Yesterday, I was going to write a post about how pathetic this past week was: I only wrote about 1.5k per day (while unemployed), and spent most of my time on the internet reading blogs. However, after reading some more of Dean Wesley Smith’s blog series, Kililng the Sacred Cows of Publishing, I have to… Continue reading Paradigm shifts and finding balance
Tag: the real world
Some thoughts on the future
I went to the first class of English 318 yesterday, and the lecture got me to thinking about my mid- to long-term future as a writer. Brandon spent most of the period organizing the class, which was made doubly difficult by the ridiculously small classroom size. I swear, bureaucracies exist only to make life difficult. … Continue reading Some thoughts on the future
Looking for a life experience
This week, I got hit by some good news and some bad news. The good news was that I got a short term seasonal job, delivering phone books. That should keep me solvent for the rest of the month, at least until I can find something slightly more permanent. The bad news? I heard back… Continue reading Looking for a life experience
Things I learned from working in a call center
Over the summer I worked part time at a local call center. At the time, it was just what I needed: a flexible job that helped me pay the bills while figuring out where I wanted to go next. That said, I learned very quickly that call center work is not the sort of thing… Continue reading Things I learned from working in a call center
Am I an “emerging adult”?
I read a fascinating article in the New York Times today about “emerging adulthood”– basically, the modern trend of twenty-somethings (such as myself) who aren’t growing up and settling down. Says the article: It’s happening all over, in all sorts of families, not just young people moving back home but also young people taking longer… Continue reading Am I an “emerging adult”?
End in sight
Things are winding down for my current work in progress, Worlds Away from Home–or should I say winding up, since I’m just a chapter or two from the major climax? In any case, by the end of the week, inshallah, the rough draft will be finished. <crosses fingers> It’s been tough, but I’m cautiously optimistic… Continue reading End in sight
If it kills me
I will finish this novel if it kills me. At the rate things are going, it just might. Things are kind of tough for me right now. I desperately need a new job–the one I’ve got is slowly sucking away my soul without even paying enough to get by–and job rejections are way worse than… Continue reading If it kills me
Looking for work (and possibly an adventure)
Ever since graduation in May, I’ve been doing my best to support myself and be 100% financially independent. I haven’t gotten a steady, well-paying day job yet, but fortunately summers in Utah are cheap and I’ve more or less been able to make ends meet. That’s not to say it’s been easy, though. I’m operating… Continue reading Looking for work (and possibly an adventure)
Braving the unexpected rough spots
Right now, I’m going through this unexpected rough spot in my novel, where I know what’s supposed to happen (or at least I have enough of an idea to wing it fairly well), but the writing just isn’t coming. This happens every time I hit the two thirds mark, and it really sucks. Currently, I’m… Continue reading Braving the unexpected rough spots
Forward to new ground
A couple days ago, I finished writing through the material I’d written for Worlds Away From Home back in 2008 before I dropped the project. For the first time since March, I find myself drafting entirely new material. It’s a little bit unnerving; I’m a much better reviser, I feel, than straight up writer. Revising… Continue reading Forward to new ground