Camping

Oh you may think that camping has nothing to do with writing and if you think that it's ok, but you are WRONG! The relaxation associated with camping is out of this world, at least for me. I have run into a lot of people lately who I tell them Rob and I are going camping and they crinkle up there nose and give me a look like they are sorry my husband drags me along. But that is so very far from the truth. While Rob likes to camp, I am the one suggesting that we go camping and making the reservations! It's my thing, and has been since I was a very little girl. Yes, there is a little bit of set up, of course there are bugs, and yes we are outside all day and in just a tent at night. Rob and I have sprung for a pretty nice air mattress and we got a Coleman instant tent that is big enough to sleep 8! No, there are not 8 of us, but the mattress takes up one side, and the dogs do well at claiming the other. Anyway, once we are set up, there is a lot of down time. No TV or Internet to distract us from each other or the book we are reading. It allows time for our minds to wander, to stare at the campfire, and to be together without so many distractions. I love the hiking, fresh air, smell of campfire smoke, taste of food cooked over a campfire/charcoal --YUM! I like the freedom to not do my hair straight or have dirt on me (which is my trademark as soon as I set foot outdoors). AND . . . to top it all off when we get home, I will feel refreshed (for a little while anyway). I have seriously joked with Rob that I would spend my whole life camping if it were possible. It probably is not, but a girl can dream!

When we get back, my soul will be free and able to write. Until I get busy with teaching, Rob deploying, and other things that cramp life. Once summer hits, I will head up to home (where it will be significantly cooler) and camp some more! AND in turn free my mind to write some more.

I took my own advice.

After whining two days ago about not being published and being scared of sending stuff out. I sent a story that I love out to an online magazine that I recently found that blows my mind (in a good way); www.thediagram.com. I also wrote a 2584 word pre-teen/YA story based on a dream that I had last night. It's the second dream I have had in the past week that falls in the category of utterly original and interesting YA story. They were both so vivid. I love that even when I am asleep my mind is churning out new material for me. I began to write the other one, but it is not complete just yet. I also wrote a couple of poetic type pieces that are sure to offend, but I am excited about. The one is completely indistinguishable, unless of course you were there. Maybe I will be like Mark Twain and not allow some stuff I write to be published until 100 years after my death. That is unlikely. As long as I am dead, we shall be good, but then I will not be able to see my success, which I so desperately want. I have a lot of thoughts and a few things written down that are controversial. Some ideas I never even knew were controversial, like evolution. I never even thought that people didn't believe in it. Like maybe not all the way, or maybe they don't understand it, or maybe even be skeptical, but to just not believe at all, I had no idea. (So sorry if I offended, I really had no idea). On the positive side of offense, I did have a professor in college tell us in a Creative Writing 101 type class that if we can get a book on a banned book list we would be set because then everyone will want to read it to see why it was banned. So maybe I should be controversial. I guess I may be anyway.

Stories

When my fingers hit the keyboard often a story comes out that never crossed my mind before. Then the problems begin. My first problem is when to end a story, I sometimes try to tie it up into a neat little bow, concerned that my reader won't get the point. I guess if they don't get the point, then it's not a good story. My second problem is I write something, I think it's a great idea, then I'm scared to send it to the intended recipient or worse have no idea where to send it. I want to send out something good, that will surely get published. I know if I don't put myself out there I will never see anything I write in print, but I don't want to waste anyones time either. I guess I need to go back and fix my problems and stop whinning on here. Not that many people read it anyway.

"It's fear of being afraid that frightens me more than anything else."

The title quote is by Jerome Cady off of today's quote of the day from www.dictionary.com. The title quote also sums me and my attitude toward writing up perfectly. BUT, I am trying to work through that. So I have been searching for ways to break out of my writing shell. I have recently included another friend in my small group (now two) of readers to critique my work. They both are fantastic friends who I know have very different views and will be an awesome help to me. Also today I discovered a writing group in Savannah, called the Savannah Writer's Group (SWG). Fancy that. They meet the second and forth Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Books a Million in Savannah. I am committing on my blog to attend April 12 at 7pm. I am afraid of being afraid, and I am afraid of first impressions because until I get to know people I am very quite and reserved. This gives the wrong impression of me because in reality I am a glass is half full type of girl.

Word of the day: kismet. My sentence: My kismet is to become a well known author. Thanks www.dictionary.com for another awesome word!

Internship

I just sent an email out to the editor of an online magazine looking for interns. It's an unpaid internship, BUT who cares! I would have the opportunity to learn about publishing from someone who has actually published something and maybe, just maybe have something that I have written in front of peoples eyes! We will see, I will keep this posted if anything interesting happens.

I also had a dream the other that was so vivid I started writing it down. When I started writing, it seemed more like a kids story than an adult fiction story, which is fine, but I just hadn't expected it. We'll see where that goes.

Overwhelmed

As the school year creeps to an end, I think more and more of my future career(?) goals. I feel like I am dreadfully behind in the grand scheme of things. The program I want to get into accepts less than 10% of it's applicants, most that are accepted had an undergrad GPA of 3.7 ( I had a 3.5) and got a 600 on the GRE (whatever that means). I went to the GRE website and found out they are changing the testing and scoring, so now I really don't know what score to aim for.

I also will need three letters of recommendation, preferably from college professors familiar with my writing skills. I am also freaking out about this because I have always been under the impression that I was not particularly memorable, and sadly have little faith that anyone would remember how I wrote if they even remembered me. Woe is me I suppose. My idea is maybe attend a couple of writer's conferences and be impressive and memorable. (?)

And the writing. I am trudging along on my story/novel; which I am still in love with, confused with, and frustrated by. At times it impresses me that I wrote it, but then I think maybe I have bad taste and am vain.

I guess for now I will just keep studying, keep writing, and keep the dream alive. Come summer I will sign up for the GRE and see how I do.

I wrote a poem.

I also found another free online lit mag that I like. Diagram: http://www.thediagram.com/ It too has quite a bit of poetry which is intriguing. It has stories which read like poems and poems like stories. I, at times, enjoyed reading the submission guidelines more than the stories themselves. I will look for another few possible places to submit tonight. The next few to look at on my list are: Lumina, Nervous Breakdown, 580 Split, Caketrain and Lifted Brow.


Word of the day: rubicund (adj) Inclining to redness; ruddy; red. www.dictionary.com
Like my dad's beard (before it was gray) was rubicund. (?) I often am awful at using newly learned words correctly in sentences. I have an even worse time deciding if other people (namely students) use newly learned words correctly. Ugh, I can't wait until I no longer live everyday in high school English classes.

I was going to add the quote of the day from www.dictionary.com but it was lame. A good song, but not worth it in my opinion.

I have not done very well on my goal this week. I wrote only 77 words today in my poem. Maybe I'm not done yet. However the rest of the week wasn't that great either. I will keep up my goal, I can still only go up.