Independent Study!

So I've made life a little complicated for myself this semester. I ended up dropping my workshop class because--quite frankly--there was no way I could handle the workload on top of everything else I am doing. So I talked to my program director and she set up an Independent Study for me! I'll be learning about Sequential Art (aka Graphic Narrative, Comics, whatever you want to call them) and hosting a weekly blog to keep track of my progress.

I'm still keeping this blog and I'm going to attempt to keep track of both, but that's going to be... interesting, to say the least. I may cross reference them, but subject matters should stay separate. (This is my more informal entire-graduate-life-experience blog, and the other is strictly on graphic narrative.)

That being said, the second week of the semester is here and I think I've finally got everything squared away. My schedule is locked in, my office hours are locked in, now I just need to fall into a rhythm and STICK to it. Which, seeing as it's already one in the morning, I'm not doing a very good job of. :/

I noticed I forgot how to critically read a whole novel in a short period of time. I've been going way too slow, and it's really hurting me. I need to pick up the pace and just read; I can't note every tiny little thing like I would in a short story or a poem. I wish I could, but time isn't really a luxury that I have. :(

Still, I'm optimistic about this new semester. :)

New Year!

Happy New Year everyone. :)

I've been absent from this blog for way too long, and for that I sincerely apologize. My goal for this semester/year is to be more on top of things. Time management is high on the priority list. So is taking care of myself physically and mentally. I have a huge list of things I'm doing this semester, and I really need stick to a strict schedule, otherwise things will fall apart like they did last semester. (Granted, last semester I walked away from my first semester in graduate school with a 4.0, but the personal cost was much too high. I was too stressed out, got far too little sleep, and was overall unhappy with my personal and professional performance.)

I've already gotten started on being proactive, tonight I send out my first submission of the year! It's a 4-page nonfiction graphic narrative. Here's a peek:




Since I'll be doing a lot of this in the next few months, I figured it would be doubly appropriate.

The comic didn't take as long as I anticipated; I did forget how long it takes to color. Even though the whole comic is in greyscale (the first time I've attempted that) it still takes about two or three times as long as just inking the whole thing. I have to say, though, I'm rather pleased with the result. I've already given Sweet: A Literary Confection the first dibs on the comic; if they don't take it I'll have to see if I can find a home for it elsewhere.

My goal is to send out two sumbissions a month... It's a bit ambitious of a goal, but hopefully I'll be stubborn and keep up with it. On top of three graduate classes, being a GTA for the same two classes as last semester, and organizing/hosting a monthly reading series, it's going to be tight. Especially because I'll be attending three conferences in February! I'm helping host The Florida Writer's Project (the website is ugly, I know, I've been trying to fix that for months), being on a panel at Blank Pages: Creative Writing Symposium (alas, no website yet), and trekking all the way to Chicago for the AWP Annual Conference!

I'm looking forward to the semester, and hopefully you'll all hear from me on a biweekly basis. :]

Clearly, I must be a masochist.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.