Monday, January 23, 2012

Dear Readers,

Well, I did get a few comments, but I was hoping for more, especially since the two comments came from my sister and my husband.  Yes, I have revealed that they, too, read my blog.  While I am aware that I don't get very much traffic through this blog, I was hoping that a few of you would come out of the woodwork and comment or ask questions.  So, since my readers tend to be the silent type (which is okay, too), I will answer the question my husband left and give you a snippet of writing for my Creative Writing class.

Question from Nlewis: What do you love about writing?

I believe the question should be worded: What do I not love about writing?  I love so much of it.  I love telling stories.  As far as my memory stretches, I always had a story to tell.  I delighted in telling stories, hearing stories, and when I was finally able to, reading stories.  While I delight much more in fiction, I am finding certain niches of non-fiction that tend to draw my eye and mind as well.  However, I tend to be more fickle in that respect.  I love how stories are written.  I love the patterns they tend to follow, the rules they tend to bend and even break, and I love the journey they all take.  Writing allows me to create my own paths; my own journeys that tend to break or bend rules.

I also love words.  Words are such an ambiguous thing to me.  They have so many meanings and with simple letters strung together to form words, you can create innumerable images and worlds that can mean whatever you would like them to.  It is a mysterious world and it is one I am passionate about.

In general, I am in love with books and everything they represent.  Back in 2001, I attended the University of Oklahoma for a single semester and had the blessed opportunity to utilize their magnificent library to study, read, and explore.  And explore, I greatly did.  I explored every level, every floor, every room that I was possibly allowed to enter.  They have a section (which I later learned many large libraries, particularly University libraries, had) called the stacks.  It was several stories from what I recall and the floors in this section were semi-transparent.  You could look up and see the silhouette of any feet above you and look down and see a blur of color of someone should they be below you.  In these stacks were just old bookshelves lined with old, dusty books.  There were books in every color, size, and shape.  There were newer books buddying up to older texts with worn spines or aging pages.  Some books had those generic covers, some had their title imprinted beautifully on the spine while some remained anonymous until opened and revealed.  I was in awe of how many books there were.

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, which had quite a fine public library system.  I had a library card at age 4 (I believe I still have it too) and bi-weekly my mother took however many of us children wanted to go to the library and check out some books.  I was always there.  While I know I did not read every book on every shelf, I certainly knew my way around that library.  As the years passed, we went to other libraries in the same public system and I began to learn to navigate them and peruse the titles in each.  But when I went to that library at OU, I was speechless.  After I explored and learned how to find my way through the maze of books, I would go to the library and sit in different places every day.  I would walk up and down the stacks and run my fingers along the delicate spines of all these books and listen to all the unsaid, type-written words in each book from each author.  I saw every writer, every story, every subject, and I imagined every telling.  I drunk it all in as long as I could, and then I would retire to the Great Reading Room where I would sit and pretend to read or study and watch everyone in my peripherals and envision their thoughts and their studies.

I should have know by then that I was desperately in love with books and libraries and that I always would be.  I still wander through libraries, back and forth, touching the spines and envisioning all the information, but no library has ever had so great an impact on me.  The library is beautiful, and I am not ashamed to say that when my husband and I were engaged, I looked into a few libraries to get married in.  Alas, there rules were a bit too stringent and not very wedding-friendly so we moved on, but I still dream of that wedding picture of my husband and I donned in our wedding attire and posing amidst those beloved stacks.

To get back to his question: What do I love about writing?  Again, what do I not? I love writing, I love words, I love books, I love pencils, pens, erasers, ink, my writer's bump, writing, typing (both on a computer and a typewriter), stories, poems, plays, songs, paper, the smell of books, stories, ideas, imagery, abstractions, figurative language, editing, everything.  Well, I could say I dislike Writer's Block tremendously, but who doesn't?  I understand why it exists, and there are ways around it, but it will always suck.

To give MelD her request, I will provide you all with a list poem that I had to write for my Creative Writing 2800 course.  The rules for this poem are as follows: Write a poem that is simply a list of concrete statements (either phrases or complete sentences or descriptions- do not use only single words, however).  See what happens when you speak in images only, no explaining or telling.  No abstractions allowed!!

Because of these rules, this is not my favorite poem.  This is not my favorite project, but here is what I wrote:

Not Important
Bethany Lewis


One balled up tissue, used
and used again, one blue iridescent box
of Kleenex lined with aloe and vitamin
E. One soda can three-quarters full
of Diet Dr. Pepper. The can is still cold.

One pair of glasses,
not mine. One red watercolor
pencil, one mechanical
pencil, one pair of fingernail
clippers, recently used.

A French syllabus, half in French
and the other English. One
black folder, Twenty-four colored
pencils, a manual sharpener
alongside a single highlighter.

Five hundred
sheets of printer paper, Sixteen photographs of different
angles of the same infant
in the same Halloween outfit,
One pair of scissors.

One bill, unpaid, one flashlight, one USB
drive, six pens, two wood pencils, three
markers and a glue stick.
One glade room freshener,
a lamp, and a laptop complete
with purple mouse and Asian
symbol mouse pad

Atop a white writing desk
Loved, hated, used for studying,
Writing, eating, drinking, sex,
and surfing the Internet.

Where letters were written, friends
made and lost, Pictures
shared, calls relayed
damaged in anger and often
forgotten under papers and books.
Dragged from apartment
to apartment to home to apartment.

Just a white writing
desk. Unimportant and soon
to be replaced.


Quote of the Day:  'Classic.'  A book which people praise and don't read. ~Mark Twain

Friday, January 20, 2012

Does 2012 Hate Me?

I did not state that I would not be online to update my blog in retaliation of SOPA.  For those non-United States based readers: this is an Act proposed by the U.S. Government to stop pirating over the Internet.  It sounds harmless, however, along with it would be so many strings and Government-controlled "extras" that the very Act is in violation of our Bill of Rights in our Constitution.  I won't bore you with politics, especially since I don't have much interest in the topic overall.  Regardless, I felt it important to support the silence that most U.S. based websites took part in on Wednesday.  This is a very important bill and approval of this bill would change so much in regards to the Internet and even impact this little blog.

In the meantime, I spent Wednesday at school, learning a lot and wishing I were at home writing and hanging out with my daughter.  On Thursday, I woke up feeling great, I had a great morning with my family and we were going to go to the grocery store and do some shopping.  However, with Madeline in my arms (in her car seat, thank goodness), I stepped off the porch and immediately ended up face first in the snow when I twisted my ankle.  I had misjudged the step because everything was covered in snow, and the ice didn't seem to help my situation.  So, down I went, and back into the house we went.

Sick last week and hurt myself this week; I'm not sure if I want to know what 2012 has in store for me next week or the week after.  The good news is, Madeline was not hurt in the least and my ankle is much better today than yesterday.  I'm able to get around by myself and I'm only having problems with stairs.  The swelling is minimal and there is no bruising!  So I should be completely healed in the next few days.

In the meantime, there are words to be written, homework to be done, books to be read. 

As a reminder: I would love some comments about whether you are interested in seeing my writing, or even if you are interested in certain topics or aspects of writing.  I did receive one comment in my last entry (thank you, MelD!), but I would like to hear from more of you.  Do you hate the new design?  Do you want my title changed?  What can I address or do for you?

Quote of the Day:  If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that it is poetry.  If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. ~Emily Dickenson

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bad Poetry and More Writing

Today in Creative Writing we talked about some of the poetry we read, watched a video with some poets who read their work.  It was from The Language of Life by Bill Moyers and the episode was called Swirl Like A Leaf (the video is found at this link).  The three poets highlighted in this piece were Marilyn Chin (my personal favorite of the three), Robert Bly, and Jimmy Santiago Baca (who is a close second).  They were all really wonderful and I am including two links above so you can get more information if you are interested.  If you enjoy poetry, particularly when it is read aloud, I do recommend watching this.  It inspires me to come home and write as much as is in me to say.

Afterward, we talked a little more and wrote a bit.  A bit means only about 10 minutes.  I am hoping that more and more throughout the semester we will be able to write in class.  I understand that the assignments need to be done at home, but I always felt it of utmost importance to write during class when you have that inspiration.  If you whet your inspiration's appetite, leaving it is a mortal sin to that very inspiration. 

We also went over a little more of what our first three poetry assignments are.  I am not crazy about the first assignment.  We have to write a poem that describes the rules to an imaginary game (it must be clearly unrealistic) or we have to write a list poem.  I, myself, am always writing lists so the second will do for me.  I'm just not sure I can write a poem of quality about an absurd game.  At least not now.

The second assignment, I already finished tonight.  It is a choice of four different ideas, my choice being to write a letter to a part of my body.  It still needs work, but I think it is a strong start with clear ideas of what I wanted to say and what I wanted to invoke.  I'm sure it could be better though, but at least it's out and existing somewhere other than my brain.

In other realms of writing, I am now making writing a daily part of my agenda.  I find that if I plan on taking a specific amount of time to write, it is easier to accomplish getting that time and taking advantage of it.  So I am writing anywhere from a half to a full hour everyday.  I will take more time when I can, but with my school work, I fear if I don't make the time and make myself accountable for my writing time, then it just will not get done.

I still have quite a bit of work to do, school wise, but I am finding it easier to finish now that I have set aside time to write.  All yesterday, while attempting to do homework on top of homework, I longed to write instead.  When I made the decision to write after I finished certain things, I found my focus easier and I was able to accomplish more in everything.  That was a very refreshing realization.  For me, believe it or not, just making sure I allot the time is all I need to get through the rest of the day.  I love it.

This is possibly a dissident question to inquire of everyone reading, but are you curious about any of my writing?  I've contemplated sharing some small bits (anything menial to my larger projects).  Would you be interested?  If you are, please comment and say so, and I may begin sharing some of what I write.  However, you must comment if you wish to have it published here.



Quote of the day:  Write without pay until somebody offers to pay. ~Mark Twain

Monday, January 16, 2012

Problems with Poetry

Yes, I am feeling much better, thank you for inquiring.  I am still recovering, but I am ready to dive into life again, headfirst and eager to feel the cool crisp inspiring scenes that are sure to present themselves.

Ever since I went to class last week, I have found that the assignments of having to write poetry has been hanging over my head like a wraith and a scythe.  It wasn't until yesterday that I realized why this is.  I mean, I used to write poetry every day and throughout the day on several occasions.  I quite enjoyed it and found it to be a wondrous outlet for any and every emotion.

However, then there came a time, a long time (several years long), where I wrote about only a few specific emotions and ideas: sorrow, anger, loss, emptiness, voids, darkness, and death.  Every poem I wrote in this five to seven year space of time centered around these themes and topics.

It is, therefore, no surprise to reveal that for much of my life, I've dealt with serious depression and anxiety.  I was diagnosed with situational depression in late 2002, and I weaned myself off my medication in late 2003 when I lost my insurance after moving to California.  In reality, I was never declared cured or healed or whatever it is they call it.  I was never told by a doctor that I no longer needed medication or therapy, and that may have been why I went through such a long dark period in my life.  I will call those years My Dark Ages, simply as a quick referral.

It was extremely difficult to pull myself free from such an intoxicating thought process.  It is addicting and changes your body chemistry to continue feeding your mind and brain and body with chemical processes that simply progress these emotions and feelings.  One of the ways that I coped with such darkness is writing.  Writing personified my demons.  It personified my thoughts and allowed me to let them flow out of me and onto a page.  It allowed me to accomplish something which was a positive attribute, and in it, I had a lifeline.  Literally, it held me together and kept me alive.

When I met my husband, in 2005, I was still a very disturbed person.  Yet, through my writing and through my husband, I slowly came back to life.  I slowly stopped writing such dark and depressing poems.  I slowly transformed my writing into that of love, memories of childhood, and the subtle sadness that lingered from time to time.  I did manage to write some poetry about these as well, but much of my poetry would still hold an edge of that sorrow and darkness.  Eventually, I moved to screenplays, short stories, and now novels, leaving poetry behind in a transitional rut that I had created.

Now it has been about five years since I wrote a poem with such darkness, and it has been at least three or four years since I've written a poem in general.  I'm a bit lost and a lot apprehensive about embarking down the path of poetry once more.

I'm not afraid of the depression.  I'm simply out of sync with that side of myself and I am subconsciously aware of where my mind needs to wander to pick up my poetic voice.  I guess it's time to clean out the cobwebs and dust off the boxes of my mind and go through them.  Writing helps, so I don't fear the darkness.  Maybe I am fearing stagnation?  What more do I have to say in lines and stanzas and rhythms?  I'm sure there is much, but for the life of me now, I am still at an impasse.

It's frustrating, but my methods are getting me there, even if a little slowly.


Stay tuned for another update tomorrow.  I have much to say and many different topics I wish to share.

Quote of the day: To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~Joseph Pearce

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Sick.

I will try to have a proper update tomorrow or Monday.  Unfortunately this week was halted rather abruptly when my daughter, my husband, and I got sick.  Thank goodness my daughter is doing much better.  She frightened us out of the gate with her sudden onset of symptoms, but she has gotten much better and is now acting normally and just as spry as ever.  Unfortunately for us older people, we're a little slow getting better though things are improving daily.  So for now, I'm going to bed.  I am tired. I am a bit dizzy and spacey at the moment, and I am in want of my bed.

Goodnight, blogging world.


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Creative Writing 2800

So class was definitely a highlight of my day.  The campus was nice (it's a completely different one than I normally go to), but I'm not sure any of the builders of the campus thought about the campus actually existing in Michigan winters.  The walk from my car was at least a quarter of a mile (about 1/2 km for metric users) and I think I might be a bit conservative with that number.  And no, I was not at the back of the parking lot.  I actually had quite a good space.  Any better and I would have been ticketed for being in a handicapped space. 

The class itself was a lot of fun even though we did a lot of meet and greets.  I am shy; incredibly shy.  Anyone who knows me well, knows this.  I despise using the phone.  I don't like having to approach people I don't know, even to ask where the bathroom is.  I do not like putting myself out there, I have a hard time making and keeping conversation though not for lack of trying.  Maybe my questions are strange?  I'm not sure.  I mean, I try to actively start conversations when I'm put in those situations, so perhaps they see I'm trying too hard or maybe I just don't seem like much of an approachable person.  My husband said he could tell from afar that I was extremely shy just by looking at me.  So I know it's something I exude. 

Anyhow,  back to class: despite all this, our teacher had us go around the room and introduce ourselves, wear nametags, and all that jazz.  Then he had us get up and meet people, switching every few minutes to talk to someone new about something different.  This made a difference, and I know that I will be much more willing to share my work to the class.  I also already have people in there that I am acquainted with and I'm not so unwilling to talk any longer.  And hey, we were all a bit uncomfortable and put out there together so the situation was similar for everyone (especially when we had some out there questions to ask each other). 

The class is three hours long and it's amazing how much can actually be done in three hours.  We did all this introductory stuff, including a 10-minute "ask-me-anything" to the teacher.  Then we talked about poetry.  We broke up into groups and read eight poems, picking the best one over another.  He's a sneaky, but fun teacher because it turns out four of them were taken from a book called The Anthology of the World's Worst Poetry or something along those lines.  We chose 3 of the 4 that did not come out of that book, and we only chose the last because the other choice was about hitting a deer and just didn't seem very much more striking than the other. 

Overall, I think the class will be a bit challenging, but inspiring.  We're covering poetry, short fiction, and one-act plays.  It's been at least three years since I've written any poetry or plays, so I know that will more than challenge my mind. 

I already have the information for my first three assignments, and I can't wait to get started.  If only I didn't have those three other classes.  Who needs those anyway?

Monday, January 9, 2012

I Found It!

Yes, I did indeed find all the maps and layouts I created for my book. I believe I mentioned that I had misplaced them and realized this when I was in the midst of my Write-A-Thon. Well, thank goodness, it was a relatively short-lived misplacement because the other day as I was going through some boxes looking for my husband's track suit, I found the box containing the rest of my writing essentials. So not only have I located my maps but also some information for this blog, my Writer's Bible, and some of my writing journals that have some insanely helpful information on several project ideas that I have.

Now I can breathe freely and finally write into my novel once more. I had hesitated after I realized my maps were missing. Do you know how frustrating it can be when you are trying to remember detailed information about locations and points of reference? I'm sure you do because I know we've all been through that at some point before. This is also why, ladies and gentlemen, we should not put off writing your novels and stories once you begin. The creativity that you start with can be forgotten or even altered when it is finally picked up again. This leads to several problems: flow of thought processes and story, character development, location and scene alterations, and several other important issues that come about from the test of time.

With my maps at my side, I can now see where I was and where I am going. I can even see some details and changes that need to be added or changed (though some will not appear until I revise my first draft). It is a major relief, especially now that school has started once again for me. It's one less thing to worry about.

In regards to school, my head already aches. I am taking Anatomy and Physiology I with lab, French II, Introduction to Literature: Short Story and Novel, and, of course, Creative Writing. If it weren't for the writing course and the literature course, my head would already be between my knees and I would be breathing into a paper bag. I had A&P and French today. As interesting and intriguing as both of those courses are to me, I believe the other two will save my soul and keep me sane.

I shall only truly see once I go to each class. Teachers do make a large impression on the course, if not the whole impression students can and will take from it. I'm confident that they are great professors (or at least, I'm praying for them to be). I guess we'll find out tomorrow and Wednesday for sure.

At the very least, I am excited to do some writing and get some new writing prompts. If you're a writer, I'm sure you all are aware of the difficulty in finding creative and fun prompts to kick-start your creativity. I've always had this problem. It's a major advantage being a student and taking a writing course because the teacher almost always gives you some to get your mind working on that level. So I won't lie in that if I find a prompt I like, I will definitely keep it for future use. I have to. I have no idea what I will do if I don't collect all these "free" prompts my professors have been dealing their students. How blessed are we in that area!

In fact, that is related to one of my goals for this year. If you read my New Year's Writing resolutions, one is to make a writing-related craft. Well, stay tuned for that because I am thinking of making a Writer's Prompt Jar. It should be a lot of fun, and for the writer in you, it will get a lot of use.

For now, I will have to leave you. There are websites to sign up for, forms to fill out, chapters to read, and homework to be started. The life of a student is never dull.




Quote of the Day: Wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you. ~E. Hemingway

Friday, January 6, 2012

The Writer's Market

My husband got me the 2012 Short Story and Novel Writer's Market as a gift for making it through Fall semester of classes!  With it comes an annual subscription to www.writersmarket.com (well, to their novel and short story section).  For $9.99 US more, I could upgrade to the full account for the entire year.  So I am now enjoying my full subscription!

This is a big step forward for writing.  For one, it gives me access to the Writer's Digest Community and forum boards.  For those of you who don't know, the Writer's Digest is a magazine that comes out monthly and has lots of articles and tips on how to keep that creative spark, make yourself marketable, make your writing publishable, et cetera.  It is a wonderful magazine.

I do not have a magazine subscription, but that is because, at the moment, I am more worried about my writing for writing's sake.  I'll worry about the extras (the bells and whistles, as I've called it) after I have something on paper.

However, the community and forums allow me to communicate with fellow writers about anything and everything we feel necessary.  Though once the semester starts I will have more limited time, I feel that haunting the site every now and again will help in more ways than I can think up at the moment.

The other positive to this subscription is that I now have access to contests, listed agents, publishers, and so much more.  With all these listings comes the information based on who's looking for authors and how experienced they are, or what type of things these places publish, and my goodness, I could make a list ten miles long with the helpful information you can glean from this website.

This is not some random website.  This is a great way to get your foot in the door of the publishing world and if you know how to utilize the information, it can be a great asset.  I feel like I've only scratched the surface.  I can't say I love the business side of things.  I am petrified of those first submissions and queries, but who isn't?

As a joke, I've already told my husband that he's going to be a manager should I become published.  He will deal with the business side of things, and I will deal with the writing.  In reality, that may hit closer to home than I think.  But, with my manager or not, I still have to know how the business is played so, time to pick up some serious information on that side as I write.  Otherwise, I'll have a novel with no home in the publishing world.

I've also been looking into Writer's Conferences as well.  Thank goodness, now that it is January more conferences are being announced for the 2012 year.  I'm still not sure the pricing and such of the recently announced conferences that I am interested in, but I'm hoping that it won't be a pipe dream for this year.  I would love to attend an actual conference.  Although, I'm not sure who I would go with.  I've asked my sister to attend with me, but I'm not sure if she's only humoring me or what.  Those who know me know that I am fairly shy, with fairly putting it lightly.  So going with someone may help that (I hope).  We shall see.

I'm just excited that I'm finally pushing myself to be a writer.  This is something I should have done years ago, and I'm not going to stop this time.  It means too much and honestly, it's too much fun!



Tuesday, January 3, 2012

My Take on the Write-A-Thon

Another note to self: take notes on how I'm feeling from time to time so that when I write an entry for you all to experience my experience, I will know where to begin.  So without further ramblings, here are all the interesting and equally uninteresting pictures I took whilst writing away for 26.2 hours:

I started off with a writing prompt out of this magazine.  It was to start with a line from a favorite song and end with a line from a different favorite song.  I think it went very well, and I may even have a new idea from it.
These are binders that my hubby made for me to organize my writing by project.  Notice the cryptic titles.
My first sustenance of the Write-A-Thon.  Yummm!
That was my first accomplishment of the Write-A-Thon.  By the time I had taken my first break, I had 2,728 words!
This was where my second writer's prompt came from.  I randomly opened a page, read the first thing I found: write a short piece in which the narrator is an unreliable source.  This is a wonderful writing prompt book by the way.  It has some crazy but wonderful things in here.  Can't wait to do more!
Lunch or Dinner in the midst of the Write-A-Thon.  I don't recall which, only that it was very tasty.  Thank you, hubby!

I can't not see my little girl for 26.2 hours.  This was me taking a much-needed break and having fun with my little one while Daddy held her to keep me from getting too distracted.  Notice the blurriness.  That could have been from her moving, me not being used to the camera, or being about 16-20 hours in.  I'm not sure which.

Yet another sustenance break.  This pico de gallo and tortilla chips (not shown) were two snacks.  If you know me at all, you know I can't live without this stuff.

My box of writing from the last several years.  I thought I might need it for inspiration, but I didn't.  Woohoo!

My novel on the wall.  We moved it from upstairs (the writing room became the baby's room).  The pink is all I accomplished during the Write-A-Thon.  Trust me, that is 8 chapter's worth.

I apologize for the fuzziness.  I couldn't get my camera to focus on my laptop screen very well.  Next time, I'll just take a screen shot.  Final word count for my novel post Write-A-Thon: 15, 717.  Total Pages: 27 (that's MSWord pages).

My writing via USB memory stick.  Oh, yes, I am in penguin mode.

 There were a few times when I really felt I wouldn't make it, and many more times I felt I was insane for doing any of this.  Surprisingly enough, most of that occurred in the beginning of the Write-A-Thon and once I got used to the idea that, like it or not, I was committed to it, suddenly it became easier.  Even more, it was quite fun.  That is why (if you look at the previous entry), I have commissioned myself to do another at the end of February or the beginning of March, during my winter break from school.

The only thing I was unsure of was whether sleep should be involved or not.  Well, as you all read (if you read the previous entries), I did sleep for about 3.5 hours mid-way through.  I thought I would be upset with myself, but I'm actually rather impressed that I did sleep and still managed to meet my goals of writing through chapter 8 and hitting 15,000 words.  Re-iterating a former statement as well, I stand by that decision because as much as it is about getting things done and writing in general, writing should be fun and should also be quality over quantity.  Quantity is great, but it's useless without quality.

Please ask questions or comment if you'd like to know more.  Sleep deprivation and lack of noting on my feelings didn't help in the memory category while blogging all of this.  I'm still hazy about a few things, but I am still quite thrilled I was able to accomplish all of this.  Now to visit the library, read as many books as I can before I start school, and write as much as I can. 


Welcome to the New Year!

Well, I'm going to briefly share a few of my New Year's resolutions in regards to writing.  After all, I know me, and I love achieving goals I set for myself.  I also know it's important for your character as a human being to have goals and something to work toward.  For myself, I never seem to have near as many problems if I have a project or something of the sort to focus on.  So here's my list for 2012:

-Do another Write-A-Thon during my winter break from school (takes place in February/ March)
-Finish my book
-Do a complete edit of my book
-Apply to find an agent
-Begin work on my next book (as in writing that actual pages, no more meandering)
-Read Stephen King's On Writing, his book of essays
-Take part in NaNoWriMo this year (National Novel Writing Month- November)
-Work toward attending a Writer's Conference (this unfortunately is reliant on my financial position as well as timing), if not attend one this year
-Create a craft that relates directly to my writing (I'm a girl, I naturally do this type of thing, so why not direct it to usefulness)

There you have it.  My list for 2012.  This does not include my other resolutions which are much shorter and more personal life oriented.  I'm anxious to get to work on these goals.  With school starting on Monday, I am also anxious to see what new stories I write and what new interesting ideas I envision for later projects.

If I haven't mentioned yet, 2 of my 4 classes are literature and writing, with one being literally Creative Writing.  This won't be the first time I've taken a creative writing course, but I'm hoping very much to have an inspirational teacher and not one that seems uninterested in teaching or any of the desires of their students.  I'm excited for my classes and three days of classes will hopefully allow me more time to study and write.  Even more, one of my classes requires me to write, so I know I won't let him down!

Let the creativity and year of writing begin!  Stay tuned because my next entry will be about my Write-A-Thon from last week.