I got the scholarship!!!!!! I'm going to Prague!!!!!!
I never wrote about this opportunity (superstition coming to the forefront?) but now I can happy announce that I am a John Woods scholarship recipient to Western Michigan University's Prague Summer Creative Writing program. The 2010 theme is called
Scribbling on the Ether: The Changing Nature of Writing and Publication
The full theme description can be found here, but this is a quote from the conclusion:
"Are we moving toward a “paperless” textuality? Are books, as such, becoming anachronisms? Will it mean the same thing to “publish,” to be a “writer,” when all or most texts will be virtual? May the process by which texts are brought to prominence, through wise and scrupulous editorial discretion, maintain its integrity in the virtual dimension? When anyone can “publish” at anytime, what is the value of publication?"
I am so excited! I will be taking a poetry workshop and a class on Czech literature, as well as attending the program lectures (the mandatory ones for all attendees) and some reading lectures by the professors and other authors. Sounds like a full schedule, but I can't wait! I will be spending a whole month there, and will be living in a dorm with a random roommate. I won't have a meal plan, so that will be interesting-- grocery shopping in the Czech Republic. I hope there won't be too many culinary misadventures waiting for me.... Dishearteningly, some are inevitable.
Hopefully I will get to travel a little bit as well. Several friends are abroad at the same time, and we may try to meet up. I would also like to venture into new places, and perhaps even revisit Romania, since it would be summer and a good chance to visit Transylvania. But most of the bordering countries I haven't visited, so maybe I should stick with those first! Ah, possibilities...
Anyways, I am so excited that I have accomplished a scholarship on my writing merit! It feels good to be recognized in that sense- to have someone else say "You're worthy." It's somehow other than the praise of peers or even the feeling from publication. It's seems more artistic, less commercial in a sense to be recognized this way. I can't really explain it, but in any case, I'm thrilled to be part of this program. I can't wait for July!
Right now:
What I'm listening to: Can't. In the library
What I want most: this paper to be researched and written for me. Any takers?
Well I've finally heard back from the guys at Flat Hat about the columnist position I applied for a while back (no, the first one-- Way, way back). Anyways, no break for this journalist... guess I'll go back to my real interests in creative writing. I'm disappointed, but I've suspected this outcome for a while, so I'm doing ok generally. And I always have the second columnist job to fall back on. I just need to organize myself enough to send in the official application (still haven't done it-- FAIL Shelly Holder!)
But I'm also going to stretch myself in a new direction. The research magazine on campus wants an intern- and it's PAID! (Decision made!) So I'm going to go see what magazine publishing is like. I even get some small opportunities to write for them, so it's a great gig all around.
So it's the theme of the week- one rejection equals another opportunity. If I keep looking, I will find them. I'm being surprisingly Pollyanna-esque about everything, but it's an okay state to be in. I don't HAVE to be the jaded cynic I usually posture as. Sometimes it's okay to be optimistic.
But more enduringly, it's important to be resilient, however you choose to accomplish that. Cheerfully, or cynically, the results-- and the resume-- are still the same.
Right now:
What I'm listening to: "The Ghost and the Girl" by K.T. Tunstall
What I want most: Chinese takeout...
... then you find another on campus newspaper to write for.
I still haven't heard back from the Flat Hat people. It's ok, because I'm exploring a slightly different option.
Hercampus.com is an online magazine for college girls, with individual satellites for each campus. My college just got a branch, so I sent an email expressing interest in writing. And guess what?!? I'm going to propose my own column. Whee!!!
I've never done such a thing; the Flat Hat was an established column with an established name and an established theme. But I get to decide all of that, for myself.
So I have decided on "Feminist Fatale:" a college girl's guide to being fabulous, fashionable, and sensibly feminist.
This is going to be styled as more of an opinion piece, not dealing heavily with political issues, but rather first person anecdotes. I want the tone to be breezy and first person, very much like this blog, but I want the topics to be real issues on campus.
But I'm having some trouble thinking of possible articles for the proposal that I need to draft up, and would like your input.
I have at the moment: a sample article reinforcing the idea that you DON'T have to settle for dating guys (or girls!) on campus, considering W&M's dismal dating scene. I also thought about doing interviews around campus about girls or feminist clubs, or professors that are pretty bad-ass. And possibly book reviews, if I ever have time to read (ha!).
But I would like to see what you guys might think of, so if you have an idea or possible topic, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email me or leave a comment.
Remember, it does have to be loosely tied to colleges, college life, etc, and should be somewhat feminist in perspective. So I'll talk about fashion, but why fashion and feminism is NOT mutually exclusive. I'll talk about dating, but not to give tips or advice. I'll talk about pretty much anything, but I need to keep my theme in mind.
So, please, all you "Feminist Fatale"s out there, speak up!!
Right Now:
What I'm listening to:"Headlock" by Imogean Heap
What I want most: this column. And the other one. I want them both. I want them alllllllllll.
Really, writing opportunities show up in the oddest places. Like the spam email that I was about to delete... and found a writing contest with nifty prizes. $150 giftcard to Starbucks anyone?
So I'm not giving up. I'm not going to let myself talk myself down. Not going to let thoughts of making a living out of writing keep me from writing. I can live as a full time writer. I can. It's probably going to be hell. It's probably going to be without comfort, without fame, and without recognition, especially at first. But I can do it. Even if the bulk of my paycheck comes in giftcard format, I can do it.
So I can make money as a writer, pigs can fly, and sometimes great gifts comes in spam email.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Moby "Pale Horses"
What I want most: this nail polish to dry so I can go to bed
The horror! The shame! The travel-sty!
I WAS right- delays here in Richmond, delays in Paris likely.... so who knows where in the world Shelly Holder will end up tonight. Perhaps in Iceland like that last international trip I took (no joke, long story, that's another blog post.)
It's ridiculous to the point of amusing now. I have come to accept that any travel involving me, my person, my baggage, or any derivative in between is going to have something funky going on. Or multiple somethings. Or any combination thereof.
The Maternal Figure doesn't like me using the "c" word, but wouldn't it be funny if I wrote a story about a girl who was cursed with bad travel juju? =)
Well, one good thing came of my delay- I had time to read my email, and found a new writing opportunity in a campus email. Since I'm in absentia at the moment, I sent over a resume, and links to the blog and the website. Hopefully that does the trick until I can get back and fill out whatever sort of application there might be.
So until later, whenever and wherever that might be.
Right now:
Where I am located: gate terminal
What I want most: a decisive decision either way- I'm delayed, I'm not delayed. Which one is it?
I just finished finals yesterday, and I'm already deep into a vortex of scheming for the summer. No rest for the academic, I guess.
I have been pawing at the idea of heading up to New York to participate in Columbia University's Creative Writing Master classes. They offer some really wicked courses, like "Writing Mean and Funny" and "Love Poetry as a Trojan Horse" and other provocative workshops, so that I'm positively drooling over the computer as I read.
But then I picked up the January issue of The Writer this week, and in those brilliantly tempting pages I found a creative writing summer program with West Michigan University... in PRAGUE. Titled "Scribbling on the Ether: The Changing Nature of Writing and Publication."
OH. MY. GOODNESS. I. WANT. IT!
Best yet? I found WMU offers a fellowship to this summer program that's tuition free. Housing, living, and travel not included of course, but anything to take a couple zeros off. I may have just landed a perfect and shiny job, but it's only minimum wage.
So I'm going to spend my vacation thinking and planning and scheming out the perfect application essay for this fellowship. It's pretty tough, actually, you have to get endorsed by a published author in your field. I'm not really sure who to approach on this one, but I hope I can figure something out before February.
Anyways, cross your fingers. Let's see if I can rock the world of some summer admission peoples.
Right now:
What I'm listening: "Fireflies" by Owl City
What I want most: That fellowship. And straight sailing (or flying) right into Prague.
So everyone has heard about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month.) But have you heard about the other one?
NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, where the challenge is to post every day from a month! It operates in a similar way to Nanowrimo, where the website is the basis of support. And guess what? Today starts both October and NaBloPoMo!
I've been poking around the site, and apparently there are also themes to each of the months, (October is Haunted, of course) but I don't really understand the concept in relation to blog posting quite yet. However, I'm going to try to participate this year, and I'm really excited! I also thought this would be a cool (and gentle) training exercise to get me in shape for next month's Nanowrimo, plus I get a shiny widget!
Visit NaBloPoMo
See? Shiny, shiny!
Anyways, I'm going to cheat a little- just a little- and continue my previous policing of posting only on the weekdays. I need my weekends to remain sacrosanct- I have too much homework for my piece of mind to voluntarily add on more responsibilites. So, sorry, no weekend posts!
(I would like to imagine groans from the readership at this point, but alas, I know the truth.)
So watch for all the upcoming blog posts, and I hope to see you over at NaBloPoMo!
Right Now:
What am I listening to: "Je suis jalouse" by Emily Loizeau
What I want most: more time!
Today was the first meeting of critINK, the writing group that I'm founding on campus, and I am so excited!
I had a fairly large turn-out, considering the time and effort I spent on publicizing, and I got good reactions as well. Genuine interest, as well as a willingness to work together in creating the nature of our writing group. I was not leading the group, as I half-feared I would have to, but discussion lead the day.
However, I was asked to maintain a ... guiding presence via email, with prompts and tips and general interests. And I was so flattered to seen in that sort of role. As someone with knowledge and experience valuable enough to share with others.
I feel that the writing group is a natural extension what I am trying to accomplish here on this blog, and I know that I appreciate the opportunity to establish myself as an "authority" beyond an online (and usually annomyous) forum. I can directly link my growth as a writer to this blog, and the topics that I cover here. Not strictly about writing, not strictly fiction, not strictly business, but all about my passion and my love for writing. And with that, my confidence has grown exponentially because I have recognized within myself that I have a valuable contribution to make-- essentially that I have something to say, that others cannot offer (simply because of individual experience) and therefore that others cannot possibly take away from me-- and that sense of authority based on knowledge has given me much. critINK offers me the same premise.
On a less serious note, I have always wanted to expand this blog into certain areas that are simply just not conducive to this form-- a image based contest, such as Deadline Dames run, or interviews with authors-- because I do not have the readership (yet) to support such activities. But this group does lend itself towards such things, and I am really excited to try these opportunities out!
I hope that I will be able to contribute to the group, and that I will be able to provide the experience and familiarity of the writing "scene" necessary. Because really, that's a distilled version of what a writer does, n'est pas?
Right Now:
What I am listening to: "Je cours" by Kyo
What I want most: sleep.
Big Shiny Sekret Project!!
I'm so excited. I'm not sure if i can get this writing internship, but damn, I wants it. They're looking for a master's graduate, but maybe I can help out in some way... The experience alone would be SO. WORTH. IT. I'm also scared, because this internship would seriously STRETCH. MY. LIMITS. It would be so vastly different from anything that I'm done before... but that's also the point.
Anyways, no more details for now. I don't want to jinx it, and I'm also super paranoid about certain things, and details fall under it. But just keep your fingers crossed for me, 'mmmmmkay?
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Internal squeals of excitement, peppered with, "Oh, goodness, I wants it!"
What I want most: this internship, definitely. definitely.
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