This creative writing workshop. It's interesting, twenty or thirty of us crammed in a tiny room around a table. All of us looking for a reason for our madness, seeking other people who share our big dreams. Many of us can't finish a story. Some of us are writing novels. Some haven't written much English at all.
Each week we have a short story or a novel excerpt to read and discuss, and then we "workshop" three peoples' work. You submit your work a couple days before, so people can read it ahead of time and have constructive criticism and praise ready for you. It feels like a lot of work to add onto all the classes I already have, but if I can manage to do it, I think it'll be good for me.
At the moment, I don't seem to be scheduled to any particular week to share my writing; it's possible that we have too many people in the class to read everyone's work. I don't really care, I think, if my writing is critiqued. My novel really needs a full critique, the whole thing. I'm not sure how helpful having the first chapter torn apart (again) will be. The first chapter always seems to be the one most critiqued, since submitting later chapters would leave out a lot of possibly crucial backstory. I could work around that, maybe writing a short summary for people to read before an excerpt, but we'll see if I even get put in the timetable.
On another note, I've decided I'm too busy to continue with the 50 book challenge... for now. I'm sure I'll read once I have time, perhaps this summer, maybe before. Once I manage to finish another book, I'll put up another review.
1.25.2011
1.18.2011
A New Happiness
In the past week, I have returned to Scotland, started second term classes at university, and as of two days ago, am "officially" an incredible guy's girlfriend. My life is so different from even a week and a half ago. Time feels like it's speeding up and slowing down at once, and I don't understand it. But it all feels right, somehow. And that's what I'll focus on.
Courses are getting more difficult, deadlines are coming fast (as they always seem to), and this whole not-being-single thing is new and exciting and taking up a lot of my time, offsetting the despair that might come if I sat and considered all I have to do. Though that might be a bit of an exaggeration, since my classes are all at least moderately interesting.
Also, this Thursday I begin my evening writing workshops. It's been a while since I talked with some fellow writers, not including when I informally met with my writing group over Christmas break. And I haven't written anything new in quite a while. It's about time.
As far as this book-a-week challenge, I haven't had much time at all to read in the past week, but thankfully I did read Sleepy Hollow on the plane. We'll see how I get on in the next couple of weeks...
Book 2: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
After seeing the movie with Johnny Depp and the cartoon as a kid, it was intriguing to read the original story. The descriptions were very vivid, and the characters likable. The story was slightly different than what I remember, but that made it more interesting to read.
Again, taking the shorter books to begin this challenge with, I finished this very quickly. It's a very good choice if you're looking for a quick read. It's not just creepy, as you would expect--Ichabod becomes part of a "love triangle," which is very entertaining.
Courses are getting more difficult, deadlines are coming fast (as they always seem to), and this whole not-being-single thing is new and exciting and taking up a lot of my time, offsetting the despair that might come if I sat and considered all I have to do. Though that might be a bit of an exaggeration, since my classes are all at least moderately interesting.
Also, this Thursday I begin my evening writing workshops. It's been a while since I talked with some fellow writers, not including when I informally met with my writing group over Christmas break. And I haven't written anything new in quite a while. It's about time.
As far as this book-a-week challenge, I haven't had much time at all to read in the past week, but thankfully I did read Sleepy Hollow on the plane. We'll see how I get on in the next couple of weeks...
~
After seeing the movie with Johnny Depp and the cartoon as a kid, it was intriguing to read the original story. The descriptions were very vivid, and the characters likable. The story was slightly different than what I remember, but that made it more interesting to read.
Again, taking the shorter books to begin this challenge with, I finished this very quickly. It's a very good choice if you're looking for a quick read. It's not just creepy, as you would expect--Ichabod becomes part of a "love triangle," which is very entertaining.
1.08.2011
50 Book Challenge
As I watch the sunrise at the Amsterdam airport during a long layover, I thought I'd share a bit about something I want to try. Consider it a New Year's resolution.
I heard about a challenge where you read one book a week for a year, called the 50 Book Challenge. You can start at any time of year, but I thought January was as good a time as any. I have a few books I've been meaning to read, but otherwise I want to use this opportunity to read more classics. Particularly since I can get many of them for free, as I was gifted a Kindle for Christmas.
Every time I blog each week, I'll share a bit about the book I read. I may not be able to keep up once this term gets into full swing, but we'll see how far I can get.
I heard about a challenge where you read one book a week for a year, called the 50 Book Challenge. You can start at any time of year, but I thought January was as good a time as any. I have a few books I've been meaning to read, but otherwise I want to use this opportunity to read more classics. Particularly since I can get many of them for free, as I was gifted a Kindle for Christmas.
Every time I blog each week, I'll share a bit about the book I read. I may not be able to keep up once this term gets into full swing, but we'll see how far I can get.
~
Book 1: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It surprised me at its readability, despite the fact it was written so long ago. Though I know the general story, I'd forgotten enough for it to feel new, and suspense kept me intrigued to the end. I'd also forgotten how fun it is to read a bit of horror now and then, and this book definitely falls in that category. It's a thought-provoking statement about human nature and the differences between good and evil.
It's a short book. I'm starting with short books, so I can get a bit ahead in my reading. I finished it in about three hours on my bus from Vancouver to Seattle. It was fun to be able to start and finish a story in one sitting.
Now, with all this time I have travelling today, I'll be able to finish the next one and maybe two books in my list, which will most likely be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Phantom of the Opera.
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