What's a MOOC and Why is it Cool?

Many of you know that while I'm no longer actively working towards a degree in Writing, I still love taking online workshops and getaway writing weekends to grow my knowledge in the craft.

The only problem? All those classes cost A LOT of money.

Some I'd pay 80-100 dollars for, others cost over 400!

But it was okay, right? All in the name of writing. This is my passion. This is what I want for my life. I want to get better and be published. I want to be a writer!

However, what if we could learn how to be writers without paying two weeks of disposable salary?

That's where the MOOC comes in.

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. Wikipedia defines it further as, "an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive user forums to support community interactions between students, professors, and teaching assistants."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course

So, basically, a MOOC is a high-level class brought to you usually by an accredited facility, literally giving away info for free.

What could be better than that?

MOOCs were birthed into the world in 2008, but didn't become popular until 2012. This means they're still a pretty new concept in the world of learning.

If you're looking to take a writing MOOC (or a MOOC in any subject - because they exist for almost anything), here's a list of Pros and Cons.

PROs: 1. They're free.
2. You choose your level of participation. [Because you're not paying for it, you don't have to worry about making deadlines and submitting assignments or risk failing grades. There are no grades here. Simply self enrichment.]
3. You meet a wide variety of people in fields you're interested in. [Unlike a classroom, students are only limited in attending by whether or not they have internet access. That means you meet writers from all over the world that are interested in the same things you are. Great friendships ensue.]

CONs: 1. You must be at least moderately computer savvy.
2. You only get what you put in. [If you don't think you need to participate because it's free and you're not graded, then you probably won't learn very much. Sure, the instructor videos are helpful, but only by engaging in conversation and critique and submission with your fellow students will your writing truly grow.]
3. It's easy to get overwhelmed if you're not organized. [There's no enrollment cap so thousands of students sign up for MOOCs. That means, if you're not prepared, you can easily be overwhelmed by the 3,000 comments made on day one. Also, since there are so many people, it's likely you won't always be critiqued by the same amount of students for each story you submit. While you do receive variety in opinions with your critiquers, one story may get 700 comments, another may only get 3.]


If you think MOOCs sound intriguing, sign up! There are sites like NovoEd that contain hundreds of MOOCs on different subjects.

In fact, the whole reason I've made this post this week is because I'm enrolled in a MOOC put together by the University of Iowa (you know, the one with the really popular Iowa Writer's Workshop). It's called How Writers Write Fiction 2015 and may still be open for enrollment (?) since they're still in the Welcome Week of the course.

And good news for poets, too! The University of Iowa also puts on a How Writers Write Poetry MOOC occasionally. The 2015 one just ended, but they're looking into doing the next in 2016 or 2017.

Pertinent Details

I once had a professor who, when he critiqued my work, would always want more. More adjectives, more description, more characterization, more detail, etc. I didn't understand why he would do this, especially since my pieces were always the longest in the class. Recently I came across a few old stories he had critiqued while packing up some more of my stuff for the (hopefully soon) upcoming move. Nearly four years later, I finally grasped that what he had been trying to do was exhaust our writing abilities. He wanted us to expand, to pour out everything we had onto the page. He wanted us to give up every word we could think of, detail every event and blade of grass, explain every aspect of our characters' appearance, countenance, and inner thought process.

His class, I understood, was like a giant brainstorming session. Put everything out and don't hold back.

Occasionally, I run into similar situations with beta readers and critique buddies. Someone will latch onto a passing detail and not let go.

"I'm really interested in this coffee machine," they'll say. "When the protagonist sees it, is it something she recognizes? Is it a single cup machine, or is it brewing great quantities at a time? And what about this steam coming from behind the counter? Does she know it's normal for the machine to steam or is she worried that this giant chrome machine is going to explode? Really, if you're not going to focus on the coffee machine, I'd skip it entirely. Otherwise, the reader's mind will be pulled out of the story."

In your mind, the coffee machine was nothing but a grounding detail in the coffee shop. A little sight detail, maybe some smell, sound, and taste. Nothing more.

You never thought it'd be so important to some people.

As the writer it's your job to discern which details require your and the reader's attention. Whether it's a pushy professor or a detail oriented critiquer, ultimately, it's your job to find the pertinent details.

Are those limbo poles going to resurface later in the story in an important way? No? Then cut their half a page description.

Is it going to matter whether the coffee machine can brew one cup or multiple at a time? No? Don't mention it.

Will your protagonist's hair color really make or break this murder investigation? No? Don't sweat plopping it awkwardly into the text.

Toss the things (whether they be details of your own creation or comments from a critiquer) that aren't pertinent details. Only keep what characterizes your characters, advances the plot, or adds tension. Everything else,

yes, everything,

must be deleted.

Pondering the Writing Professor

Over the years, I've had a number of writing professors. Some have stayed in my life for years, others lasted only a few days. Recently, I was discussing a writing professor with my friends. I didn't stay long with this professor because I didn't like his teaching style. My friends, on the other hand, all had fantastic experiences and learned a great deal from this professor.

How can four people - dedicated to writing - think so differently about the same teacher?


Here are my thoughts:

Writing professors (and writing degree programs) are subjective. They all teach you mostly the same thing, but in completely different ways. It's much like reading a plethora of different books on writing instruction. Some you'll think are amazing, others are going to suck.

Writing professors are the same. Some you will connect with. They'll tell you about setting and it will make every piece of advice you've ever heard about setting click into comprehension in your mind. Other professors will try to teach you about setting and it's like they're speaking in Ancient Alien Runes.

All in all, you need to do your research and decide for yourself what works best. Sure you can ask the advice of your friends, but if I had accepted that advice three years ago, I wouldn't have taken a class (and then another) with one of the best writing professors who has helped me understand the craft.

So, don't worry about which schools have the highest ranking, and don't worry about the doubt those other professors have sewn in you.

You need to do what's right for you.

Happy Spring?

So, I've lost hope that spring will ever come. Forget summer. That Disney movie Frozen couldn't have come out on a better year.

Meanwhile, I've admittedly been in a bit of a writing slump. I've acquired three jobs, plus my rabbit was just spayed (poor baby) - so I've been playing nurse, and I can't possibly do anything but sit under a blanket when it's a consistent -20 degrees in Wisconsin.

And you know what? I'm not worried about it. I know, when it's time for me to write, it will happen. In the meantime, I'm catching up on this year's movies (Frozen was better than expected) and doing a lot of reading. If it's what my creative writer-brain needs right now, then I'm not going to push it. Eventually I'll pull my laptop out and start scribing again because I always do after writing slumps.

Also, though writing is not what I'm doing right now, art definitely is. I realized it's been a while since I showcased some of my artwork, and since you can't look outside at mountains of snow all the time and expect not to be depressed, here's some color to brighten the coldest March in history.

This piece, titled "The Universe is Shifting", is a 9x11 oil pastel on paper. I've already framed it, as you see.

 

This piece, titled "Life Inside the Box", is a much larger (I didn't measure, sorry) acrylic and marker on canvas. It's my most recent piece, unless you count the unfinished panel sitting on my table now.

 

 

 

And for Throwback...Tuesday(?)...here's my favorite art class final. The project was to paint yourself into a classic. I chose Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" from 1908/1909. My version is an acrylic on panel board and I even painted in my (at that time) red hair and geek glasses, circa 2012.

 

None of these are available on my Etsy shop, for those of you who were reading this blog when I announced its creation. I've kind of slacked in the shop lately due to overwork and exhaustion. But, they're nice to look at, yes? If you're an artist, feel free to share with us pictures of your art as well.

 

Otherwise, don't sweat it if you're in a spring writing slump. It happens. Often. Breathe, read, and create again another day.

 

Happy Tuesday everyone!



The Art of the Short Story vs. The Art of the Novel

I have safely returned to my frozen Wisconsin wasteland. It was a balmy -30 when I landed and now is slightly warmer - warm enough to produce a 5-8" snowstorm over the next two days. If nothing, the cold weather forces me to be dormant and work on my writing.

It also forces me to have extended Facebook or text conversations with old friends. Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend of mine who was just accepted into an MFA program for fiction writing. I asked if she was excited and she said yes, but no. Throughout her undergrad experience, she wrote short stories, then created a portfolio of short stories to get into the MFA program. Now, she learned that the extent of her MFA program would be writing, critiquing, and perfecting even more short stories.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to write fiction, but I want to write a novel. Short stories aren't my calling," she told me via technology. "I read this article that said writing a short story is like making a row boat, whereas writing a novel is like building a yacht. You can't build a yacht by building thousands of rowboats."

She didn't remember who wrote the article or where she read it, but the quote stuck with us both. Writing a short story - from the plot to the character development - is a completely different world from writing a novel. That's why I enjoy the "novel writing" seminars I attend over the "short story seminars". Though both can help you tame your craft, you have to pursue what you love. You don't see poets in forestry class, or painters spinning at the ceramics wheel. You have to follow your calling. If you want to write short stories, take the MFA classes and become a short story master. If you want to write novels, then find a writing group and novel writing seminars that most often take place over a span of weekends or at a month-long retreat.

Just as we understand the difference in craft between clay and oil paint, it's about time we start realizing that not all fiction is identical. It takes different abilities and techniques to write short stories than it does to write novels.

My advice to my friend as well as to you, blog reader and fellow scribe, is to follow your heart. Don't worry about the professors telling you you won't go anywhere without an MFA. Don't worry if everyone else is singing up for the Carver-esque class. If you want to be the next Grisham or Patterson, write your novel. Read more novels and find the correct classes for you.

Calling All Extras (as in; do you know where your supporting cast was this weekend?)

This week, let's go back to talking about your characters.

Many times, it's the characters that force you to start your story. These fictional people in your head are so vivid and witty, you simply have to write their story. But how's your supporting cast? Most of the time, we start with our main characters (protagonist, antagonist, and possibly one other [a sidekick?]) and the other characters present themselves when they need to. However, leaving them that way when you send your manuscript off to agents or self publishing is a massive rookie mistake.

So, for this post's homework, I'd like you to go back and examine your supporting cast.

Does each character sound like a distinct, new person? Though he may only be there for one scene, every character that graces the page needs a personality and a backstory that you know (but that you, please dear god, do not go on and on about to readers). What does he smell like? Does he have a favorite phrase? Does he squeak or hum when he walks? All of these things, even in tiny doses, make your supporting cast and your story world come to life.

If your supporting characters are a little too bland, and you don't know how to fix it, start with dialogue. It's the number one best way to help breathe that third dimension into them. Make that character unique and distinct. Not necessarily with an accent or a catch phrase, but perhaps with the candor of the lines or the flourish of the adjectives.

For example, give supporting character number two a distaste for a certain word. Try cutting out every "as" "but" or "it". Or, if supporting character three needs some life, take a hint from my own life and have her pick up an annoying aphorism. Case in point: In college I picked up the bad habit of saying "B-T-Dubs" rather than "by the way". No matter if I actively try to stop myself, it always comes out like this. Yes, even to my boss, embarrassingly enough.

Truth is, if you spice up your supporting stars' dialogue, their personality will shine through too and you'll know them better in the context of your story world. Your readers will recognize this. It may be the final push you need to get your novel from good to great.

The New and The Old of it

I'm going to let you know something that bothers me. It happens all too often, especially in literary or student work. It's experimental styles - not to enhance the story or contribute to plot, but for the sake merely of experimentation.

Now you're saying, "Alyssa, if writers didn't experiment there would be nothing new."

And I agree. I experiment with my writing all the time. However, the difference between experimentation for the betterment of the story and experimentation "just cuz" makes all the difference. It's like the difference between writing for publication and writing for only yourself.

There's a reason all those writing books and programs focus on traditional plot, character, and setting elements. There's a reason genre sections in the bookstore are so popular. Readers expect a certain reliability on these elements from the writer. In fact, when traditional style elements are followed, the story can be really far out there in content. Readers are more apt to put up with digesting it.

In review: Experimental styles and elements are just fine - if and only if - they contribute to enhancing the story, or they make sense for the tale you're telling. Experimental elements for the sake of experimentation should stay on your hard drive for your eyes only. Then we'll never have to read another book review or hear another teacher comment that, "Well, I appreciate he tried something new," which we all know means, "it sucked, but I need to find something to say."

Be better. Be braver. Let your writing and your story speak for itself.

Illustrated by Alyssa Nedbal

The wait is over!

The illustration project I've been hinting at since mid-March can finally be revealed to the public.

 



The project is through my previous college, who has a fantastic relationship and exchange program with Malawi. While I was enrolled in the college, I was given the opportunity to create images for one in a series of young reader books that are published in both English and Chichewa. As you read this, the books are in transit to the Mzuzu University Children's Library in Malawi, Africa.

 



My early reader book was titled Nurse and was written by 12 year-old Thokozani Nyirongo, a student in Malawi. The book follows a "when I grow up" format and talks about how the protagonist of the story wishes to be a nurse when she grows up and all the things that she will do as a nurse.



I used watercolor and oil pastel to create each image - which originally measured 14x16 before being photographed, formatted, and printed. There are 10 images throughout the book. Here are a few more of the pages (held open by yours truly).

 





An Update and a Question for You

The back-to-school commercials have aired and a bombardment of first-day-of-school photos clutter the Facebook news feeds. Yes, it's that time of year again - school is in session.

I want you, my loyal blog readers, to know that I will not be joining the fray this year.

Why does this matter to you whether or not I am a student? Well, because a few of you have been there from the beginning when I started this blog out of my college dorm. Others have perused the multiple college class/life posts I wrote at the beginning of this blog's life. But more importantly, I think I can sneak another message out of this one.

Here it goes: You don't need a fancy degree to achieve your goals or get the places you want to be. Especially if you're a writer. (If you want to be, say, a doctor, you may just have to stick it out. Sorry.) But to be a writer you need to...what?...Write! This goes back to the very first post I made in this blog. We're writers not because we have agents or ebooks or publishing deals. We're writers because we write. Plain and simple.

Ask yourself this question - would you rather have the degree you're "supposed to" get, but be no better of a writer than when you started; or, would you rather be degree-less but have worked your way into the writer you always longed to be?

Yeah, that's the question that got me thinking.

Now, I'm not trying to discourage people from going to college, or encourage our current college students to drop out, but I do want to get you thinking. What is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run? If, say, you're in college now and it's strengthening your skills and helping you sort out your weak points - great! You've hit the jackpot. For many of us, this doesn't happen. If, like me, your high school counselors and college professors told you you'd go nowhere without a degree, but the whole process just isn't working for you - this is the time to step back. Think about what you really want.

For me, it was to be the best writer I could possibly be. This meant dropping the student loans, school colors, and cramped living quarters. It meant picking up a job, a writing group, and a few stand-alone writing classes that got me no closer to graduation but a lot closer to publication.

So, in future, expect fewer posts about dorm life, class discussions, and microwave recipes (oh stove, how I've missed you!), and more about the business of writing and art. I hope you join me for the ride.

What You Find in the Trunk

**Please note: I will be posting on Tuesdays now due to a new work schedule. Thanks for understanding in advance!**


Place: My garage, more specifically, inside my Honda CRV which is parked in the garage.
Time: Early. After I've eaten some granola but before a shower. Probably 8:00 am on Labor Day morning.
Climate: 52 degrees, raining, with an icy wind gusting through the open door.


I decided to spend my extra day off cleaning out my car, which hasn't been cleaned in a little over a year due to college demands. Within the first few minutes of tossing receipts and deflated straw wrappers out the door, I discover a pair of blue gloves in the passenger side door. They are knit and have silver patches over the thumb and index finger to keep warm while texting. I unball them and slip them on. I don't remember ever owning a pair of gloves like this. In fact, I'm pretty sure they aren't mine at all. It's cold enough this holiday to wear the gloves while I work. I clean the front seats, the back seats, and then open the hatch. The rain spatters onto it so I try to move quickly. I'm emptying it out so I can vacuum away the little leaves and bug carcasses when I find a pair of black socks. Like the gloves, they are neatly balled. After removing my ice scraper, I find another pair of identical socks, also balled. I know these socks are mine and I suspect they got loose in the move. I stuff the socks into the pockets of my sweatshirt and keep cleaning.

End Scene.

***

Much like my car-cleaning experience, I recently rediscovered a poem I wrote almost two years ago. Like the gloves, I found little gems I didn't remember writing, but that I found to be pretty good lines or ideas. I kept them.

But I also found lines or ideas that were out of place - like the socks. I found myself asking, why is this line here? Can I cut it? What does this scene do to my narrative? Can I cut it?

The socks didn't belong in my trunk. They went rogue in a move and I forgot about them. The lines of poetry had the same syndrome. During my first draft (and second draft) I either didn't see them as problems, or had read the poem so many times, I didn't see them at all. They popped out of my mind like my socks popped out of their suitcase. And just like my car cleaning, they needed to be cleansed from my poem.

This is the beauty of letting a piece sit for awhile before you go back and revise/reedit it. The time apart can force you to look at it in a new light, just like a reader who finds it in a magazine or online. Gone is the sense of creation and instead you can focus on what the piece needs to be truly brilliant. Does this mean you may miss a submission deadline for a contest or literary magazine? Yes. But don't you want to submit your best work? If you don't give the piece some space and some time apart, you will never be able to see it anew. You could be missing the black socks against the black upholstery of the trunk. In most cases, you will be rejected because the editors can definitely see the socks. If you are accepted, though, and you reread the poem a few years after publication. I'm sure you'll see the socks too. It will drive you crazy.

So, make sure you take your time. Don't rush into submission or queries. Do what is best for you, your writing, and your career and take a step back. Let the piece breathe. Revisit in a month or a year and do your cleaning.   

When You Don't Write (as in; My Friends Finally Convinced Me to Forgo Writing for Laser Tag)

My college often uses its budget to rent or create interesting activities for its students. Since it's finals week, laser tag qualified as one of these stress-reducing activities. Giant inflatable bunkers were erected in the gym and signs hung around campus advertising the event. I had never played laser tag, but the prospect of shooting my frustrations away with harmless light beams seemed like an OK idea.

There was only one problem.

If I took the two hour period needed to suit up and play a few rounds of laser tag in the gym, I would not have writing time. I still needed to eat dinner, finish my studying, and then get some sleep before my exams. With all these other priorities, this two hour time span would have been devoted to writing on any other day, but for some reason I was finding it hard to say no to laser tag. Perhaps it was the magnetic energy flowing off my crazy friends, or perhaps it was the Logic textbook sitting open on my bed in my peripheral vision, or maybe it was just the fantastic mood I had been in since Spring decided to arrive, but laser tag was calling my name.

So I went. And though I didn't write that day, I didn't regret my decision.

I had fun, and I have to admit, the activity did relieve some of my unneeded, finals week stress.

There's a quote from John Lennon that I think applies to this situation. It goes, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." And I agree with Mr. Lennon, here. Because the next day, I slotted back into my writing routine, and I was able to write 8 fluid pages in my current project.

Basically, what I'm getting at is don't stress. Make sure you set up your writing schedule and stick to it as best you can, but if you really feel that another experience will be more beneficial to your mental or physical health at that scheduled time, bend a little. It's OK to be spontaneous. It's OK to deviate for the sake of your own sanity. Just like I've talked about before, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing to make yourself happy or to be successful. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your work is take a break. Then, you may come back even more rejuvenated, and get more work done, than if you had forced yourself to stick to your original plan.

Tales of a Dorm Room Chef

I am one of those people who loves to cook. It's a hobby. I know I'll never make money off it or turn it into a career, but I do enjoy cooking. As any of you who have ever visited, lived in, or heard about a college dorm room know, cooking is very difficult in the dorms. Most don't have kitchens at all. My dorm does have a kitchen, but it's about 3 feet wide, is continuously sticky, and it smells of indefinable substances cooked long ago...not to mention I'd have to tote ingredients and cookware up and down 6 flights of stairs to get there. And I already have to make that hike every week on laundry day.

So, you can imagine I get excited when I find a recipe that's easy to make (ex. requiring nothing more than a microwave and refrigerator) and actually tastes good.

For this reason I share with you today my recipe for microwave cheesy eggs. It's perfect for the college dorm student, but it's also great for those days when you get off work/school with an urge to write, sit down to complete it, and don't look up until 11 p.m. That's when you realize you've forgotten to eat today. I know...I've been there.

In those tricky situations, here's the quick and simple recipe (using a standard 700 watt dorm room-regulated microwave, of course!):

Microwave Cheesy Eggs

Step 1: Coat a microwavable coffee mug with cooking spray.

Step 2: Add desired amount of eggs (I use 2) and a splash of water or milk. Scramble.

 



Step 3: Cook eggs on High for 1 minute. Stir. Cook eggs for another 1-2 minutes, until they are no longer runny.

Step 4: Top with cheese of choice (so far I've tried provolone and a shredded Mexican cheese blend) and return to microwave for another 30 seconds or until cheese is melted - Be Careful Not to Burn Eggs

 

Step 5:  Season to taste and enjoy!

 

This is what your finished product should look like:



 
 



 



 

Happy Writing and Happy Cooking Everyone!

Personality: Your Characters and You

Today, I want to share a video clip from YouTube with you guys. It's called The Power of Introverts Ep 1. It belongs to a series of videos based on Susan Cain's book Quiet.

Now, I've never read Cain's book, so I don't know what she's advocating there. Being in college, people simply show you insightful videos they've found online at any given point of the day to procrastinate writing their research papers. Here, we are just going to talk about the video and its concepts.

Though I've never read the book, I found this video intriguing. In my experience networking with other writers, 9 out of 10 times those fellow writers will be more introverted than extroverted. This does not (as the video points out) mean they cannot function in crowded social settings. It does mean that, eventually, they need to be on their own.

And this makes sense. To be a writer you have to be okay with silence and solo time. You have to be able to close your door to the rest of the world and sit with your laptop for a while, writing...alone. For most of my writing friends and me, this is the highlight of our day. We get a break from having to act social, and instead we get to ponder our plot lines, characters, and the mysteries of the universe.

So, after you're done watching the video, nodding along because, "Yes. My parents did apologize for my shyness when I hid in their necks instead of greeting perfect strangers," and "Yes. I do hate small talk about the weather when I'm trying to focus on what is happening in this meeting," consider what this means for yourself and your stories.

For you: Stop trying to conform to what others expect of you all the time. If you're naturally extroverted and love socializing, then do what makes you happy and find people to be around. Be bold and don't apologize for it. If you're naturally introverted, don't feel like you're obligated to be social every day, all the time. If you want to sit at home at night and watch movies, do so. Don't let the peer pressure get to you. Tomorrow, when you're rested, there will be something else to do with friends. It'll be better on the psyche and projects of both personality types in the long run when they act and think at their own pace.

For your stories: Contemplate what your character feels. Is she naturally introverted or extroverted? How does this complicate things? Remember that there is no pure introvert and no pure extrovert - we all fall somewhere in the middle with both personalities mixing within us. If she meets or is forced to interact with a character of the opposite personality, what conflicts arise?

Knowing how your characters act when they are alone and when they are around people will bring depth to your story. When you know the innermost desires of your character, you can portray him the way he will naturally act (bringing believability to your writing). Make sure they stay consistent, though. Just as no one chooses to be more introverted or extroverted, your character cannot change his personality from scene to scene. If he is an introvert, even if he decides to come out of his shell more often, he will still need alone time to recharge. If he is an extrovert, that alone time may prove intimidating or boring. These same rules of nature apply to his author as well. Be yourself, and make sure your characters do the same.

(I got this video from dwlFilms. Their YouTube channel can be found here )

On Being Young and Writing (as in; Snubbing Your Friends to Write)

It's difficult being young and trying to be a serious writer at the same time. It's hard at any age, admittedly, but when you're young, people expect you to act stupidly, impulsively, and socially. Media and societal norms have led all young people to believe that to be "normal" is to be social and care-free. While this is good some of the time - it is not good all of the time.

Going to parties, art exhibits, sledding hills, swing dances, and coffee houses are great ways to get ideas for stories and to unwind after a stressful day. However, if you do this every day, you won't get very much done.

Especially if writing is your goal, you need to set aside time to work. If you write fiction, this should be every day. If you write poetry, perhaps once per week (though you can write poetry every day if you like). Creating a schedule helps a person to stay on track. It's kind of like a New Year's Resolution, but it should last longer.

For example: I decided I was going to start this blog. To make sure I didn't abandon it after my second post, I made a schedule. I write a blog post every Monday after class. I can't do anything else until I think of a post - no matter how big and insightful or small and tedious.

When you're young, you want to appear "normal," but following your dreams can mean that you have to make difficult decisions. Sometimes this means you have to snub your friends and their plans and instead stick to your schedule.

If you want it, you work for it. If you work for it, you can achieve it.

Dedication

In class today, some of my fellow students presented a slideshow on Great Thinkers. They covered musicians, writers, and philosophers. The task was to get the rest of us thinking about how we classify and identify great thinkers. Ideas bounced around rather lethargically. It's snowing again here, and everyone is ready for winter to end. (In fact, I'm wearing floral pants in protest of the weather.)

But eventually, and with some prodding from our professor, we came upon what I feel is the greatest attribute of all the people they mentioned: Dedication.

Never mind how much money someone has, the amount of free time they can spend stroking their beard and smoking their pipe, or whether they had a traumatic childhood; the real common denominator amongst all great thinkers is dedication to their craft.

Especially now, we all have access to almost any type of information we want. A quick internet search will reveal mountains of information out there. Also, almost every town has a library within 20 miles of it. I know, I know, libraries. The travel time, the cost of gas, the walking up stairs and across floors - it's harder than Google. But the great thing about libraries is the information in the published books and articles is already fact checked and edited for you to rely on.

Take Bach, Aristotle, or (my favorite) Virginia Woolf - all were dedicated.

Whether you're dedicated to writing, music, philosophy, technology, or any other field, it is dedication to your particular task that will prove to be beneficial in the long run. Do some internet searching, read blogs and ebooks and how-tos, or go to the library and find your section. While you are there, know that, yes, dedication to one thing will mean that something else will have to suffer. Say you spend all your time perfecting your novel. In essence, your gardening or cooking will suffer in turn. This is the way of the world. With something good - a change for the better - comes a sacrifice. However, I want to point your attention to a quote I heard the other day. It goes something like,

"Good is the enemy of Great."

It is a modern spin on an old Voltaire quote from the 1700s. Basically, it is saying that doing something so that it is "good" is getting in the way of pursuing it until it is "great." And you'll only come to be a Great Thinker through dedication. The internet has negated our excuse to lack of resources. We can no longer stop when it's good enough. We must strive for greatness. Otherwise, we'll go nowhere.

I leave you to ponder.

On Weather

As some of you know, I live in very, very, northern Wisconsin. As in, the freeway ends and you still have another hour to drive on dinky, rural highways; northern Wisconsin.

Anyway, I was home from college this past weekend celebrating my mom's birthday when Winter Storm Luna descended. I had been planning to drive back to my dorm on Sunday, so I could have all day to complete the 4 hour drive before class the next day. But ice accumulations of 1+ inches, 5+ inches of snow coating that, and a winter mix of what our TV weather broadcaster called "frist" hindered things. A quick check of road conditions online also revealed that part of the highway was shutdown because of a major accident. This discovered, I figured it was better to stay put than drive back to school. Since I had planned to spend most of Sunday evening hiding in my dorm, I hadn't bothered to bring much homework with me. Time to freak out? Definitely not.

Luna, though she messed up my travel arrangements, gave me an extra day where I had absolutely nothing planned. Which meant, I had time to write. Many college students are quick to tell you that time like this - free time where homework is actually impossible to complete - is rare indeed. For many frazzled parents and business execs, the story isn't all that different. But when weather strikes and puts a damper on things, take the challenge. Write during the time you had planned to be doing something much different. Even if you only get a sentence written during a commercial break, it's more than you had previously. Because writing is the exact opposite of winter driving. When driving during winter, it's everyone else on the road you have to keep an eye on. They are usually going too fast, don't see the black ice, or forget that slush loves to eat tires. In short, you have to anticipate their actions, though you're confident of your own. Whereas, in writing, you are the only one responsible and the only one to blame when the next chapter isn't finished or that poem is still scrawled on the inside of an old pizza box.

So, let weather stop you from barbecuing, meeting, cleaning, or driving, but don't let it stop your writing. Even if that means that the next day you have to wake up before sunrise and drive the 4 hours back to school before class.  

How to Write Your Way to a Writing Degree (and Beyond)

Okay, so this isn't so much a step-by-step "how to" guide on writing your way to a writing degree. In fact, I'm on the journey now, trying to figure it out myself. Knowing that little fact, I currently can't give you any of the magic steps to author-dom. (Bummer, I know.) If anyone out there does know the magic steps, though, feel free to share.

Now for the good news: we can figure out this journey together. We can share first draft jubilee, cures for (or maybe just distractions from) writer's block, revision problems, and the joys or rejections as we search for publication and graduation caps - no matter which order they come in. I'll talk about my college experience as well as my ups and downs as an aspiring writer.

Ugh...I shudder writing that word. Aspiring. The real definition means to try and attain a goal. It means we're trying to get somewhere or do something. However, the connotation in our current society is one that if you're aspiring (trying), you're not achieving.

I may be writing in between classes - hyped and jittery on 4 pots of coffee - getting a rough 5 hours of sleep per night, living on a diet of high sodium, and fueling my unnatural obsession for hats and yellow shoes, but as long as I keep writing, can anyone deny that I'm a writer?

I had a writing professor tell me that all you need to do to be a writer is write. He would say this when he saw how overwhelmed I was becoming under the stress of life. So I say we take his advice and banish the word aspiring. Instead, let's call ourselves by our real titles. Writers.

From obscurity to publication....here we go.