Universes."
The whole work is drawn in that style... with a few extra surprises. :] Throughout the process I could tell it was going to be a much larger piece of work than I anticipated, so it is more like a "chapter one" of something much bigger. I'm really liking playing with this idea for a graphic novel, so I will probably work on it more over the summer.
Speaking of the summer, I went to a part-time job fair and filled out a few applications for seasonal employment... I also have an interview for Monday morning, so I'm excited. I hope I get the job, it will be something fun to do and help pay the rent.
Until then, I just need to finish the last three essays of my undergraduate career and take two final exams... and that's it. I'm done.
And onto the next step in my life.
But! I have good news. I made my decision on where I'll be for the next three years of my life.
Last week the Director of Graduate studies at Florida International University called me personally to tell me that the school has accepted me and said I was eligible for an assistantship, but it wasn't 100% because they weren't sure what their budget was. I declined their offer as I had already gotten better offer at UCF.
Then, Friday morning, the Dean of Graduate Studies at Savannah College of Art and Design called me personally to tell me that he and the Board were very impressed by my phone interview the day before, and that they wanted to award me with the prestigious Dean's Fellowship. As appreciative as I am of this offer, I had to tell him I respectfully decline. I made my decision the day before after the interview, based on the fact that even if I got the Fellowship I still wouldn't be able to afford to go to school there. Tuition-only does not give me a place to live or food to eat.
So I am pleased to announce that I has finally made her decision, and accepted the school of my choice. Starting in August, I'll be a Knight, at the University of Central Florida. I couldn't be happier with my decision. I'm currently waiting to see what I'll get for my Graduate Teaching Assistant position (I'm really hoping for an editor position at The Florida Review), and I need to start figuring out what classes I'm going to take in the Fall and send in the request the day after I graduate. :)
In other good news, my thesis is finally completed! As promised, here's a sneak:
I ended up titling the work "Pancakes and Parallel Universes."
The whole work is drawn in that style... with a few extra surprises. :] Throughout the process I could tell it was going to be a much larger piece of work than I anticipated, so it is more like a "chapter one" of something much bigger. I'm really liking playing with this idea for a graphic novel, so I will probably work on it more over the summer.
Speaking of the summer, I went to a part-time job fair and filled out a few applications for seasonal employment... I also have an interview for Monday morning, so I'm excited. I hope I get the job, it will be something fun to do and help pay the rent.
Until then, I just need to finish the last three essays of my undergraduate career and take two final exams... and that's it. I'm done.
And onto the next step in my life.
01 April 2011
Interesting Predicament
This week has been ridiculous. I had an interview for a prestigious award (which I didn't win), won a science fiction writing contest, sent out four new submissions, and got accepted into another grad school. Oh, and I've made some decent headway on my thesis.
Basically, everything in my life is going to converge on April 15th. That is THE day. And it is two weeks from now.
I have two awards ceremonies to attend that day, my thesis is due that day, and that is the day I have to accept or decline my invitation to UCF. I wanted to make my final decision by next week, but I got an email from SCAD stating that I am in the running for a full-tuition fellowship; my phone interview is on the 14th. So I'll have to wait. And today I got a call directly from the Graduate Director of FIU, stating I was unanimously accepted, and I was highly recommended for a teaching assistantship. I should know by the end of the day if I got it or not. All of the sudden, I have incredible opportunities. UCF is still the only one set in stone, but if FIU and SCAD go through, there's going to be some heavy competition. This is a good problem to have, but still, it is nerve-wracking.
I need to fill our all of the financial aid stuff for all three schools now. Soon. On top of all of the rest of the things I need to do... Homework, projects, extracurriculars... It just never ends. I am excited, but also mildly terrified. We'll have to wait and see how things go.
Basically, everything in my life is going to converge on April 15th. That is THE day. And it is two weeks from now.
I have two awards ceremonies to attend that day, my thesis is due that day, and that is the day I have to accept or decline my invitation to UCF. I wanted to make my final decision by next week, but I got an email from SCAD stating that I am in the running for a full-tuition fellowship; my phone interview is on the 14th. So I'll have to wait. And today I got a call directly from the Graduate Director of FIU, stating I was unanimously accepted, and I was highly recommended for a teaching assistantship. I should know by the end of the day if I got it or not. All of the sudden, I have incredible opportunities. UCF is still the only one set in stone, but if FIU and SCAD go through, there's going to be some heavy competition. This is a good problem to have, but still, it is nerve-wracking.
I need to fill our all of the financial aid stuff for all three schools now. Soon. On top of all of the rest of the things I need to do... Homework, projects, extracurriculars... It just never ends. I am excited, but also mildly terrified. We'll have to wait and see how things go.
26 March 2011
Six more weeks.
In typical procrastination fashion, I am posting when I should be doing something else. In this case, writing a take-home essay I've had about 2 weeks to complete.
I am still waiting on five more schools to get back to me, so at the advice of my thesis advisor, I sent the directors of the writing programs emails asking for updates on my applications. They were very short, polite emails, stating that although I got a good offer somewhere else, I want to hear from them before I accept/decline. Hopefully I'll get responses within the next week or two; if not, I still plan on making my final decision by April 8 (a week before the April 15 deadline).
I've been talking to my top school choice, and I am very excited about the opportunities presented to me. I've already been briefed on my choices for my assistantship, and everyone I have talked to has been really friendly. :)
I still have a lot of work that I need to do for (undergraduate) school, and there are two big submissions due at the end of this week that I haven't really started on. Coupling that with job fairs and award interviews and getting headshots taken and all of this... I'm getting rather stressed out. There is so much to do, and I just don't have enough time for it all. :/ Hopefully my headshots turn out nice (I have a lot of faith in my super awesome photographer, Toivo) and my interview goes well and I finish everything I want to do this week.
I've paid for almost everything for graduation (just waiting to get my honors medallion, which I won't get until the end of next month), and I'm excited because my parents are both chipping in to get me a class ring. :) My mom and her fiancee were also nice enough to get me an awesome outfit for my graduation. I have two ceremonies on two separate days, but I'm wearing the same outfit to both of them. I like it that much. (And it was crazy expensive, even on sale.)
Battling seniouritus is such a pain; but I am still trying to get everything done and keep my grades up high. I know all of my acceptances are conditional, and I don't want them revoked because I got lazy in the last six weeks. So far so good, though. :]
I am still waiting on five more schools to get back to me, so at the advice of my thesis advisor, I sent the directors of the writing programs emails asking for updates on my applications. They were very short, polite emails, stating that although I got a good offer somewhere else, I want to hear from them before I accept/decline. Hopefully I'll get responses within the next week or two; if not, I still plan on making my final decision by April 8 (a week before the April 15 deadline).
I've been talking to my top school choice, and I am very excited about the opportunities presented to me. I've already been briefed on my choices for my assistantship, and everyone I have talked to has been really friendly. :)
I still have a lot of work that I need to do for (undergraduate) school, and there are two big submissions due at the end of this week that I haven't really started on. Coupling that with job fairs and award interviews and getting headshots taken and all of this... I'm getting rather stressed out. There is so much to do, and I just don't have enough time for it all. :/ Hopefully my headshots turn out nice (I have a lot of faith in my super awesome photographer, Toivo) and my interview goes well and I finish everything I want to do this week.
I've paid for almost everything for graduation (just waiting to get my honors medallion, which I won't get until the end of next month), and I'm excited because my parents are both chipping in to get me a class ring. :) My mom and her fiancee were also nice enough to get me an awesome outfit for my graduation. I have two ceremonies on two separate days, but I'm wearing the same outfit to both of them. I like it that much. (And it was crazy expensive, even on sale.)
Battling seniouritus is such a pain; but I am still trying to get everything done and keep my grades up high. I know all of my acceptances are conditional, and I don't want them revoked because I got lazy in the last six weeks. So far so good, though. :]
20 March 2011
Spring Break
So my last undergraduate spring break was not nearly as awesome or productive as I would have liked. I wanted to get at least 6 more pages of my thesis done (to total 10) and I got like 2 pages done. Sorta. And by that, I mean I've been working on it mostly just all day today. I am rather pleased at how it is turning out. it has taken forever but I think I'm finally getting back into the hang of drawing on a regular basis. the only issue is that coloring things in, too, it making the process a million times longer. :/ When I think I've got a good scene to show what I'm doing, I'll be sure to post it here so you all can sneak peek. :)
Ama and I have been keeping dream journals as a part of an extra-credit assignment for a class we are both a part of. The results, on my part, have been... interesting, to say the least. At worst, the dreams are just strange. At best, they're awesome story ideas. I woke up one particular morning and I thought--finally. This is it. This is what I'm waiting for. I've been struggling with how to balance a character-driven story in a science fictional plot... and my subconscious gave it to me in the form of a post-apocalyptic dream. :) I look forward to pursuing it more once I graduate and have more free time.
Speaking of writing more, I didn't really get to work on any of my upcoming submissions, and I was once again rejected by the undergraduate literary magazine run by my university. Ugh. And I still haven't gotten any new acceptances, in terms of MFA programs. I decided not to go to Denver this year, and got the good news that I can defer my enrollment to next year. (Yay!) And as for more good news, I was just notified that I will get to present two works (one being literary criticism on Shakespeare, the other being magical realism flash fiction) for an Undergraduate Symposium held this Friday by my chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. :) I wish I had a little more time to prepare (I need to figure out how to correctly pronounce some stuff in the lit crit paper) but I'm still rather excited. :)
As one more down side, my spring break is over, and I haven't started any of my homework for this upcoming week. I am also missing a book that I need for a paper. :/ Hopefully I find it soon; the paper is due next week. Getting back into the swing of the semester isn't going to be easy (I'm definitely suffering from senioritus) but the semester is already half up. :] There's less than 2 months between me and my degree, and then onto bigger and better things. :D
Ama and I have been keeping dream journals as a part of an extra-credit assignment for a class we are both a part of. The results, on my part, have been... interesting, to say the least. At worst, the dreams are just strange. At best, they're awesome story ideas. I woke up one particular morning and I thought--finally. This is it. This is what I'm waiting for. I've been struggling with how to balance a character-driven story in a science fictional plot... and my subconscious gave it to me in the form of a post-apocalyptic dream. :) I look forward to pursuing it more once I graduate and have more free time.
Speaking of writing more, I didn't really get to work on any of my upcoming submissions, and I was once again rejected by the undergraduate literary magazine run by my university. Ugh. And I still haven't gotten any new acceptances, in terms of MFA programs. I decided not to go to Denver this year, and got the good news that I can defer my enrollment to next year. (Yay!) And as for more good news, I was just notified that I will get to present two works (one being literary criticism on Shakespeare, the other being magical realism flash fiction) for an Undergraduate Symposium held this Friday by my chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. :) I wish I had a little more time to prepare (I need to figure out how to correctly pronounce some stuff in the lit crit paper) but I'm still rather excited. :)
As one more down side, my spring break is over, and I haven't started any of my homework for this upcoming week. I am also missing a book that I need for a paper. :/ Hopefully I find it soon; the paper is due next week. Getting back into the swing of the semester isn't going to be easy (I'm definitely suffering from senioritus) but the semester is already half up. :] There's less than 2 months between me and my degree, and then onto bigger and better things. :D
17 March 2011
Denver, Thesis, and Japan.
So, I've come to the conclusion that I won't be going to Denver. I'm trying to force it to happen, and I still have 6 more schools to hear back from. I don't want to limit my options just for a summer program that I can't even get a loan for. (Basically, no creditor in their right mind will lend me money for an educational program that's not a school loan.) :/ UCF still seems like my best bet, but I still haven't heard from a lot of other schools in Florida. So I'll wait and see what happens.
Thesis work is slow-going, and its not really going the way I thought it would go... but I'm glad its progressing. I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted over Spring Break.
And basically because Japan has no idea what's going on, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to help. I'm going to hold off on plans until I can figure more out. I just feel so bad for them right now. It's really bad over there. :(
Thesis work is slow-going, and its not really going the way I thought it would go... but I'm glad its progressing. I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted over Spring Break.
And basically because Japan has no idea what's going on, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to help. I'm going to hold off on plans until I can figure more out. I just feel so bad for them right now. It's really bad over there. :(
13 March 2011
Plans.
So, in the wake of the devastation in Japan, Boyfriend and I are seriously considering going up there to help with the relief efforts after we graduate. We'd love to go sooner, but right now we'd just get in the way. I'm hoping we can volunteer through an aid organization like the Red Cross and stay for two weeks or a month or so--maybe longer if we can spare it. I'll be sure to take notes while I'm there. I would stay all summer if I wasn't planning on going to Denver for the Publishing Institute. I did some number crunching and it looks like it's going to cost about $6k total, with a nonrefundable $1K deposit due in a week. To go, I'm going to have to take out a loan, which I'm not happy about at all, but I should be able to pay it all off within a year thanks to the Stipend UCF was so generous to offer me. I am just waiting to hear back from UCF that my assistantship is renewable, and then I'll go ahead and decline everywhere else.
Things are falling into place and it is really rather bizarre. It's a good thing, I guess. For now, though, I need to focus on the task at hand. It may be my Spring Break, but my Thesis is due in a month and I do not have nearly enough of it finished. So I'm going to work on that, and hopefully get 70-80% done this week. I realize that's ambitious, but I really don't have the extra time to spare. :/
Things are falling into place and it is really rather bizarre. It's a good thing, I guess. For now, though, I need to focus on the task at hand. It may be my Spring Break, but my Thesis is due in a month and I do not have nearly enough of it finished. So I'm going to work on that, and hopefully get 70-80% done this week. I realize that's ambitious, but I really don't have the extra time to spare. :/
12 March 2011
Japan. :(
I have been keeping a dream journal lately as a part of an extra credit exercise for a class. Normally, first thing I do when I wake up is grab my iTouch and tap out a note describing what I can remember from my dream. This morning, I did not do that. This morning, the first thing I did was turn on the TV.
Normally I don't watch TV, but my mother sent me a text message that Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, and that overrode everything. Even being upset at not being able to sleep in on the first day of my Spring Break.
I woke up Boyfriend with the same message my mom sent me. We were both up and watching the progress on news stations and websites pretty much instantly. We kept texting back and forth to collect facts. He said We should help. I said Absolutely.
So now I'm trying to see if I can help organize an effort with one of the bigger aid distributors to see what we can do to help. Collecting food, clothes, and money all seem to be the priorities. I'm going get Aikido Club and maybe the Japanese Club also involved in this effort, and hopefully by the time we get back to school next Monday, we have some sort of strategy for this aid effort.
Normally I don't watch TV, but my mother sent me a text message that Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, and that overrode everything. Even being upset at not being able to sleep in on the first day of my Spring Break.
I woke up Boyfriend with the same message my mom sent me. We were both up and watching the progress on news stations and websites pretty much instantly. We kept texting back and forth to collect facts. He said We should help. I said Absolutely.
So now I'm trying to see if I can help organize an effort with one of the bigger aid distributors to see what we can do to help. Collecting food, clothes, and money all seem to be the priorities. I'm going get Aikido Club and maybe the Japanese Club also involved in this effort, and hopefully by the time we get back to school next Monday, we have some sort of strategy for this aid effort.
02 March 2011
Good News and Bad News.
We'll start with the bad.
I found out this week that Vanderbilt rejected me. On top of that, I had to pull my first all-nighter of the semester. I went to sleep around 8am, and woke up at 11am, so I guess it wasn't a true all-nighter, but it could have totally been prevented. Deadlines just snuck up on me; it seems that on top of midterms, EVERYTHING IS DUE this week. Including submissions to awards that I've been putting off. I have almost everything I need for the award about being an outstanding graduate (just missing a recommendation letter I'm going to pick up tomorrow), and for the creative writing awards, I finally have a piece written, I just need to edit and expand on it. I'm behind on my thesis--I wanted to be pretty much done with drafting all of the pages by now--so if I'm lucky, I'll get all of my midterm and studying stuff done early in the weekend, so that I can spend the rest of next week creating formats. That way, when I meet with my thesis director next Thursday, he can tell me yea or nay before I commit the comic to detail and color over Spring Break. (so much work!! >_< ugh.)
And as for the good? I got accepted into UCF's Creative Writing MFA Program! Yay! I have choices (Now I just need to get an assistantship or something somewhere to help offset the cost...) I'll have to spend my Spring Break getting all of my financial aid work together to start submitting to the schools I got accepted to, so that they can start processing the fact that I absolutely need their aid or I won't be able to attend. :/ (So somehow, I turned the good news into bad news again.)
Next week I get to order my cap, gown, & tassel, along with my honors medallion (for attaining a 3.5+ GPA) and hopefully my honors society sash (for my participation in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society). I've registered for Commencement through the University and the Honors College, and I'm planning on signing up for membership at the Alumni Society soon, too. I wanted a class ring, but they're just too expensive, and since my Bachelor's degree isn't going to be my last degree, I figure I'll just wait until I finish my MFA (or even my PhD). Graduation is so close, I can almost taste it! I just need to survive the rest of this semester first!
I found out this week that Vanderbilt rejected me. On top of that, I had to pull my first all-nighter of the semester. I went to sleep around 8am, and woke up at 11am, so I guess it wasn't a true all-nighter, but it could have totally been prevented. Deadlines just snuck up on me; it seems that on top of midterms, EVERYTHING IS DUE this week. Including submissions to awards that I've been putting off. I have almost everything I need for the award about being an outstanding graduate (just missing a recommendation letter I'm going to pick up tomorrow), and for the creative writing awards, I finally have a piece written, I just need to edit and expand on it. I'm behind on my thesis--I wanted to be pretty much done with drafting all of the pages by now--so if I'm lucky, I'll get all of my midterm and studying stuff done early in the weekend, so that I can spend the rest of next week creating formats. That way, when I meet with my thesis director next Thursday, he can tell me yea or nay before I commit the comic to detail and color over Spring Break. (so much work!! >_< ugh.)
And as for the good? I got accepted into UCF's Creative Writing MFA Program! Yay! I have choices (Now I just need to get an assistantship or something somewhere to help offset the cost...) I'll have to spend my Spring Break getting all of my financial aid work together to start submitting to the schools I got accepted to, so that they can start processing the fact that I absolutely need their aid or I won't be able to attend. :/ (So somehow, I turned the good news into bad news again.)
Next week I get to order my cap, gown, & tassel, along with my honors medallion (for attaining a 3.5+ GPA) and hopefully my honors society sash (for my participation in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society). I've registered for Commencement through the University and the Honors College, and I'm planning on signing up for membership at the Alumni Society soon, too. I wanted a class ring, but they're just too expensive, and since my Bachelor's degree isn't going to be my last degree, I figure I'll just wait until I finish my MFA (or even my PhD). Graduation is so close, I can almost taste it! I just need to survive the rest of this semester first!
27 February 2011
Submit! Submit! Submit!
That exactly what I haven't been doing lately. I've been so caught up in working on graduate school applications and my thesis and schoolwork for my last semester of college, that I haven't been working on any other creative writing, and therefore haven't been submitting any new work! I need to submiiiiiit. (And so do you!)
I just submitted an old piece of flash fiction to the annual Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest (due tomorrow), and I am totally planning on submitting to the New York Times Modern Love Essay Contest (due at the end of next month). There are also two (three?) awards from the university I want to submit to due this Friday... so that's an extra essay, and a story or two... and then I have a project due this week, and I have to finish three novels (that I am waaaay behind on) and drawing my thesis takes like a million years for just a few frames and asdkfjsldkfskjflsd. Have I mentioned that I am also suffering from senioritus? :( I can't lose steam now! Almost done, almost done...
[sorry about the rambling. speaking of rambling, apparently that's a valid modern/contemporary technique... which embitters me because I would have loved to read my stream-of-consciousness journal posts from middle school (back when i was an original angsty emo/goth kid... ha) but I had to delete them so they're all gone... :( owell.]
I still haven't heard from any more graduate schools or submissions, but I did get a phone call on Friday from someone who found my resume on the university's Career Connections website (I totally forgot I uploaded my resume there) and wanted to interview me for a position as an intern editing and publishing biweekly & monthly newsletters. Pretty awesome, right? Except I looked up the company, and it appears to be a totally sketch pyramid scheme. :/ Even if it was a paid internship... I don't think I'm interested. (Not that I have time, anyways.)
But, back to work. (Oh, and I'm absolutely loving the weather in Florida. I did my homework on the beach today. In a bikini. With SPF 15. And didn't get burnt. Yay!)
I just submitted an old piece of flash fiction to the annual Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest (due tomorrow), and I am totally planning on submitting to the New York Times Modern Love Essay Contest (due at the end of next month). There are also two (three?) awards from the university I want to submit to due this Friday... so that's an extra essay, and a story or two... and then I have a project due this week, and I have to finish three novels (that I am waaaay behind on) and drawing my thesis takes like a million years for just a few frames and asdkfjsldkfskjflsd. Have I mentioned that I am also suffering from senioritus? :( I can't lose steam now! Almost done, almost done...
[sorry about the rambling. speaking of rambling, apparently that's a valid modern/contemporary technique... which embitters me because I would have loved to read my stream-of-consciousness journal posts from middle school (back when i was an original angsty emo/goth kid... ha) but I had to delete them so they're all gone... :( owell.]
I still haven't heard from any more graduate schools or submissions, but I did get a phone call on Friday from someone who found my resume on the university's Career Connections website (I totally forgot I uploaded my resume there) and wanted to interview me for a position as an intern editing and publishing biweekly & monthly newsletters. Pretty awesome, right? Except I looked up the company, and it appears to be a totally sketch pyramid scheme. :/ Even if it was a paid internship... I don't think I'm interested. (Not that I have time, anyways.)
But, back to work. (Oh, and I'm absolutely loving the weather in Florida. I did my homework on the beach today. In a bikini. With SPF 15. And didn't get burnt. Yay!)
20 February 2011
SCAD.
The last graduate school application that I sent out was for the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). It was kind of a last-minute decision to apply there, as it wasn't on my original list of schools, and also because the application writing sample was daunting.
That's about a solid inch of paper.
The portfolio included up to two examples of several different styles of writing, including:
Nonfiction
Anyways, the work definitely paid off. Friday afternoon I got an email from SCAD congratulating me on my admission, as well as the 5-digit scholarship I was awarded. :) My mom called me yesterday to tell me I had received a package from the school, which is (what I'm assuming to be) all of the admission materials I'll need. I'll have to wait until spring break to pick it up from home, which is fine, considering that I still want to wait and hear back from the rest of the schools before I make my final decision. But I might see if I can get it sooner, because I'm curious to find out what's in it.
I am incredibly relieved that I now have a place that can potentially be my home for the next 3 years, and that can lead to an impressive industry job. One of my former professors (that wrote letters of recommendation for me) told me it should probably be my top choice, since it's an excellent school. I'm very excited, and I'll probably see if I can drive up to visit sometime during spring break. :]
I'll be sure to keep you all updated... I hope you are having a good February!
That's about a solid inch of paper.
The portfolio included up to two examples of several different styles of writing, including:
Nonfiction
- Personal Essay (1, my first thesis)
- Memoir (1)
- Promotional Writing (2: promotional email, reference letter)
- Writing for the Web (1, blog post)
- Book Review (1)
- Literary Criticism (2: Shakespeare, adaptations)
- Scholarly Essay (2: Physics term papers: Metamaterials, Computational Sympletic Integration)
- Business Document (1, Engineering paper on Bridges)
- Laboratory Report (2: chemistry 1, intermediate physics)
- Graphic Fiction (1, the graphic novel I spoke about before. (not my second thesis, as it still isn't complete))
- Speech (1, monologue about healthcare systems engineering)
- Flash Fiction (1, not the one that was published in Sphere)
- Novel Chapter (1)
Anyways, the work definitely paid off. Friday afternoon I got an email from SCAD congratulating me on my admission, as well as the 5-digit scholarship I was awarded. :) My mom called me yesterday to tell me I had received a package from the school, which is (what I'm assuming to be) all of the admission materials I'll need. I'll have to wait until spring break to pick it up from home, which is fine, considering that I still want to wait and hear back from the rest of the schools before I make my final decision. But I might see if I can get it sooner, because I'm curious to find out what's in it.
I am incredibly relieved that I now have a place that can potentially be my home for the next 3 years, and that can lead to an impressive industry job. One of my former professors (that wrote letters of recommendation for me) told me it should probably be my top choice, since it's an excellent school. I'm very excited, and I'll probably see if I can drive up to visit sometime during spring break. :]
I'll be sure to keep you all updated... I hope you are having a good February!
17 February 2011
First Responses
So, I've heard back from two schools.
USF rejected me, based on getting a lot of strong applications and I just didn't make the cut. (I honestly didn't think I would get in, but hey, I tried.)
University of Denver Publishing Institute sent me this letter:
"Dear Leslie,
Congratulations! We are pleased to tell you that the Admission Committee has granted you early acceptance based on your strong credentials..."
YAY!! I got in somewhere!
Now I need to come up with the money to pay for it. :/
USF rejected me, based on getting a lot of strong applications and I just didn't make the cut. (I honestly didn't think I would get in, but hey, I tried.)
University of Denver Publishing Institute sent me this letter:
"Dear Leslie,
Congratulations! We are pleased to tell you that the Admission Committee has granted you early acceptance based on your strong credentials..."
YAY!! I got in somewhere!
Now I need to come up with the money to pay for it. :/
08 February 2011
The Waiting Game
Shame on me, but I still haven't notified the schools that I applied to of my recent publication. I have a nice spiffy letter drafted, I just haven't emailed it yet. I keep trying to get ahead on my homework for classes so that I can dedicate large portions of time to my thesis.
I still haven't done too much on the thesis, and I realize that I seriously just need to get started and write write write. My thesis director is expecting a draft on Thursday, and so far, I really don't have much to show him. Hopefully in two-days' time I can turn that around.
Back to grad schools... Everything is in, and now its just up to waiting for some sort of response. It'll be at least a month before I hear anything. Hopefully at least one school lets me in.
I still haven't done too much on the thesis, and I realize that I seriously just need to get started and write write write. My thesis director is expecting a draft on Thursday, and so far, I really don't have much to show him. Hopefully in two-days' time I can turn that around.
Back to grad schools... Everything is in, and now its just up to waiting for some sort of response. It'll be at least a month before I hear anything. Hopefully at least one school lets me in.
03 February 2011
Publication!
My publication is up!
It appears in the Winter 2011 (Issue #5) of Sphere Literary Magazine: International Journal of Student Writing. The theme for the issue is "Morning Violence."
I find it rather fitting.
Click here to read it. :)
<3
It appears in the Winter 2011 (Issue #5) of Sphere Literary Magazine: International Journal of Student Writing. The theme for the issue is "Morning Violence."
I find it rather fitting.
Click here to read it. :)
<3
01 February 2011
Long vs. Short
So my thesis director posted a link to an essay regarding the absence of the novel in academia. It's a brilliant essay and I highly suggest you read it.
I personally have always had issues with keeping my writing short. I like to ramble. And I like to make things complicated. I just add layer upon layer and before I know it, I'm way beyond the scope of wrapping things up quickly. I know I'm good at creating conflict, I just haven't figured out how to create a nice happy resolution at the end, where the reader feels like all of their questions have been answered. But as a contemporary writer, do I even have to provide that service for my readers? I don't want to piss them off too much; then they'll never read any more of my work. But this is an issue I haven't really been able to work on in my creative writing classes because all we ever workshop is short stories or first chapters. :/ Even in my first thesis, I know my ending was weak. It was an extended personal essay, a string of anecdotes put together to analyze FIRST robotics as a religion, and in the end, it all kind of fell apart. It wasn't the best ending. I knew it. My director knew it. But still, it stands. :/ I'm still not happy with it, and I find that unacceptable. But rather than trying to beat that work to death and fix it, I'd much prefer to work on something new.
For this new thesis I'm working on, I already have kind of an idea of how I want to end it. End with the beginning. Circular kind of thing. It sounds lame when I reread that, but it makes more sense put into context. I know I'm being vague, and I'm sorry. I'm still trying to figure it out. But I want to try and like all parts of my life in this endeavor. Science Fiction. Creative Nonfiction. Writing. Science. Math. Music. Drama. Art. I'm going to try and make this work, but I need to make sure I don't bite off more than I can chew. I don't have a lot of time to get this finished, and since it's going to be a graphic novel, I really need a lot of time for the art part. It's sooo time consuming.
In both theses, there is a common strand. Rather than being long single pieces of work, they are collections of shorter works strung together in a way that makes sense. So maybe all of this training in writing short stories is actually rubbing off. The common string in the first one was a definition of religion, in which each bullet point was a segment I discussed in my anecdote. In the second one, I don't really have a common string. I have a theory that binds them together, but I don't have my story yet. The human aspect. The universality of it all.
I'm working on it. But I don't have much time.
In other news, the website that is supposed to be publishing my work has been down for about a week. :( Hopefully everything is okay, and they're just having mild technical difficulties.
Oh, I turned 22 last Thursday. I didn't really do anything exciting, just painted pottery with a few friends, and the day after, my mom came by and took me out for dinner and strawberry shortcake. One of my friends in aikido got me a cake (which we all shared after class yesterday), and Sensei was reminded that in all my 4 years at this dojo, I have still never had to do my Birthday Breakfalls. (I am expecting them tomorrow, and I am not excited about them.)
For those of you who remember Zombie Apocalypse Training, I've kinda started again. Besides going to aikido on a more or less regular basis, I've also been to the gym twice this week (going to try for at least 4x a week) to work on cardio, because my cardio sucks. So far so good, though. No passing out or anything. Hopefully by the summer I'll be able to graduate to a treadmill from the elliptical, and actually work on running. We'll see.
I personally have always had issues with keeping my writing short. I like to ramble. And I like to make things complicated. I just add layer upon layer and before I know it, I'm way beyond the scope of wrapping things up quickly. I know I'm good at creating conflict, I just haven't figured out how to create a nice happy resolution at the end, where the reader feels like all of their questions have been answered. But as a contemporary writer, do I even have to provide that service for my readers? I don't want to piss them off too much; then they'll never read any more of my work. But this is an issue I haven't really been able to work on in my creative writing classes because all we ever workshop is short stories or first chapters. :/ Even in my first thesis, I know my ending was weak. It was an extended personal essay, a string of anecdotes put together to analyze FIRST robotics as a religion, and in the end, it all kind of fell apart. It wasn't the best ending. I knew it. My director knew it. But still, it stands. :/ I'm still not happy with it, and I find that unacceptable. But rather than trying to beat that work to death and fix it, I'd much prefer to work on something new.
For this new thesis I'm working on, I already have kind of an idea of how I want to end it. End with the beginning. Circular kind of thing. It sounds lame when I reread that, but it makes more sense put into context. I know I'm being vague, and I'm sorry. I'm still trying to figure it out. But I want to try and like all parts of my life in this endeavor. Science Fiction. Creative Nonfiction. Writing. Science. Math. Music. Drama. Art. I'm going to try and make this work, but I need to make sure I don't bite off more than I can chew. I don't have a lot of time to get this finished, and since it's going to be a graphic novel, I really need a lot of time for the art part. It's sooo time consuming.
In both theses, there is a common strand. Rather than being long single pieces of work, they are collections of shorter works strung together in a way that makes sense. So maybe all of this training in writing short stories is actually rubbing off. The common string in the first one was a definition of religion, in which each bullet point was a segment I discussed in my anecdote. In the second one, I don't really have a common string. I have a theory that binds them together, but I don't have my story yet. The human aspect. The universality of it all.
I'm working on it. But I don't have much time.
In other news, the website that is supposed to be publishing my work has been down for about a week. :( Hopefully everything is okay, and they're just having mild technical difficulties.
Oh, I turned 22 last Thursday. I didn't really do anything exciting, just painted pottery with a few friends, and the day after, my mom came by and took me out for dinner and strawberry shortcake. One of my friends in aikido got me a cake (which we all shared after class yesterday), and Sensei was reminded that in all my 4 years at this dojo, I have still never had to do my Birthday Breakfalls. (I am expecting them tomorrow, and I am not excited about them.)
For those of you who remember Zombie Apocalypse Training, I've kinda started again. Besides going to aikido on a more or less regular basis, I've also been to the gym twice this week (going to try for at least 4x a week) to work on cardio, because my cardio sucks. So far so good, though. No passing out or anything. Hopefully by the summer I'll be able to graduate to a treadmill from the elliptical, and actually work on running. We'll see.
25 January 2011
Backlogging, and Life Update
So after having a discussion with Boyfriend and thinking about it for some time, I've come to the conclusion that I should start putting up some old entries that I deleted, and writing a bit more about my personal endeavors than just simply criticism and strict discussion. That makes this blog a bit less "professional," but it will at least be more "interesting." I hope.
I haven't put any of the old backlogged entries up, but I'll mention it in a new post when I do.
In other news, I've already started on my new thesis. I'm very excited. So far it seems like it's going to be mainly graphic, but I'm really going to try and push some boundaries with regards to craft and form. I finally have a good, strong direction to work in, and for the first time, I actually feel like I'm creating a book, or something akin to it. I just hope that it is completed in the span of this semester to an extent that both my thesis director and I are happy with, and that I can maybe extend in graduate school to an actual publishable work. But no getting ahead of myself.
And speaking of publication, I still don't have any new details regarding my most recent one. I can tell you it's a snippet of flash fiction, and it will be published on an international online journal that showcases student work. (Yay!)
There are a lot of contests open that I'm considering submitting to, but I haven't had time to go through my work and pick anything out. :/ Classes haven't been very demanding this semester, but I've been really busy with extracurriculars and helping with my mom's wedding that's taking up a lot more of my time than I thought it would.
I haven't put any of the old backlogged entries up, but I'll mention it in a new post when I do.
In other news, I've already started on my new thesis. I'm very excited. So far it seems like it's going to be mainly graphic, but I'm really going to try and push some boundaries with regards to craft and form. I finally have a good, strong direction to work in, and for the first time, I actually feel like I'm creating a book, or something akin to it. I just hope that it is completed in the span of this semester to an extent that both my thesis director and I are happy with, and that I can maybe extend in graduate school to an actual publishable work. But no getting ahead of myself.
And speaking of publication, I still don't have any new details regarding my most recent one. I can tell you it's a snippet of flash fiction, and it will be published on an international online journal that showcases student work. (Yay!)
There are a lot of contests open that I'm considering submitting to, but I haven't had time to go through my work and pick anything out. :/ Classes haven't been very demanding this semester, but I've been really busy with extracurriculars and helping with my mom's wedding that's taking up a lot more of my time than I thought it would.
22 January 2011
In light of things...
I've come to the somewhat recent realization that my mother would never approve of anything I write, fiction or nonfiction. :/ Simply put, I like controversy and she's a prude.
I first thought about this several weeks ago, but in light of my upcoming publication and the work that is going to be published, I'm mildly nervous. She's going to read it, along with everyone else in my family, and so will my friends, acquaintances, and so on. Although the work is strictly fiction, I'm sure there will still be suspicions and accusations and uproar. (Or maybe I'm just over-exaggerating and everything will be fine. Hopefully it is the latter.)
Anyways, I think the point I'm trying to get to is that having people who actually know me read my work makes me uncomfortable. Because writing is so intimate, because I put so much of myself into my work, I feel that by reading my writing, there are no more secrets. Like people can just see straight through me. Maybe not all at once, but little bits at a time, like taking apart nesting dolls. For some reason, this raw exposure does not bother me with complete strangers. But with the people I know and interact with on a regular basis, it's kind of nerve-wracking.
Call me a masochist, but this degree of discomfort is one of the main reasons why I've taken a liking to writing non-fiction. It's a whole new degree of difficult, and I like challenges. The consequence of this, however, means being truly, one-hundred-percent honest. With myself and with my readers, whomever they may be. And while I do not consider myself a nefarious person, I'm sure there's plenty about me that not everyone needs to know about. Omission wouldn't do anyone any good. So I put everything on the page.
That's the risk involved with writing.
Perhaps that's the beauty of it, too.
I first thought about this several weeks ago, but in light of my upcoming publication and the work that is going to be published, I'm mildly nervous. She's going to read it, along with everyone else in my family, and so will my friends, acquaintances, and so on. Although the work is strictly fiction, I'm sure there will still be suspicions and accusations and uproar. (Or maybe I'm just over-exaggerating and everything will be fine. Hopefully it is the latter.)
Anyways, I think the point I'm trying to get to is that having people who actually know me read my work makes me uncomfortable. Because writing is so intimate, because I put so much of myself into my work, I feel that by reading my writing, there are no more secrets. Like people can just see straight through me. Maybe not all at once, but little bits at a time, like taking apart nesting dolls. For some reason, this raw exposure does not bother me with complete strangers. But with the people I know and interact with on a regular basis, it's kind of nerve-wracking.
Call me a masochist, but this degree of discomfort is one of the main reasons why I've taken a liking to writing non-fiction. It's a whole new degree of difficult, and I like challenges. The consequence of this, however, means being truly, one-hundred-percent honest. With myself and with my readers, whomever they may be. And while I do not consider myself a nefarious person, I'm sure there's plenty about me that not everyone needs to know about. Omission wouldn't do anyone any good. So I put everything on the page.
That's the risk involved with writing.
Perhaps that's the beauty of it, too.
20 January 2011
The Best News Ever!
No, I haven't heard back from a university about being admitted to their MFA program.
No, I haven't miraculously come into an exceedingly large sum of money.
No, I'm not engaged, nor am I expecting.
Two days ago,
Tuesday, January 18, 2011,
at 3:20pm,
I received the best news ever.
I'm going to be published.
(More details to come!)
No, I haven't miraculously come into an exceedingly large sum of money.
No, I'm not engaged, nor am I expecting.
Two days ago,
Tuesday, January 18, 2011,
at 3:20pm,
I received the best news ever.
I'm going to be published.
(More details to come!)
13 January 2011
The Rights and Wrongs of Interpreting Literature
A friend of mine posted a Cracked article about common interpretations not aligning with the authorial intent of six popular novels.
While this discrepancy may be interesting, once a work is published authorial intent doesn't matter. What a book is and what it means is entirely dependent on the relationship between the text and the reader. Books are read differently by different people. Books very personal, they connect intimately and differently with each and every reader, because the background and experiences of each individual person allow each reading of the work to be different, even if it is read by the same person. Once an author sends a work away, it can never be theirs anymore. It belongs to the readers. There is no "right" or "wrong" to literature, only as long as you can support your argument with valid examples from the text. :)
(As a side note, my lit classes, I keep having thoughts and ideas about writing that I feel merit more discussion than was provided in class and I would like to engage further as a blog topic... By all means, I am encouraging discussion. I'll try to keep track of these ideas as I get them and (hopefully) post at least one a day. I'm also going to try and keep each post centered about one particular topic, rather than touching on several in one post, even if that means more than one post a day. But I'm going to try and avoid that.)
While this discrepancy may be interesting, once a work is published authorial intent doesn't matter. What a book is and what it means is entirely dependent on the relationship between the text and the reader. Books are read differently by different people. Books very personal, they connect intimately and differently with each and every reader, because the background and experiences of each individual person allow each reading of the work to be different, even if it is read by the same person. Once an author sends a work away, it can never be theirs anymore. It belongs to the readers. There is no "right" or "wrong" to literature, only as long as you can support your argument with valid examples from the text. :)
(As a side note, my lit classes, I keep having thoughts and ideas about writing that I feel merit more discussion than was provided in class and I would like to engage further as a blog topic... By all means, I am encouraging discussion. I'll try to keep track of these ideas as I get them and (hopefully) post at least one a day. I'm also going to try and keep each post centered about one particular topic, rather than touching on several in one post, even if that means more than one post a day. But I'm going to try and avoid that.)
11 January 2011
Why I Write.
Today's the first day of my last undergraduate semester, and to celebrate I figured I should give you all a little more personal insight as to why I chose this path.
As you may or may not know, I spent the first three years of my undergraduate degree working on a Bachelor's of Science degree in Physics (with a Minor in Creative Writing). At about the time I started this blog, I was just about to make the shift to invert those two goals. I was stressed out, miserable. While I do still love physics, and am fully capable of doing the math required for it, I wasn't enjoying what I was studying. I wanted astrophysics, cosmology, astronomy, planetary motion, quasars, star life-cycles, black holes, gravity waves, special and general relativity... not Gauss' Law for coaxial cables with currents running through them, or classical Newtonian mechanics. While, yes, those classes were stepping stones to what I consider the more interesting aspects of physics, I was just done. Honestly, if I kept with the program, I would just be doing more of what I hated, and I didn't want to hate my job.
I thought about what I did enjoy: my creative writing classes. I loved workshop. Critique. Editing. Literary criticism. The best semester I ever had? Mostly English classes.
So I changed my plan. Minor in Physics. Pursuing a bachelor of arts in English - Creative Writing. Through some amazing stroke of luck, changing my major three-fourths of the way through my Junior year didn't affect my graduation date at all. I got into the Departmental Honors program for English, and I've been taking a full load of English classes to finish my degree in time for this May.
Last semester, however, was the worst semester I had experienced. It should have been the best. While I loved my subject matter, I didn't have the time to really devote to my classes. I felt shortchanged. I had to pull at least one all-nighter a week to get everything done in time. I had to stop going to aikido because I just couldn't manage it on top of my regular classes and my baby-graduate-courses. And then I had the week from hell: Boyfriend almost died, a great-uncle suffered a heart attack and had to have triple bypass surgery, and one of my friends was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike home. Like I said, worst week ever. Instead of being less stressed out, I was even worse. Wasn't this contrary to what I wanted?
Over winter break I had a few moments of reflection, the most poignant of which occurred during a visit to KSC's Visitor Complex with some friends of the family. Surrounded by all of this science and technology, with all of these things that delight and inspire me, I felt a small piece of quiet unrest between my ribs.
Why write? Why is it that I have to write? I could be a physicist, and engineer, a rocket scientist. And I'd be damn good at it, too. But I am drawn to writing. I need to write. Why? Based on science, my experience with it, my love for it, where to I fall? What should I do? Why writing?
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be an astronaut more than anything in the world. That's why I picked Physics as my major. (Although more realistically I should have picked Geology so I could have a legitimate excuse to set foot on alien soil.) All I wanted was to see all of the stars in all of their glory--without the atmosphere to blur their shape and glow. The brilliant spectacle of lights no astronaut ever seems really capable of describing in adequate terms. NASA doesn't send poets into space, or artists of any kind, really. Only people that are useful. Scientists. Educators. Engineers. Test pilots.
Did I make a mistake?
No.
Something is driving me to write. I have no choice. I must to do it.
It's who I am.
As you may or may not know, I spent the first three years of my undergraduate degree working on a Bachelor's of Science degree in Physics (with a Minor in Creative Writing). At about the time I started this blog, I was just about to make the shift to invert those two goals. I was stressed out, miserable. While I do still love physics, and am fully capable of doing the math required for it, I wasn't enjoying what I was studying. I wanted astrophysics, cosmology, astronomy, planetary motion, quasars, star life-cycles, black holes, gravity waves, special and general relativity... not Gauss' Law for coaxial cables with currents running through them, or classical Newtonian mechanics. While, yes, those classes were stepping stones to what I consider the more interesting aspects of physics, I was just done. Honestly, if I kept with the program, I would just be doing more of what I hated, and I didn't want to hate my job.
I thought about what I did enjoy: my creative writing classes. I loved workshop. Critique. Editing. Literary criticism. The best semester I ever had? Mostly English classes.
So I changed my plan. Minor in Physics. Pursuing a bachelor of arts in English - Creative Writing. Through some amazing stroke of luck, changing my major three-fourths of the way through my Junior year didn't affect my graduation date at all. I got into the Departmental Honors program for English, and I've been taking a full load of English classes to finish my degree in time for this May.
Last semester, however, was the worst semester I had experienced. It should have been the best. While I loved my subject matter, I didn't have the time to really devote to my classes. I felt shortchanged. I had to pull at least one all-nighter a week to get everything done in time. I had to stop going to aikido because I just couldn't manage it on top of my regular classes and my baby-graduate-courses. And then I had the week from hell: Boyfriend almost died, a great-uncle suffered a heart attack and had to have triple bypass surgery, and one of my friends was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike home. Like I said, worst week ever. Instead of being less stressed out, I was even worse. Wasn't this contrary to what I wanted?
Over winter break I had a few moments of reflection, the most poignant of which occurred during a visit to KSC's Visitor Complex with some friends of the family. Surrounded by all of this science and technology, with all of these things that delight and inspire me, I felt a small piece of quiet unrest between my ribs.
Why write? Why is it that I have to write? I could be a physicist, and engineer, a rocket scientist. And I'd be damn good at it, too. But I am drawn to writing. I need to write. Why? Based on science, my experience with it, my love for it, where to I fall? What should I do? Why writing?
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be an astronaut more than anything in the world. That's why I picked Physics as my major. (Although more realistically I should have picked Geology so I could have a legitimate excuse to set foot on alien soil.) All I wanted was to see all of the stars in all of their glory--without the atmosphere to blur their shape and glow. The brilliant spectacle of lights no astronaut ever seems really capable of describing in adequate terms. NASA doesn't send poets into space, or artists of any kind, really. Only people that are useful. Scientists. Educators. Engineers. Test pilots.
Did I make a mistake?
No.
Something is driving me to write. I have no choice. I must to do it.
It's who I am.
09 January 2011
Admissions List is Finalized!
So this is the final cut:
I'm not 100% done with admissions... I still need to request some transcripts and GRE scores and send some of my portfolios away... I also have to put together a massive portfolio for SCAD, which is going to be interesting, but all-in-all, I'm happy with my final list. Iowa and Texas-Austin aren't on the list, which is really just because I didn't get anything productive done over winter break, but there's nothing I can do about those two but wait until next year, if at all.
It seems like loud drunkards partying in my apartment complex have finally quieted down. Time to get some sleep. :) More work in the morning. (Or afternoon.)
- University of Denver Summer Publishing Institute
- Savannah College of Art and Design
- Vanderbilt University
- New Mexico State University
- Georgia State University
- Georgia College & State University
- University of Miami
- University of Florida
- University of Central Florida
- University of South Florida
- Florida State University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida International University
I'm not 100% done with admissions... I still need to request some transcripts and GRE scores and send some of my portfolios away... I also have to put together a massive portfolio for SCAD, which is going to be interesting, but all-in-all, I'm happy with my final list. Iowa and Texas-Austin aren't on the list, which is really just because I didn't get anything productive done over winter break, but there's nothing I can do about those two but wait until next year, if at all.
It seems like loud drunkards partying in my apartment complex have finally quieted down. Time to get some sleep. :) More work in the morning. (Or afternoon.)
06 January 2011
Happy New Year!
I did not get nearly as much done over winter break as I wanted to. My room is a wreck, I didn't get any new grad school applications done (and therefore missed out on a lot of deadlines to good schools), I've hardly written at all, and I didn't really read anything either. :/ Shame on me.
I've got a long list of Resolutions to get me back on the right track, and I was going to post them all, but that seemed kind of pointless. Rather than telling you about what I plan to do, I should just notify you all about what I've already done. For example, today I scouted through the out-of-state schools that still have manageable deadlines, and once I finish packing my stuff to go back to school tomorrow, I'll apply. I have reconsidered applying to all three summer Publishing Institutes, and now I may just apply to one or two. I'm leaning towards U of Denver over NYU, but even so, I know I won't be able to attend either unless I have a full ride, and I know they won't give me a full ride. Not for a short program like that. I might save my money and apply to another MFA program instead. I'll be sure to let you all know what I've decided.
Lately, I'd been thinking that I really wanted to teach after finishing my MFA, to be a professor and stay in academia, but I was looking at SCAD: Savannah and their internships for Cartoon Network and Marvel Comics and other awesome places like that.... and you know what? That sounds awesome. I think I'd love to work in industry, at least while I'm still young. I can teach later, when I'm old(er) and want to settle down. And after I've learned some tricks of the trade. :)
I've been working on a few essays on craft and focus for a couple of weeks, hopefully you'll see them soon. Until then, enjoy the rest of your first week of 2011. :)
I've got a long list of Resolutions to get me back on the right track, and I was going to post them all, but that seemed kind of pointless. Rather than telling you about what I plan to do, I should just notify you all about what I've already done. For example, today I scouted through the out-of-state schools that still have manageable deadlines, and once I finish packing my stuff to go back to school tomorrow, I'll apply. I have reconsidered applying to all three summer Publishing Institutes, and now I may just apply to one or two. I'm leaning towards U of Denver over NYU, but even so, I know I won't be able to attend either unless I have a full ride, and I know they won't give me a full ride. Not for a short program like that. I might save my money and apply to another MFA program instead. I'll be sure to let you all know what I've decided.
Lately, I'd been thinking that I really wanted to teach after finishing my MFA, to be a professor and stay in academia, but I was looking at SCAD: Savannah and their internships for Cartoon Network and Marvel Comics and other awesome places like that.... and you know what? That sounds awesome. I think I'd love to work in industry, at least while I'm still young. I can teach later, when I'm old(er) and want to settle down. And after I've learned some tricks of the trade. :)
I've been working on a few essays on craft and focus for a couple of weeks, hopefully you'll see them soon. Until then, enjoy the rest of your first week of 2011. :)
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