(I hope you all got that SpongeBob reference. Don’t worry, I’ll explain later.) Another semester finished. I only have one more to go, which is a little hard to accept, but I’m starting to feel ready. When I posted in January about all of the writing I would be doing this semester (read the post… Continue reading What I Learned in Boating School Is…
Category: School
Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
Just like fiction, feature writing is hard. I spent a lot of my time doing both this semester, and I learned quite a bit about what translates between genres and what doesn’t. If you’re looking to switch from one to the other, here are a few tips (and my thoughts) on the differences required when… Continue reading Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
When Writing Becomes Work
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, I’ve been working more and more on my final projects, all of which are focused on writing. Now that I’m spending seven or eight hours a night doing nothing but writing, I’ve started to wonder at what point this writing stops being fun or even bearable and… Continue reading When Writing Becomes Work
Screenplays and Schedules
This semester, I feel as if I’m writing on someone else’s schedule. In the past, even when I’ve had other classwork and writing assignments, I’ve always felt like I was able to do them at my leisure, when I felt like writing. Somehow it seemed as if writing was my idea, rather than the professor’s. But especially as… Continue reading Screenplays and Schedules
Writing What You Don’t Know
“You must stay firmly based in reality when writing,” my creative writing professor says. This means no fantasy, science fiction, or even dystopian stories. I don’t agree with her, but I nod along as she speaks, because she’ll be the one grading my stories. Still, her words bring up an interesting point, and the old… Continue reading Writing What You Don’t Know
Relearning the Craft
I begin each new semester with a bit of trepidation about what I’m going to be learning. Last semester the daunting project was a grant proposal. The semester before that I fretted over both nonfiction and fiction workshops, which I hadn’t had any experience with before. This semester the worry is threefold. Due to some… Continue reading Relearning the Craft
The Education of a Writer
School is an interesting thing, isn’t it? We’re expected to study something practical, because in today’s society, college is meant to secure you a job. The humanities majors don’t really fit into that box. People ask, “Do you want to teach?” as if that’s the only thing you can do with a major that isn’t… Continue reading The Education of a Writer
Peaks in Life
There are a lot of ups and downs in life, and chances are, you’re either in a devastatingly deep valley or at the top of the highest mountain you’ve climbed in a while. We don’t often notice when we’re in between. I’ll admit that at the moment, I’m sitting at a very low point. The… Continue reading Peaks in Life
The Weight of Words
The position I’m in right now, which is a great one by the way, is all because of a few words one of my professors told me. Here’s his final critique for the portfolio (first ten pages of a novel) that I submitted for my creative writing class: “An excellent start to a gripping story. You’d… Continue reading The Weight of Words
1000 Words a Day and other advice
I know that everyone has heard that “real writers” write every day. The most cited number is 1000 words a day, but it varies. You’ve probably also heard that writing 1000 words a day isn’t a necessity, and you shouldn’t force yourself to do it if that’s not how you write best. Personally, I’ve always… Continue reading 1000 Words a Day and other advice